Île Flottante

Mark

1.0

Not sure what other people are experiencing, but this is easily the worst restaurant experience we've had in Montreal.

Started with a martini that tasted like soap for some reason. Sent it back. First thing they served us was a tiny bit of beef tartare on an oyster shell (god knows why) with a'bechamel' that was just warm milk. So it tasted like warm milk. I don't even know what to say about that except to ask the question, why? Why would someone do that?

Next up was a caramelized onion bread that was so doughy it just turned into a ball when picking it up. So weird & gross. It was served with a broth that was literally as salty as soy sauce. Both of those things were inedible. We asked them to take it away almost immediately.

Then came the salad. Roquette DRENCHED in oil with shredded cheese on top. Cheese was good, the salad was so wet that the entire thing could be picked up with a fork in one go.'Clumps' seemed to be the theme of the evening. Again: gross, inedible, unwanted.

Fortunately, our server allowed us to nope out of the rest of it. The mains we saw other people getting looked like more clump & we weren't going to spend an evening just sending plates away seconds after getting them.

Note, also, one server on Friday night for a full house.

There are zero situations in which I would recommend this mess to anyone.

Mike

5.0

We had a great time at Ile Flotante (party of 6).
Food, wine & service were amazing 🤩 & I highly recommend it if you are thinking about visiting.

Thanks to everyone that took good care of us at Ile Flotante, we'll be back!

Julie

5.0

I can confidently say that this may be one of my favourite restaurants in Montreal. Everything dish was executed perfectly, nice balance of flavours & textures.
It is definitely a fancier restaurant but it was so worth every penny. I would keep going back every season to try their menus on rotation.
I would recommend this place if you are into finer dinning or else it would just be wasted on you.
Side note: I went in December when they had the live bad playing which just elevated my whole experience.

Sophie

5.0

On a passé une parfaite soirée : le décor, la nourriture, l'accord met-vin, le service & l'ambiance. Une troisième visite & certainement pas la dernière. On a découvert la formule du mardi qui inclut de la musique jazz live. À refaire! On s'est retrouvés les derniers clients : un restaurant & un groupe rien que pour nous... On n'aurait pas pu rêver mieux.

Chartrand

5.0

Excellent service, plats très intéressants. Recommande fortement !

Jean-François

5.0

L'île flottante est une expérience sensorielle & gustative unique en son genre. Les goûts, le service, l'ambiance décontractée, tout était merveilleux. Une jeune serveuse du nom d'Alice nous servaient les plats & le vin de manière poétique & avec une passion palpable pour les saveurs & cet endroit. FORTEMENT recommandé.

Manuel

5.0

Quelle soirée mémorable. Accueil & service chaleureux, repas extraordinaire. Beaucoup de talent, de sourires & de gentillesse. Je recommande vraiment cet endroit.

Nathalie

5.0

Chaque service est un chef d'oeuvre gustatif. Le mariage des saveur fonctionne à tout coup. Chef Sean est un génie culinaire!
Un incontournable à Montréal pour les foodies locaux ou de passage.

Yesmine

5.0

We went to Île Flottante for my birthday & both the food & the service were impeccable. What really stands out is the concept: you share your dietary restrictions, & they create a selection of dishes that feel original, unexpected, & very well executed.

The service was attentive without being overbearing, & the atmosphere is cozy & intimate. Tuesday nights are especially nice if you enjoy a livelier, brighter music vibe. We'd definitely recommend going then.

It's also very vegetarian- & vegan-friendly, which makes it an easy choice for mixed groups. Overall, a thoughtful, memorable experience.

L

3.0

Creative intentions, uneven execution

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.