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Restaurant Laloux
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Restaurant Laloux
Review Highlights
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"The shallot vinaigrette made the green salad memorable." In 2 reviews -
"The desserts are to die for." In 5 reviews -
"...tonight in this relaxed slightly off the beaten path bistro." In 4 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Keith T.
1/5/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Restaurant Laloux was absolutely wonderful. My fiancée and I came here during a day trip to Montreal and we splurged on the 5 course sampler with wine pairings for her birthday, which actually turned out to be more like an 8 course sampler with the amuse-bouches and a cheese course. It's probably more than I've ever spent on a meal, but it was one of the best meals of my life. I'm sure if I thought hard enough about it I could place it in the top 3 for sure. We ate there 3 nights ago and I still remember pretty much everything we had, it made that good of an impression:
First amuse-bouche - scallop with a citrusy marmalade: very good, cool, citrusy and sweet
First appetizer - lightly seared arctic char with fennel and creme fraiche on fish broth: also very good, savory without being heavy and rich. A nice sweet cool white wine was paired with it and was excellent
Second appetizer - homemade tagliatelle with beef cheek, chinese artichokes and some kind of cured meat: this was amazing, and could have been a main course in and of itself. My fiancée's favorite course of the night, so rich and flavorful. This was paired with...I believe a greek red wine that was very thin on the tongue. This is when we really started getting transported by this meal :)
Main course - Venison over mashed parsnips with baby asparagus and pearl onion: this was unbelievably good, I got chills when eating it. I'd never had venison this good. This was paired with another red wine which I thought matched it very well but I don't recall much about that one. I do recall thinking that the wine pairings were excellent, they were very good wines that were quite unique and accented the dishes so very well.
Cheese - The waitress came up and asked us after the main course if we'd like to have some cheese (an additional $4 for 25g of each), and we had two that were excellent, a soft cow's milk cheese and a very smooth and tangy bleu
Second amuse-bouche - small panna cotta with homemade jelly: very sweet, soft and delicious
Dessert - I had a lemon jelly with pound cake and my fiancée had a peanut sauce with a sort of chocolate bark: mine was quite good, sour and sweet, but the peanut dish was a little too salty (the only misstep of the night, and by then we were so full that it hardly mattered)
And finally - they brought us a few homemade candies that were quite good as well.
Total cost: $85 each for dinner and wine, $8 extra for the cheese, tax and tip = $230. Yikes. But like I said, it was absolutely worth it for a special dinner that was one of the best meals of my life. -
Review from Sharm D.
4/1/2012
Having a love for French food and having heard solid reviews, I entered Laloux confident that I'd be in for a treat. Unfortunately, from start to finish, the meal simply did not deliver.
My date and I ordered the Potage St. Germain, a pea soup with bits of bacon, sweet onion and infused croutons. Although the soup was tasty when the spoonful contained all the ingredients, the broth alone was a little too timid. It did not carry any deep or complex flavours. Furthermore, and what was most unfortunate about this soup was that it was just shy of being room temperature; it simply wasn't hot enough. I had the impression that it must have been sitting around for too long before being sent out to our table.
As for the mains, I ordered the duck plate with ham and my date went for the steak. The steak was wonderful, but the duck was so rare that it was inedible, since, even after a sip of wine, all I could taste was blood from the duck. Luckily, my date thought it was "okay" it so we decided to switch plates (nice date!). The ham looked especially unappealing, and though I tried a bit of it and it was tasty, the presentation was a bit too "real" for me. It looked like the pig's trotter was butchered and served fresh on my plate, so I left that portion untouched. Finally, one of the two bok choy on my plate was burnt. I was a little bit upset! Enough said.
Dessert was by far better than the appetizer and mains. We ordered the caramel profiteroles with ice cream. While the profiteroles were excellent, the caramel sauce in which they were drenched was exceedingly sweet. My partner and I tried our best to save the beautiful profiteroles from the sauce, but it was too late... perhaps a touch of sea salt would have salvaged the dessert, or at least the option of having the caramel on the side would have made the dessert more appealing.
Finally, the decor provides nice clean lines that I'm sure would satisfy architect Laloux, the namesake of this restaurant. However, the minimalism of this restaurant kept my eyes craving that extra pop of color or texture, and the lighting was a little too bright for a romantic date night. Nevertheless, the service was excellent and the waitstaff were attentive.
If you're looking for a nice French restaurant for a date night, I'd recommend going to Le Pegase over this place. It is far more intimate and the food is far better. It's also a bring-your-own wine restaurant and potentially better on the wallet (although I must say Laloux was very affordable! Our bill came out to 100$ excluding tip). -
Review from kirren h.
12/13/2011 Seated via OpenTable
FOOD:
The four stars is primarily because of the food. It was outstanding. From the appetizer (Pan seared foie gras, brioche, apple compote and Dégel sauce), through the entrees (Beef filet, caramelized turnip purée, kipfler potatoes, Brussels sprouts salade, buttermilk vinaigrette and the Wild striped bass, sunchoke purée, king oyster mushrooms, cipollini and dryed olives sauce vierge), and to the dessert ( Lemon curd, poppy seed cake, Meyer lemon jelly and white chocolate crumble - basically a deconstructed lemon tart) - every dish was done with great execution. It's rare that we go to a dinner and don't find at least one criticism with the meal, but the food here was just spot on. Nothing was over-seasoned and everything was cooked to perfection. Highly recommend the pan-seared foie gras!
SERVICE:
The waitress we had was very nice and we really have no complaints about her service. She spoke English very well, and I was afraid that non-French speaking people would get kind of the cold shoulder but that wasn't the case. The wine sommelier, however, was a bit smug when he realized we weren't big wine connoisseurs and asked him questions. It's his job to educate the customers if they're unsure what they're looking for, and he just seemed like we were a waste of his time. Definitely the turn off for the night.
AMBIANCE:
We were kind of hesitant walking in because it just felt so pretentious. I feel like they put all of the English speaking people at the front of the restaurant (where it's a lot colder by the windows) and the French speaking people in the back, closer to the kitchen. I would give it a 2 or 3 for ambiance, just because it seemed a bit stuffy- just not our type of crowd. We went on a Saturday night and it wasn't that full so the noise level was pretty quiet. Which, again, kind of added to the uncomfortable stuffiness of the place. -
Review from Amanda J.
7/26/2011 8 photos
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS PLACE. As far as a meal goes, it is hard to get any better!
I got their 5 course sampler for ~80ish with wine pairing. The value out weight the cost. And for ten dollars extra, you can upgrade one of the appetizers to the foie gras. Totally worth it. The best foie gras i had. and the sparking rose wine that was paired with that was amazing! Close to one of the best meal i ever had. The five course meal ended up being 7/8 when they send out pre-appetizer, and two extra desert. We got three deserts...
Amazing service as well. We got there late. 10PM when their kitchen closes at 10:30PM and we stayed until 11:45PM. We were the last customers there and not once did they hurry us.
This is the best where everything is right. The service, food, atmosphere!!! -
Review from J C.
7/12/2011
Open on a Sunday! This is how we found Laloux, and it was a lucky find. Our meal was pretty perfect.
Beginning:
The grilled calamari appetizer is phenomenal.
The shallot vinaigrette made the green salad memorable.
Middle:
Pickerel fish- who knew?! So light and still tasty
Lobster terrine that looks like a large sushi roll- why not?!
End:
A very, very happy one. Our shared desert was an elegant take on a chocolate delight: a brownie topped with mouse. But, aside from the chocolate mouse that's rich (of course) but somehow not dense, paired with a very lightly sweetened creme, topped with toffee; the kitchen made the effort to divide the serving into one with the brownie and one without (for the gluten-challenged member of the pair). Such thoughtful service!
I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant- any day of the week. Not only will you enjoy a great meal, but you'll also venture to a neighborhood that's a bit off the beaten path. Enjoy!
Side note: the chef's dedication to only serving sustainably caught fish is a testament to ethics and creativity. The effort is really, really appreciated by this reviewer. -
Review from A L.
Montréal, QC
8/4/2011
Great space
the food was excellent
The desserts are to die for
Not overly expensive or pretentious
My Date was very impressed(:
Service is good -
Review from barnaby s.
8/12/2011
Incredible food. A nice laid back, but very chic place. It was a special treat at the end of a great trip through Canada with my fiancée. This is the type of place (lads) that will get you far with your significant person of choice. It is not, however, a typical slap up meal. This is a high end foody establishment that a person of class would choose for a meal. The portions are not huge, it is about the flavor and artfully combined ingredients.
Once again YELP users pointed me to the right place. You have NEVER let me down! The special loving attention that I received from my love when we got to the hotel was also extremely memorable! Thanks!! -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
8/9/2010
* A bit too many ingredients at once *
Had an enjoyable meal tonight in this relaxed slightly off the beaten path bistro.
Started off with the lightly smoked scallops. They had a nice sear and a hint of smokiness. They were presented with a fish roe which looked like salmon roe but was much smaller. I had not seen this type of roe before, but forgot to ask if it was a variety of salmon roe or some other fish. There was also a fennel puree and a small dice of fruit. Honestly there was a little bit too much going on on the plate. The individual components were all nice, but there was just a bit too many things.
For the main I had the lobster and corn salad. This was a very generous portion of lobster which was cooked perfectly and mixed with a variety of corn, veggies, and herbs. A very pleasant and lighter main. My favourite dish of the evening.
I also got to try the sweetbreads. They were encrusted with a crust that was simply too thick. It was almost like a fried chicken batter, yet was slightly burned. The delicate flavour of the sweetbreads were lost in the batter. I love sweetbreads when they are properly prepared. Unfortunately this dish just didn't work well for me.
Many of the desserts once again sounded overly complicated. I opted for the simplest sounding chocolate pot-de-creme which came in a mason jar. The chocolate was the perfect consistency, and was topped with a chocolate crunch which was covered with cream. This was a very simple clean and nice dessert.
I got to try one of the overly complicated sounding desserts - the apple 3 way which was described as: caraway and thyme, dulce de leche ice cream, caramelized brioche, apple granite. The pastry chef was trying to do too many things on this one. The brioche was caramelized, but tasted slightly past its prime prior to being caramelized. It had a slight "not fresh" aftertaste as if the brioche was not fresh baked prior to caramelization. The apple granite was not found on the plate as it had all melted into a slightly too sweet liquid pool. The dulce de leche ice cream did not have any noticeable caramel flavour. The apples themselves were ok, but diced a bit too small to get true apple flavour from them. Overall this dish was my least favourite of the evening.
Service was also a bit awkward and artificial at times. Not the natural feel of many other places in Montreal.
Considering how many good bistros there are in Montreal that locally it is just 3 stars overall in my book.Listed in: Bon Vivant Montreal Edition
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Review from Caroline R.
1/22/2011
Our B&B inkeepers recommended Laloux to us and after some deliberation (and 30 minutes of walking aimlessly in the snow) we ended up coming here. I am so happy we did! Our meal was amazing! To start, our waiter was great. Very personable, we always had a full glass, yet he didn't feel intrusive. I loved the part when he told us in the begin that "We'll have a good time". Just set the tone for the evening.
Our meals were not dissapointing either. I started with the beet salad which was incredible! They were mixed with pomegranate seeds, pistachios, green beans and haloum cheese. I would have never thought about mixing those flavors, but they all married so well. My main delish was just as good! I had the cod with hummus, olives, artichokes and lemon and it was bursting with flavor! I can't say enough. My husband ordered the parsnip soup and the gnocchi, both which he said were very pleasing as well. It was such a nice, warm oasis in the cold, cold night! -
Review from Laura R.
11/18/2010
We dined here on our last night in Montreal and we were quite delighted with the fare of flavorful food with outstanding service. It was the choice of the Concierge at the W hotel that suggested we go to his favorite restaurant.
What's wonderful about our experience is that we chose the wine pairing with our own choosing of our food, not the usual Prixe Fix menu. For appetizers we dined on Green salad, confit shallot vinaigrette and Foie gras au torchon, date purée, figs and hazelnuts -- may I say DELICIOUS! My dinner consisted of Pacific Halibut, black beans, coriander salsa verde, spicy green olive salad. Wow, light and so full of flavor! My date dined on Veal sweetbreads, roasted grapes, sour dough panzanella, Pedro Ximenez vinaigrette. I tasted it and boy was it scrumptious.
A definite place to enjoy a taste of refined French cuisine without the pretentious aire. -
Review from Jen H.
9/4/2010 8 photos
Walking along the streets of Montreal, I tell my brother that I want some nice quality French food. I'm dressed in my tourist gear, and he's dressed in his casual work attire... so we can't go into anywhere that is going to require someone to be ultra fancy. We're about to walk by Laloux when I say "what about this place?" -- their outside terrace drew me right in.
We speak with the hostess and since we do not have a reservation, we would only be able to sit outside, as that was all they had available at the moment... which is perfect because that's what we wanted anyway!
We were definitely underdressed for this establishment, but what I liked very much and respected, was that they did not treat us any differently because we were dressed casual. I've received improper treatment due to dress before, so kudos to Laloux.
I started with the salad - very good, with veggies that were slightly cooked but still firm and not overdone/soft. There were mushrooms, radishes, asparagus, onions, and a few other greens in the vinaigrette. I will say that I was a bit nervous when this arrived as the contents of the salad. I'm not a big fan of radishes, asparagus, or mushrooms.... but it was delicious and I ate it all.
The bread and butter was plentiful. My brother and I are not shy of carbs, so I think we went through 2.5 baskets of it, and had we wanted to continue eating it, they would have continued bringing out out. Fresh, warm bread with salted butter.
The main course that I chose was the duck in a dandelion honey glaze, served with fork mashed potatoes with berber spices, collard greens, and long pepper sauce. It was delicious beyond my expectations. I don't order duck very often... when given the chance I'd normally order some kind of steak, or veal, or lamb... but the duck was calling to me on the menu, and if I could get duck to taste like this everywhere, then I'd surely switch my preferences. Very well done, and the potatoes and greens were a nice compliment.
Lastly, we had the cheese plate. Since it was only $4 per cheese choice, we decided to get all 6 options and sample them all. They all sounded so good we couldn't just choose one or two! When the cheese plate arrived it was accompanied with pecans, almonds, and figs. The goat cheese coated with oak ashes was by far my favorite, with the organic raw milk cheese as the runner up.
The cheeses we were able to enjoy were:
Bleu d'Auveigne (blue cheese from France)
Goat Cheese from Ste-Maure coated with oak ashes
Comtomme - compton Estrie - raw milk cheese, organic
Reserve de la Perade - Ste Anne de la Perade Mauricie organic 5 months
Comte du Jura: France 18 months old
Sauvagine, St. Raymond de Portneuf, Quebec
I love that this was off the main hustle and bustle of Rue Saint Denis, and although it is a bit on the more expensive side, it's not outlandish prices, and it's worth every penny. I would come back here in a heart beat the next time I visit Montreal. -
Review from Thor T.
6/2/2010
You will be hard pressed to find a finer looking bistro in Montreal than the luminous Laloux, just a couple blocks off busy Rue Saint Denis. Seth Gabrielse is dedicated to local seasonal products and the menu hews close to dishes from the region. Start with a field-fresh green salad or the generous (and rich) plate of charcuteries made in-house. Main dishes include a perfectly seared duck breast on creamy polenta, the sweet duck meat balanced by a rhubarb sauce.
The wine list is extensive and expertly put together, the prices fair. There is also a small selection of artisanal beers (the Rosée d'hibiscus made by the local brewery Dieu du Ciel makes for a great aperitive) and ciders (we loved the Cidre pétillant rosé by Michel Jodoin with our olive oil cake dessert. Wonderful service! -
Review from Rannie B.
Montréal, QC
3/22/2010
Went for a romantic diner at Laloux.
The setting is simple and elegant. The service was good but not quite up to par for what I think Laloux is trying to achieve.
My diner partner had the beet entree and I had the shrimp verrine. They were both very good and offered very creative flavour mixes. The verrine was however accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke chips that were oily and not that tasty.
I had the goat cheese raviolis with a mushroom sauce. It was very tasty but so rich it may be a better offering as an entree. The result was that I had trouble finishing my plate despite the portion being rather small.
My partner had the red wine braised beef. It was nothing exceptional as the flavours were rather plain. Again his portion was on the small side.
The dessert list is very nice and given I've followed the pastry chef's career on her blog for the last 4 years I was anxious to try her offerings.
Hence we had 3 desserts for the two of us. One being the pot de crème (chocolate cream) which was very good. The other 2 desserts were elaborate compositions. One with an apple theme the other with citrus. All the components of these desserts were exquisite taken separately. Some of them however (like the ice creams) didn't mix well with the other parts of the desserts.
At the end of our meal the waitress brought us some mini sablés cookies to finish. Those just blew me away. They were the best cookies I ever had. I have to go on the pastry chef's blog (http://endlessbanquet....) to pester her for the recipe :).
We enjoyed our evening but wouldn't choose Laloux again given the extensive choice of restaurants we have yet to try in this city. -
Review from Katie M.
8/21/2011
We loved the food and the atmosphere at this Montreal eatery. Highlights of the meal included a compressed watermelon Asian-style salad, charcuterie with pickled veggies, a wonderful cold lobster dish, and the chocolate mousse for dessert. Very romantic, modern, and filled with light. Would highly recommend it for a special night out!
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Review from Peter G.
1/16/2009
Lalaoux is an incredible if well known stop on the culinary tour of Montreal. Traditional French everything. Excellent food, elegant service, intimate space, and a very real and valuable sommelier all make a truly sensual dining experience.
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Review from Justin O.
Pointe-Claire, QC
5/1/2011
The wine sommelier's at Laloux have be among the tops in Montreal. This meal was one of my most memorable meals in my life. The ambience was excellent, my group felt as if we were the only ones in the restaurant. The food was very, very good. Although the price was pretty high, this is a good bet if you'd like to spoil yourself a little bit.
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Review from Chris B.
Montréal, QC
11/20/2011
excellent service, presentation and food. 20-30$ for mains, 6-10$ for starters. meal was worth every penny. agreed: staff are attentive and easy going.
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Review from S I.
9/26/2010
My boyfriend, who is French-Canadian, took me this place. Very friendly but professional services and delicious foods!
I'd love to go back there again and also check out the next door wine bar, POP! as well :) Oh, don't forget to leave some space for desserts! -
Review from Kurisu T.
Montréal, QC
12/6/2010
One of the most adorable and cleverly hidden bistros in town. Portions are petite but intricately prepared. Great service and charming decor. Highly underrated.
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Review from Aubrey L.
8/17/2011
This was a classy french bistro that was delicious and highly recommended to us. It's an expensive meal, but worth it. Their vegetarian tartlet was good (not my favorite), but their appetizer with mozzarella and tomatoes was amazing! Their desserts were excellent too. Nice service and nice design of the restaurant. I would go back and try other menu items.
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Review from Al A.
3/16/2010
Nice simple French bistro. Good service. Good location though it is a bit away from the main streets. Great atmosphere.
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Review from Julie M.
2/14/2010
Truly memorable. We had the Valentine's Day menu (offering for the whole weekend). I wasn't sure about some of the courses and was a bit surprised they didn't offer the main menu, but I stretched my palate and found there was nothing to worry about- everything was cleanly presented and full of complex flavors.
It was five courses for $65- starting with an amuse bouche of a single oyster, with mango (?) and salt- simple and lovely and got our taste buds ready for more.
2nd course- snow crab with apples topped with a thick sour cream foam- HEAVEN. It was accompanied by tiny potato chips- charming. Hubby had the lamb tartar- now, I don't like lamb in general, but I took a bite, and had to completely change my feelings- it was luscious and divine. If I didn't absolutely love my snow crab, I would have devoured his!
3rd course- I had this amazing bacon wrapped scallop with a foam (sorry- I can't remember what it was!) with celery delicately strewn about the plate. Hubby had a miss, unfortunately- it was a game meat soup (?) with attractive curly pastas encased in a puff pastry. The flavors were very mild, but the soup was thin and had no actual game in it. The pastry was flaky, but when disassembled, would fall into the soup and make it soggy. :(
4th course- we shared the lobster risotto which was made with the knuckles and surrounded by the tail and claws. Beautiful presentation- and it came with assorted colored carrots that were simply prepared, yet full of flavor- French country cooking at its best.
5th course- by this time, I was stuffed! I had the fruit salad, which was a very original interpretation of your grandma's fruit salad. Cut into tiny pieces and topped with a frozen (I want to say) mango, but I can't be sure- maybe passion fruit? It slowly melted as you ate it and it was lovely. Also had a couple of very small broken meringue cookies interspersed throughout. Hubby had the chocolate cake with what I think was a raspberry sorbet. It also had a small dollop of a light white sauce, but honestly, I took a only small bite because I was going to explode. In a good way, of course!
Entire meal took about 2 1/2 hours- this was both a good and bad thing for us. I know, I'm a stupid American (I own up to it), but felt hungry throughout until the lobster (and then 2 bites and I was suddenly stuffed!) and was always trying not to eat all the bread between courses. My American style way of eating out expects to have one course after another which, when you think about it, is pretty gross. It was nice in a way to have the advantage of lingering, but I fear I ate, not quickly, but certainly not at a snail's pace. I blame my frustration on the slow service solely on me. Sit! Relax! Smoke a ciggy in between courses! Enjoy!
