With La Montée firmly situated at Bishop and St. Catherine, upscale dining in these parts has increased dramatically. Long time Montée diners will know this Montreal restaurant's original location (and original name - La Montée de lait) on 371 rue Villeneuve est. That is where Montée began life as a small bistro celebrating all things dairy (hence the namesake "cheese and milk"). But a concept can only take you so far in the restaurant business, especially one so limiting (Iron Chef can do it, but this isn't Kitchen Stadium). So, the menu was opened up, with a great success.


The dining room in the carved stone building is a shining gem. The windows, brushed elegantly with white paint, tell the story of the two-room (with a third floor) space. It is serene and narrow, with polished tables and glistening mirrors adding respective touches of warmth to a suspiciously dull beige-coloured room. The starkness of the room is brightened by a curve-y cocktail bar.

The menu is a bit confusing at first: Seemingly small plates arranged by price and weight, from lighter to more substantial, under cutely coined categories. If you don't want to go through this exercise, just go with the aforementioned seven-course chef's menu, which, considering the swell room and skilled staff, is considered a bargain for anywhere else in the world.

Some of the dishes - Torch burnt mackerel with citrus and fennel salad, orange juice reduction and something called "This is not a bouillabaisse" (Halibut and clams in a saffron broth, pastis sorbet) - are wonderful, the execution dead on. And if you go the wine flights, the suggested pour for the former is light Sancerre 2007, Pascal Jolivet while a 2004, Dupéré-Barrera Côtes de Provence is paired with the latter.