Les avis sur Île Flottante vont d'un enthousiasme soutenu à des déceptions ponctuelles, mais l'expérience globale est souvent décrite comme remarquable et mémorable. La cuisine est louée pour sa créativité, l'harmonie des textures et les accords mets et vins, avec des menus en rotation qui surprennent et séduisent les amateurs de gastronomie. Des signes forts comme l'accueil chaleureux, un cadre intime et des touches personnalisées (écriture du nom sur une ardoise, ambiance conviviale) reviennent régulièrement. Chez certains, le concept et le niveau de raffinement justifient le prix élevé et les portions peuvent toutefois sembler petites ou les plats manquer de cohérence par moments, notamment lorsque le rythme des services est lent ou lorsque certains plats déçoivent par manque de saveur ou d'équilibre. L'attrait pour les options végétariennes et véganes est récurrent, tout comme l'appréciation des choix de vins et des conseils du personnel. En dépit de critiques isolées sur la vitesse du service ou sur l'alignement entre certaines propositions et les attentes d'un restaurant gastronomique, Île Flottante demeure fréquemment recommandée et est décrite comme une destination culinaire clé à Montréal, à visiter pour l'expérience sensorielle et la créativité qui s'y déploie.
We had dinner at Île Flottante, & the experience was fine overall, but not especially memorable. The meal lasted about 3.5 hours, which felt more slow than leisurely. It was not a significant problem, just not the pacing you expect from a restaurant that aims for refinement.
One genuinely lovely detail was that they wrote our names & a note about our anniversary on a slate on the table. It created a warm welcome & felt personal. You do not see touches like that very often, & it set the night off on a hopeful note.
We started by asking for a glass of Champagne, but the only sparkling option by the glass was a very average Cava. This felt like an unexpected limitation & also a missed chance for them to offer something more interesting or premium.
The menu had creative ideas, but many dishes felt like they were missing a key flavor. It often seemed like each plate needed either one more element to tie everything together or a bit of restraint to let the main idea shine.
Highlight:
The pre-dessert was genuinely excellent. It was a fruit-&-vegetable sorbet-style palate cleanser that tasted bright, refreshing, & thoughtful. It was the one dish that felt fully realized.
Low point:
The pork course struggled the most. It had too many competing components. The pork came with horseradish & mustard, two different sweet purees, & a very salty, smoky gravy. Nothing was balanced, & the quality of the pork itself was not strong enough to be the centerpiece. This dish needed strong editing.
A surprising detail was the dessert. For a restaurant named Île Flottante, they do not actually serve île flottante. Instead, they served a very tired lava cake. Lava cakes feel like the calling card of a chef who is mailing it in. They have not felt fresh or inspired for decades. Sadly, this ended the dinner on a very low note for us.
Service & atmosphere:
The service was well-intentioned but slow & a bit clumsy. A few items were dropped, & long gaps appeared between courses. The plating technique was fine, but the actual plates, glasses, & flatware looked inexpensive & out of place, almost like something purchased at a discount home store. The acoustics made the room loud & casual, which clashed with the style of food they were trying to serve.
Overall:
The meal had a few bright spots, but the overall experience was uneven & felt incohesive. With so many excellent restaurants in Montreal, we see no reason to return.
28 nov. 2025
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Exceptional. Interesting flavors & preparations, done exceptionally well. Well informed & friendly service, including a call ahead of time to ensure there were no allergies or dietary restrictions in my party. & a great place to be. Seven courses, & no missed notes.
My husband & I frequent tasting menues in Montreal & this is one of the best meals & overall experiences I have had.
Each bite was balanced, & each dish was both creative & ingredient-forward. The dishes had great range, we were served everything from asian to southern-flavor inspired plates & they all worked well together to produce a truly magical experience. This restaurant stands as a true representation of what quebec/montreal fine dining is ; using humble ingredients & creating something truly magical- well represented in the asparagus egg dish which was simply divine.
The wine pairings showed immense care & were clearly well thought out. Each wine transformed from the plates from their before (we sipped pre bite) to their after. We had the option for a welcome cocktail which we tried one of each- both were a lovely start to the night & from there it just kept getting better. Most of the wines if not all were unique private imports, many sourced from local quebec producers.
Thank you to the Maître D Jérémi for sending me the wine list to my email that very evening !
We were welcomed as soon as we walked in & my name was written on stone on our table which felt quite special. The whole evening was magical, the staff were great, & we will most certainly be back very soon.
This was our third visit in just five months & for good reason. The food is absolutely delicious, with flavors that truly stand out & keep you coming back for more. Each dish is not only full of taste, but beautifully presented, like a work of art on the plate. You can tell how much care & creativity goes into everything they serve.
A big thank you to the chef Sean Murray Smith, to Jeremy & the whole team of l'Ile flottante for a wonderful & delicious evening.
I highly recommend this place to anyone who appreciates great food & a memorable dining experience. Don't miss out!
Had a lovely evening at Île Flottante. The theme night featured an Asian twist, & the wine pairing was thoughtfully done. The chicken dish stood out as flavorful, while the cavatelli & the single lamb lollipop chop were just okay. The biggest letdown was the portion size, six miniature plates just didn't feel like a proper meal, especially given the $100+ price tag. Left a bit hungry, which isn't what you expect at this level. Overall, a refined concept with good execution on some dishes, but lacking in value & satisfaction. I will return to try the regular menu.
We were fortunate to get a table on our recent visit to Montreal. This is probably our third or fourth visit over the years. The creativity is sustained & the complexity of the flavor is fantastic. There are more protein dishes on offer than before & I had a hard time with two dishes (quail & beef) where I had found them to be overly salty, thereby blunted the flavor of the ingredients from shining through. The two white wine we had were incredible & not usual find either. Service was efficient & pleasant.
One of our top picks over & over again.
23 mai 2025
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Absolutely amazing dining experience! As someone with a gluten allergy I truly appreciate how well they accommodated my needs. Every dish was incredible, but the highlight for me was the beef tartare! Everything was cooked to perfection, & the flavors were just phenomenal!!
We also opted for the wine pairing, & I highly recommend it, it complemented each course beautifully.. Despite the restaurant being quite busy, the service was top-notch. The staff were not only attentive but also incredibly knowledgeable about both the menu & the wine selections. I'll definitely be coming back!!
7 course tasting menu! Everything we had was so good! Very well balanced, full of flavors & surprises, beautiful presentation! The portion are quite reasonable. Worth a try!
The flavors of matsutake & pumpkin are really impressive, oysters & meatballs bring together Chinese&French styles with smoked & braised seasoning. All cuisines are well designed & interconnected.
Atmosphere was nice & service was excellent. It's a pre-fixed menu with no choice. The food was average & dessert was not so good, too many different flavors mixed together. Wine was also good but selection was very small.
27 oct. 2024
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What happened to our beloved Île Flottante? Five years ago I posted a five star review & could hardly say enough about it, & we've eaten there a number of times since. But our meal there this week simply didn't live up to its past performance or our expectations. They started us off with tomato soup & grilled cheese, small portions but still far too heavy to start a 7 course dinner. The other courses were mostly mediocre (fish overdone, & little subtlety to any dish) other than the exception of the excellent mushroom carpaccio. Finished with two desserts where one would have been enough, then they followed it with one more! Service could still use a little polish. I was disappointed & will be crossing this one off my recommendations. From five years ago: We've eaten all over the world & this would be a match for some of the Michelin starred restaurants we've been to. Brilliant meal, with creative contrasts of flavors, textures, colors & spices that surprise & delight. We had the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing. Staff is knowledgable & friendly (although the sommelier could use a little polish). This restaurant should have a two month waiting list. Highly recommended, & likely among our top 5 anywhere. Chef Serge is brilliant. Congratulations.
A fun experience to try, yet a bit disjointed. The restaurant has a 6-course Tasting Menu for $120 per person (prices do not include 15% tax & 25% tip). In addition to the wine pairing options, Île Flottante's cocktail menu is also very appealing, so my sister & I chose to pair cocktails for this dinner. The special thing here is that diners will not know what they are about to enjoy. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients with a creative style. There is no menu here, instead, "the menu is [their] voice" (quote from the waitress). Everyone orders the same Tasting Menu with the option to pair with wine or cocktails. The beetroot salad was the first appetizer, beautifully presented, & the fresh taste was suitable to start the Tasting Menu - the taste was balanced & acidic to stimulate the taste buds. The next appetizer was corn & cornbread - the buttery taste & I really liked the slightly chewy texture of the bread, which went well with the dressing & vinegar. The potato wedges were surprisingly fresh, the use of lemon foam enhanced the flavor. The duck however was not as tender as I would have liked & the taste was quite ordinary, similar to duck dishes from other fine-dining restaurants in Montreal where the dressing had a sour taste from the vinegar. This dish was beautifully presented but the taste was nothing special. The first dessert was very refreshing with sorbet, ice cream & mixed fruit. The finale was beautifully presented following the theme of cornbread - not too sweet, yet it was just okay. Overall, the dinner was beautifully presented, but some dishes felt disconnected, a bit disjointed & lacking in flavour. The dishes lacked balance & cohesion, which was a shame. CA$194 / 1 person ~ 3.6 million VND (US$142)
Highly recommend the tasting menu. The service, unique flavor combinations & presentation make this a place to put on your Montreal restaurant to try list (especially great for celebrations)
Usually like gastronomical experiences, this one not so much. Not the best flavor combinations... asparagus in dessert? No thanks. Very expensive as well, & don't give any other option than a 7 course tasting menu. Bad value.
14 juin 2024
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This restaurant pushes the boundaries of creativity to the next level. The extra effort in each dish is carefully crafted with intention & elegance. It seems like so many ingredients when the plate is presented, but they all work harmoniously together to give an impactful flavor that feels familiar yet totally unfamiliar at the same time. With the menu changing seasonally, it's without a doubt super enticing for me to go back to discover a whole new set of works of art. Because that's what it was... masterpieces!
This was hands down the best meal of my whole life. The service was phenomenal, the wines were absolutely delicious & beautifully paired with each dish plus the amazing sommelier described in great detail why the wine was paired with the dish. We all got the vegan menu & the depth of flavor in each dish was unlike anything I've had in my life (& that's comparing it to meat & dairy dishes too) If you want the best meal of your life, eat here!
We had another fantastic dining experience! Each course had amazing flavors which all came together presented with the utmost attention to details. The sommelier, Fiona is fantastic. Her passion for wine is only rivalled by her fantastic palette & ability to suggest wines according to the patrons preferences. The rest of the team is just as pleasant & an integral part of what makes this one of my favorite dining destinations.
Wow. Just wow. Each dish is a unique experience of flavour. The conversation stops & you just reflect on what's happening to your flavor palette. Bring your spouse here, or anyone you want to impress for a special occasion. This place does not disappoint. Also, shout out to the somelier for her awesome energy & great wine recommendations. A 5 star experience!
A few years ago my wife & I had one of the most memorable food experiences of our lives at Ile Flottante, so we made a special trip back up for my birthday, & they actually exceeded my already very high expectations. The food was incredible, the wine pairings were inspired, unusual, & perfectly complimented the complex & deep flavors of each beautiful course. I am baffled that this place doesn't have any Michelin stars yet, but I am sure they will soon.
