Beauty and historicity are not hard to come by when it comes to Monty but, without question, the area of the city with the highest quotient of these qualities is Old Montreal. Being the most senior area of the city, the quarter is filled with sepulchral memories of more francophone days while tastefully complimented by bistros, wine bars and patisseries of the present. It might seem a strange thing then that the newest restaurant to open its doors in old Montreal is upscale Haitian haunt, Ibiscus. But actually, when one considers that Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independent nation in the Americas, it's easy to understand why Haiti émigré Christin Deetjen decided on the richly storied locale.

With the knowledge that adopting a predominantly tropical aesthetic would come off kitschy in the neighborhood, Deetjen called upon Aboudi Hassoune to take care of the interiors. Dark woods, exposed brick, and a creamy pallet provide the space the kind of warm rusticity one expects in the heart of Old Montreal. While the occasional hints of colour in the artwork, accents and tropical flowers continually point to the nation that lies at the roots of Ibiscus.

Speaking of roots, Haitian born executive chef, Gerard Dorcy's menu more than makes up for what may be termed as cultural cross-dressing in the décor. Creole to the core, the card features inspired versions of Classic Haitian cuisine – fried malanga in creole spices, smoked herring on crostini; fried sour orange pork, and marinated goat meat to name a few. Though the list is arguably straightforward, Chef Dorcy's elegant plating technique points to his 25 years of experience cooking in the luxury hotel industry.

Ibiscus does not attempt to infuse bistro cuisine with Haitian delicacies and it is precisely this kind of identity-clinging that makes the restaurant fit in all the better with Montreal. – E.H