Certain buildings must be cursed. For whatever venues that overtake certain spaces, they would surely be doomed, like a determined dead zone, only to be replaced the next month, by yet another hopeful enterprise. This was the case of the small Outremont space that Bistro Justine has overtaken.

Bistro Justine takes over the space that was previously Le Renard Goupil, which didn’t last long. Frankly after that, I thought it was over for good. Not only because of the curse, but also because it was clearly too small to accommodate most businesses. Long before I was aware what everyone was talking about, I could here Justine’s name in every conversation, in every part of town. The buzz is loud, and before it starts ringing in my ears for good, I had to see what would be so daring to fill the space.

Bistro Justine is a minimalist, mini space and mini-priced French bistro. Only 24 rustic, wood chairs and tables, the dining room ends on a square dark wood bar, opened on the kitchen where Philippe Brault, owner and Maitre D, serves and takes care of, well, pretty much everything. Alone to serve at Justine, Brault mastered the art of service in Paris for more then a decade before deciding to move to Montreal, three years ago.

“I opened many renowned restaurants in Paris,” says Brault, “like the George in the upper floor of the George Pompidou Center. This is my baby! You see, I also own a high class catering services that I exported with me to Canada.” Being his baby quite literally, as “Justine” is the named after his firstborn. For him, Justine is a meaning combination of Joy and Conviviality.

Back in Paris, Mr. Philippe provided catering services for Karl Lagerfeld from Chanel, for fashion shows from Kenzo and many more. While targeting the same kind of clients in Montreal for his catering, Mr. Philippe found himself yearning for a different clientele, one that is closer to the everyday Montrealer. A place where clients can come in just to enjoy a glass of wine.