Le Virunga

S.W

5.0

This might be one of the best fine dining experiences my family & I have ever had! We had to call out the chef to personally thank her.

We feel a lot of pride to see an African woman be the head chef at such a fine dining establishment.

We had the tasting menu, with the wine pairing, every single dish stood out to us! You can taste each & every single ingredient in the meals. So beautifully presented & combined with amazing wine that is perfectly paired each time!

The waitress was also incredibly patient, & explained every single thing about the dishes, answered all the questions we had about each dish & wine.

Truly a 10/10 experience! & justifiably on the Michelin guide! But realistically, this place is better than many Michelin starred restaurants we've been to.

Dave

5.0

Africa Meets Quebec At This Not-To-Be-Missed Montreal Restaurant
For our last night in Canada, for this trip, we were having a'reunion' dinner for my partner & some of his old school friends, one of who lives in Montreal. She had chosen this really interesting, Michelin Guide-listed restaurant, where'produce from Quebec meets sub-Saharan African spices & ingredients'.

It's a small place, really nicely presented, with a short, but very interesting menu, with some ingredients I'd never heard of, but was very willing to explore. The service was low-key, freindly & efficient - good thing as our table of 7 had a lot to catch up on!

For my starter & main, I chose:

- Dhahabu: Sweet corn velouté, Lobster bisque & Vidal cloud, mofo sakay, spiced crumble

- Diosso: Braised veal shank with lumba-lumba, coconut taro mash, wilted spinach

The velouté was rich & bursting with flavour - really good & nicely spiced.

The diosso was really nicely presented, very rich with deep umami flavours - a really good & satisfying dish.

I really enjoyed the food & judging by the empty plates all around me, so did everyone else.

A thoroughly good night of food, friendship & reminiscing. Thank you Le Virunga!

( Also posted to my food blog on Instagram @AbbeyKing16)

Minos

5.0

Le Virunga is an African inspired spot in the Plateau that pairs local Quebec ingredients with aromatic spices & bold flavors, it feels thoughtful & special without being fussy. Expect well-seasoned mains & tasty entrées, plus a wine list with a South African focus, which makes it a great pick for a date or a small celebration. A great little find.

Brad

5.0

A hidden gem in The Plateau area of Montreal. If you're looking for something different, & mind-blowing flavours, give this place a try.

The restaurant is a Pan-African fusion restaurant; a hybrid of Saharan, Congolese, & Mozambican cuisine. The flavours of the unique spice blends were outrageously good. You can tell the sauces are very thoughtfully prepared. & the small, well-curated menu shows that they want to specialize in what they do, rather than offer a hundred different things & miss the mark on some. Also, a well put together all-South African wine list.

We will definitely come again!

Akua

5.0

Tasty & diverse dishes from different African regions. Menu changes depending on what's in that season which makes the experience exciting.

Keneisha

4.0

Quite frankly, this is the best tasting African cuisine I've had the pleasure of eating; however, it was a gastro-tease without the foodgasm with the very disappointing portion size. Two bites in, & it's was over. I believe it brought tears to my eyes.

Eric

5.0

Came for MTL á Table promotion - a wonderful evening! This was high level cooking in a style I didn`t know, sub-Saharan African specialties & inspiration. The servers were warm, professional, knowledgeable & courteous. The atmosphere was cozy but not cramped with music that was not too loud & convivial. & the food was great - every dish came out perfectly, beautifully presented, delicious even though it was unfamiliar (part of the appeal). From the dual eggplant with watercress foam stew appetizer through the cooked banana with light chocolate & biscuit dessert, all was done to perfection. My main course (Palette of Bon Boeuf low-temperature beef, lacquered with tomato juice flavoured with curry & turmeric, butternut squash purée, potato cromesquis, marinated zucchini roll) was amazingly tender & delicious. Artful & satisfying, we will be back! An additional thanks for using warm serving plates, which kept the delicious hot food warm without rushing through it! It`s a sign of a good restaurant that knows what it`s doing. Highly recommended!

Rohan

5.0

Unique African dishes. Tapas format, so plan for ordering more than one dish per person. Nice cocktails.

Philippe

5.0

Amazing food if you want to discover African -inspired food. I don't think it's for everybody, but we did enjoy our meal, & everything was fresh with a nice presentation. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, & the service was also good!

Youngmin

5.0

Surprised by the rich & abundant flavor of each plate. The display is also on top, very well balanced African restaurant, highly recommending!