Le Garde Manger est une sorte de joyau culinaire qui, de prime abord, n'en présente pas les apparences. Il faut d'abord dénicher l'endroit, dans une ruelle quelque part près des quais du Vieux-Montréal. De plus, ce bistro sans prétention, situé près du centre des affaires, ne possède pas d'enseigne extérieure. Malgré tout, depuis son ouverture en juin 2006, il est devenu une adresse de choix auprès des professionnels branchés qui ont envie d'une cuisine de la Côte Est et d'une pinte de bière locale après une dure journée de travail.
Dans l’ensemble, les avis sur Garde Manger décrivent une expérience culinaire maritime exceptionnelle mêlant ambiance chaleureuse et service attentif. La cuisine est largement saluée pour sa fraîcheur, ses fruits de mer généreux et ses plats créatifs, présentés avec soin et équilibre. Le menu degustation est souvent un point fort, même si certains visiteurs trouvent les portions parfois petites et le déroulement des plats peu clair sans support imprimé. La carte des vins et les cocktails reçoivent aussi des éloges, avec des accords judicieux, même si quelques convives regrettent le choix au verre et préféreraient des options plus fruitées ou off-dry. L'ambiance est décrite comme vivante et accueillante, et le cadre du Vieux-Montréal est souvent mentionné comme un atout majeur. Des critiques signalent néanmoins des réalités pratiques comme une certaine confusion autour du menu, une arrière-salle bruyante et des tables serrées, ou des temps d’attente qui peuvent décevoir lors des soirs plus chargés. Malgré cela, l’enthousiasme demeure fort et beaucoup recommandent Garde Manger comme une expérience mémorable à Montréal, un lieu où la nourriture et le service s’accordent pour offrir une soirée exceptionnelle et inoubliable.
By far the best meal we've had during our stay in Montreal, dining at Garde Manger was an incredible experience from the moment we walked in the door. The atmosphere is everything you want in the old city--exposed brick & stone, light just bright enough to enjoy the meal but not overpowering, tables set far enough apart to give a sense of intimate dining. The staff are outstanding. Our server was charming & attentive & never seemed rushed. The other staff supported him well & were equally attentive & polite. Our server helped us choose a crisp white wine, perfect on one of the hottest days of the year. We ordered the Chef's Menu & loved the cold seafood platter that came out first. I don't know how the cold lobster could be so tender, but it was. The salad course included a turbot dish & another with potatoes that we practically fought over--it was that good. The protein course included hanger steak & scallops, which were also excellent. I preferred the scallops--I'm not a fan of steak--& my partner preferred the steak, so that worked out well. We were full when the dessert course arrived, & somehow we devoured both the flourless chocolate cake (which we both usually dislike & couldn't stop eating until it was gone) & the lemon curd with a moist cake beneath, & this too we finished off & then sat back in a stupor after eating so much great food. On our way home we agreed that when we return to Montreal, we'll return to Garde Manger--in fact, we would come back to the city just to eat there. This place is that good.
We had a great experience here while visiting Montreal. It is a bit of a hole in the wall. There is no signage for the restaurant, you just have to know which door to go into based upon the street number. We were sat right on time & started with cocktails. The Smash cocktail was great! We decided to order the Chef's Menu ($100 per person). There are different levels to the Chef's Menu, with this being the lowest option, meaning you get the least customization with it. We were open to trying anything so this was fine with us. The first course was a seafood platter, the waiter brought out the food & explained every single item on the platter & the recommended way to eat it. It was delicious! The second course included a wonderful vinaigrette salad, a tartare, & some sort of incredibly delicious cod bites (they were amazing). The third course was duck in a beet roux, roasted carrots, scallions & artichoke. All wonderful. Finally, for the final course, we were brought two desserts. A lemon sponge cake with a crunch meringue & another creamy creation with a chocolate center that was delectable. Throughout the experience, our waters were constantly filled & plates & silverware exchanged for each course. Wonderful experience.
What a truly fabulous experience at Garde Manger We had the 6 course tasking menu consisted of Amuse-Bouche was a fried lobster pogo, topped with sturgeon caviar & tangy tartare sauce Fresh & vibrant raw bar of razor clams, oysters, salmon, shrimp Beef carpaccio with freshly grated truffles & Parmesan, aggressively seasoned & equally addictive. Octopus, perfectly grilled, paired with a medley of vegetables, tangy herbs & splash of vinegar Bitter greens & cabbage salad with caraway seeds, I really like this salad & found it added a nice touch of lightness to the bold & rich flavours of the other courses. Cacio e pepe pasta, I forget which pasta specifically which only further lends itself to the opinion that it was just ok, not bad at all but just ok. I found the pasta to be a bit tough, still tasty though. Potato gratin, oozing with a blend of what felt like 5 different cheeses. Very well seasoned & creamy. Roasted lamb, caramelized in all the right spots with a savoury sauce on the side. Dessert was a combination or two desserts ; apples & cinnamon / chocolate tart Both very good & not overly sweet. They felt decadent but not heavy. Coffee & drinks were just as delectable & tasty as what you would expect from all the amazing food we enjoyed at Garde Manger. The music & atmosphere was super cozy & charming, it was where I would want to be on a snowy Tuesday night in the Old Port of Montreal.
Excellent restaurant with interesting selection of seafood dishes, attentive service, incredibly delicious desserts🧁🫐 It's better to book a table in advance.
Everything was A+. The server was personable, cocktail (Pink Moon) was great. The lamb, probably the best I've ever had. & the desserts...wow dangerously good. Great for a really special occasion.
Safe to say this was a massive fail. I came with a colleague to show him what Canada & Montreal has to offer the culinary world. Sad to say, I was left apologizing . We did 6 courses for 200 option. The raw bar was pleasant & so were the wine recommendations. Service was relatively friendly. But the mains were a disaster - 2 of three were sooo over salted that they left my mouth literally stinging. This was at a level that no one could ever enjoy . In retrospect I should have sent this all back. What they did to those scallops was a crime against seafood. By the time the dessert came I swallowed all the ice cream just to get the awful taste out my mouth. I was well mannered when raising the extreme usage of salt in some of the dishes. He listened but didn't do anything else. I left a similar review to this on OpenTable the next day & they gave a call to follow up. I won't be back, I should've gone to a place I was familiar with when showcasing Canada & Montreal to my colleague. Unfortunately the trust is now gone 😞
21 janv. 2024
sur Google
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TL:DR- Excellent food & service. Easy to miss location, hole in the wall atmosphere with big attitude. We sat at the bar. The only difference is bartop vs table, the service is largely the same. We started with some shrimp, & the carrots. Both were awesome, perhaps some of our favorite roasted carrots ever. We continued with the swordfish & lamb. Again, both were very good, beautiful flavors & melt in your mouth texture. We shared a coffee cake for dessert, which was just as good as dinner. This restaurant was easy to miss, but I think that's a feature, not a bug. That vibe carried through the service & decor. Almost a hole in the wall kinda feel, there probably aren't many, if any walk ins. Make reservations well in advance of your visit. I will absolutely make an attempt to eat here again when we come back to Montreal.
Small restaurant serving a handful of guests some 5-star dishes made with premium quality ingredients. Simplicity is what makes this place special. The ingredients are the stars of the show. They're not trying to hide some supermarket grade scallops with a heavy creamy sauce. Service is excellent & the desserts are surprisingly good. Worth a detour.
I can't give this place enough stars! The meal was amazing from app to dessert! We walked in after deciding to cancel our reservations at another restaurant & decided to try our luck with this place. We had cozy seats at the bar. Or bartender/server was amazing. She made an excellent wine recommendation that really highlighted the whole meal. The oysters might have been the best we've ever had. We had the Trofie & Agnolotti for our mains. We didn't want them to end. Some of the best flavors I've ever had. We ordered dessert as so the night would not end. That too did not disappoint. I recomend their classic. Even the music was excellent.
The experience was mixed. The food was very good but the service was lacking. Seated at the bar we ordered some seafood & an appetizer. The bartender said "tell me everything you want now, & I will put it all in together - it helps with our flow". I guess he could tell by the look on my face that I was more concerned with our flow than his so he put the order in. Our reso was for 9:15 & we were seated closer to 9:30PM The bartender & other staff were overly focused on two guests at the bar buying them shots. In the hour & half we were there our bartender must have done 5 shots. Pretty sure that those were not his first. The effect on the service was disappointing. We wanted to order dessert but after sitting with our empty plates in front of us for 10 minutes while the repetitive shot ritual continued at the other end of the bar we decided to pay up & leave. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine & cocktails $350
3 nov. 2023
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Repas pour 2 personnnes 652$ - coût abusif bien que la cuisine soit très bonne, pour les raisons suivantes: salles à manger extrêmement bruyante où il est pratiquement impossible de se parler sans crier. Nous étions 6 & on nous a assis sur une banquette très étroite, au coude à coude. Très inconfortable. Dès que les desserts ont été servis, les factures arrivent, on vous laisse à peine terminer votre dessert. On vous fait payer subito presto pour ensuite vous foutre à la porte parce que d'autres clients attendent. Ne vous fiez pas au menu uniquement car vous allez être déçu de votre expérience. C'est un piège à touriste.
Nous avons pris la poutine au homard & la gauffre sucrée au fois gras & joue de veau comme entrées, le risotto au homard & la queue de boeuf, gnocchis au marron & sauge frite comme repas, ainsi que le napoléon à la banane, chocolat & crème fouettée Bailey's pour dessert: excellent!! Cuisson des viandes parfaite (fondant dans la bouche), sauces onctueuses, le tout épicé comme il se doit... Les cocktails, le classique Bloody Caesar servi avec fruit de mer du moment (verre énorme) & l'autre du jour(contenant notamment un sirop maison vanille & cannelle délicieux)étaient aussi très bons! Même le pain était servi avec un fromage à la crème maison (oignons caramélisés & paprika); l'attention du détail est bien présente. Le tout dans une ambiance jeune, dynamique mais aussi assez calme pour un souper romantique aux chandelles!
