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 critiques décrivent Garde Manger comme une expérience culinaire de fruits de mer et de fine dining à Montréal, avec une ambiance chaleureuse et accueillante, un service impeccable et des plats inventifs et joliment présentés, en particulier les fruits de mer et les menus dégustation. La salle à manger est louée pour son énergie et son hospitalité, de nombreux avis soulignant des accords mets et vins réfléchis et un personnel attentif qui donne aux convives le sentiment d être bienvenus et pris en charge. Bien que les visites soient majoritairement élogieuses, certains commentateurs signalent des expériences variables telles que un service plus lent, des plats arrivant tièdes ou trop salés, et des questions sur la valeur par rapport au prix élevé, notamment en raison de l affluence et du bruit occasionnel. Malgré ces réserves, Garde Manger est largement considéré comme une adresse incontournable dans le Vieux Montréal pour les fruits de mer et la cuisine créative, avec de nombreux lecteurs la décrivant comme mémorable et souvent idéale pour les occasions.
Garde Manger exceeded expectations. Every bite was delicious across all the courses & the cocktails were incredible. Highly recommend the Pour Georgette. Food wise, we absolutely loved the octopus appetizer & the combination of ingredients in the sea bass. The coffee cake was an amazing way to top off the meal. My only complaint - I wish the focaccia was warm :)
Certainly a bit of a "splurge" when it comes to their menu, by the end of the next expect a lighter wallet but to be absolutely satisfied & full of delicious food.
22 nov. 2024
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Bonjour, Je tiens à exprimer ma déception concernant mon expérience lors de ma visite chez vous hier soir avec ma mère. Nous étions chez vous pour célébrer un grand monent & avions opté pour le menu de dégustation à 105$. Lorsque nous avons demandé si le steak pouvait y être inclus, on nous a confirmé que cela était possible en acquiescent avec un: OK. Cependant, à notre grande surprise, un supplément de 40$ a été ajouté à notre facture sans que cela ne nous ait été mentionné au préalable. J'aurais apprécié que cette information soit clairement communiquée, afin d'éviter toute confusion. Nous avions choisi votre restaurant avec enthousiasme & ce malentendu a terni notre expérience. Ce qui est dommage, car le reste de notre expérience était vraiment à la hauteur de nos attentes. L'ambiance, le service attentionné & la qualité des plats ont été très appréciés. Ce détail concernant le supplément de 40$ est donc d'autant plus regrettable, car il a laissé une impression mitigée sur un repas par ailleurs excellent. Merci de prendre le temps de considérer mon retour. Cordialement, Claudia
Arrêter d'aller ailleurs, c'est impossible de manger mieux ailleurs🫶🏼. Taylor EXCELLENT SERVICE. Cuisine a la table nous voulions pleurer tellement que c'était UN DÉLICE. L'ambiance rien demandé de plus. COCKTAIL PARFAIT! Dommage d'habiter aussi loin
Garde Manger exceeded our high expectations. We took a chance & popped in on a Wednesday night before a show. We were received so warmly, as though this is just a small family run restaurant. The food was phenomenal. The oysters were the best we have ever tasted. We took our server's advice & tried the octopus & radicchio appetizers. The octopus is tender & delicious, but also pleasantly different. The potatoes that are served with the octopus are amazing. My only wish here is that we had ordered the sourdough bread to soak up the sauce in the plate. The warm salad had cheese & grapes in it- perfect combination of flavours. We would have loved the food & come back even if the service had been terrible. In this case David was wonderful & made the experience perfect. Really looking forward to our next visit.
Visiting from the US for 1 night, needed a bite to eat & had a couple locals recommend Old Montreal area. Came across this place as an option based on the vibe, food, & historic feel. It did not disappoint. Delicious food, great vibe, & a memorable evening. The service was fantastic, fun, & sincere. Would love to come back someday. Thanks Julian & team!
Did the tasting menu. Fantastic. Service was exceptional. One of the best meals I have ever had in a restaurant. & I have been to a lot of restaurants. The Paul Bocuse restaurant in Lyon may still be my number one, but I am tempted to say Garde Manger may be my number 2. Jeez, if Chuck had been there........well we will never know. I am a fan of Chuck Hughes, for sure.
Overall excellent experience here at Garde Manger - some rough edges but ultimately memorable & would love to go back again. Tried the $175-value Chef's menu, & one thing that stood out compared to the few other tasting menus I've tried was the variety. Meaning, they don't just give you & my friends (party of 3) the same dish; for most of the courses we ended up with three different dishes that were fun to share & also complimented each other very well. While I wouldn't say any of the dishes were disappointing, there were some that I found to be just okay, like the amuse-bouche that started us off. It had caviar (my first time trying it), but it didn't leave much of an impression after tasting, which I was surprised by. Of course, when you're paying this much, you really want each dish to hit. However, in other courses where there was more of that aforementioned variety, anything that I found underwhelming would immediately be checked by something I found unique & delicious. This worked out pretty well, since each of us in our party had slightly different tastes. It's an interplay most apparent in what I assumed to be the show-stopper: a large plate of fresh seafood with different sauces & condiments (pictured). It's an arrangement that allows for some customization (what should I try first?) & conversation on preferences (do you like this more?) & I always enjoy meals that allows a party to engage in a dialogue in this way. One thing to know is that the music playing in the background was loud (maybe it paints a better picture to say it was playing in the *foreground*). I personally didn't mind it (probably because I was inebriated) but my co-diners found it a little much, & they're not wimps. It did make it hard to hear what the waitstaff were saying at times. Service was excellent. Though thinking back I don't think I saw any women among the staff, which strikes me as unusual. Is this common in fine dining? Unsure.
As others have mentioned, the move here is to go for one of the tasting menus to try multiple dishes (& trust me they do not skimp on the portions). We did the smallest 4 course tasting & still left absolutely stuffed. Our favorite was the seafood tower to start. I will say that the service was on the slower end so make sure you allocate a lot of time to finish your meal. Bonus points for a great playlist as well!
My partner & I don't really get the opportunity to go to nice restaurants much. We aim to go somewhere nice once a year. This year I chose this restaurant & we were both pleasantly surprised. The first thing we noticed when walking in was the really nice & dim restaurant with a gorgeous chandelier. The music was pretty much 10/10 the whole night as well. Our server, I believe her name was Taylor, was an absolute gem & made our whole experience even better. Frankly, even the bus boy was lovely! The food was like nothing I'd ever had before, so I'm really happy we opted for the tasting menu. Every dish was absolutely delicious & surprisingly filling. The platters were very unique, beautifully presented, & amazingly fresh. (Seriously, how did they get the shrimps to be so tender?) I've lived in Montreal my whole life & this easily takes the cake for the best restaurant I've ever been to with the best service both of us have ever experienced. I seriously wish it was an option for us to come here more frequently. 😂 All that said, it was worth every single penny. If you're wondering if you should go, do yourself a massive favour & go!
15 oct. 2024
sur Google
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Thank you to the team at Garde Manger. We celebrated our 20th anniversary with you this evening & it was so special. The food, the staff, the bartender, the atmosphere. Go on a dining journey & enjoy the trip!
Une cacophonie, une manque de raffinement, & un service très moyen. Pas du tout à la hauteur de nos attentes & de la réputation de l'établissement. Le lieu est EXTRÊMEMENT bruyant & l'insonorisation mal étudiée. Le menu surprise est mal conçu, un manque de raffinement & d'équilibre entre les plats. Le goût est exagéré. Le résultat est lourd. Le plateau de fruits de mer était par contre le seul point fort. Le service manque de bon suivi & les explications sont approximatives par rapport aux 4 niveaux de menus proposés, surtout au vu de la cacophonie... 5 personnes pour plus de $1,000 pour le niveau 1 (le moins cher!), incluant le vin. A ce prix, tout est à revoir!
6 oct. 2024
sur Google
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Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
Découvrez en primeur les ouvertures les plus branchées, des menus secrets et les coups de cœur de RestoMontreal.ca. Rejoignez plus de 50 000 foodies.
Their food is very innovative. Something I have never had in other restaurants. Great atmosphere. The server who attended us was very attentive & patient. Great experience. Idk why there's no Michelin star restaurant in Montreal, but this place would be at least one star in my opinion.
If I could give 10 stars I would. Garde Manger has been on my food bucket list for a very long time & it was worth the wait. The food was incredible. The service impeccible
Hands down, the BEST culinary experience I've ever had! My friends & I had the chef's 4 course menu, & every single bite was absolutely exquisite. You can tell that every element of each dish was well perfected & treated with such care. The atmosphere was lively & joyful & the service was quick, highly attentive & detail oriented. 10/10 recommend & can't wait to go back the next time I'm in Montreal. It's a can't miss experience.
Great meal from start to finish. Service was excellent. Room was a little noisy at times & also a bit of smoke from the kitchen but it was part of the experience. Grilled octopus app was stellar. & the side dish of carrots with the entrees was perfection. Finished with a butter tart dessert that just sealed the deal!
The ingredients were all fresh & well-prepared, but the sauces on each dish were truly outstanding! We made a last-minute reservation, so only bar seats were left, & at first, we were a little disappointed. However, the bartender who prepared our seafood plate kept us entertained the whole time-he was quite the entertainer. He was very attentive to all the customers, & I'm sure he would be more discreet with groups having serious conversations. On top of that, every server & host was super friendly, making us fall in love with this place. We'll definitely be back!
