Mon Lapin

J

4.0

It's tough to be name Canada's best restaurant & I think the accolade leads diners to have unrealistic otherworldly expectations. I loved the fun & upbeat atmosphere of the restaurant. Our service was great. We greatly enjoyed our dishes, in particular the tartare with the assortment of bitter greens & the scallop toast. I found the carbonara serving temperature a tad cold though I understand it can't to too hot to execute properly. Nor did I understand the uni & chestnut dish. Great bottle of wine. All in all a lovely meal, but the "best" restaurant title is probably a bit of a curse.

Dec 5, 2023

on Google

Baboo

4.0

We love the food, especially the scallops appetizers! The ambience is good. It's a bit too loud that you need to raise your voice to chat. The service is great. The staff are nice & patient.

Oct 25, 2023

on Google

Jassy

2.0

There is alot of hype for this place so I came with high expectations. Unfortunately, everything felt very average. The pork portion was very small & fatty. The steak aubergine was too salty. Unni was not memorable. The scallop sandwich tasted like a cheese sandwich.

The only dish that was interesting & inventive was the leek. But that was essentially chips dipped in a smokey mayo with a leak on top.

Service was good. I would not come here again.

Oct 5, 2023

on Google

Martin

5.0

Is this place worth the hype?
In a word...yes.
Everything was on point. Menu variety & quality? Oh yeah.
Wine & beer list? Totally.
Overall feel of this place? You bet.
I was flying solo & felt like a king here. I loved everything I had, the urchin, the radishes with chicken pâté, both scallop dishes, the ricotta pasta with mushroom sauce, the vin jaune Baba, it was all awesome, with the accompanying wine suggested by the waiter perfect.
Not cheap, but frankly it was worth every penny. I had a surreal experience & any foodie would love it here.

Sep 28, 2023

on Google

Tyler

5.0

One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had - from the service to the food.

First off, the service was incredible. I’ve been to a few Michelin star restaurants, but the service here may eclipse even those. The servers are extremely attentive to you, & take the time to craft a menu for the night based on the preferences you’ve given them in your intro discussion (if you want to choose your own menu that’s an option too). They’ll pair every course with a wine & give a great overview on what you’re eating.

Now onto the food. Everything was absolutely incredible. The scallop sandwich was actually probably my least favorite thing, despite it still being so rich & delicious. The pasta was fantastic, the fish was cooked perfectly, & the sour dough chicken is a knockout.

Incredible experience & a must try if you’re lucky enough to get a reservation.

Sep 19, 2023

on Google

WE

4.0

Like everyone else I wanted to try the #1 restaurant in Canada. Not sure if having guaranteed customers has now changed the quality of food but I would say it was pretty good if not the best meal I've ever had. Everything is executed well & I imagine this is fairly consistent given the place runs like a well oiled machine, from the time you step foot in the place to the time you leave. I must have had 5-6 servers at my table as they bring out new plates for every course & clean the table. Service is their claim to fame.

The dishes I got were: the eggplant & cantelope which was a cold appetizer. Very delicate flavour & eggplant is cooked to perfection which I always appreciate. There is a sauce which accompanies the dish which definitely adds value. I also had the scallop & cheese grilled sandwich which was super decadent (meaning fried in about a pound of butter). I didn't taste the scallop at all but that might have been my allergies (slightly stuffed nose) but the person I was with did. But the accompanying dip (avocado I believe with teeny tiny white petal edible flowers) was to die for! Was perfect match for the sandwich & really made the dish pop.

For the main we had the Artic char which was seared lightly so mostly raw in middle & the pork. I'd say the pork dish with sausage was the major disappointment. Two 2-3 inch long, thin slices of pork & one 4 inch sausage. Because most people share you get 4-5 bites. Just so you know the sausage was amazing & pork just average (warning pork is pink but tastes cooked). Again the sauces with each dish were spot on & added another level of refinement. I think the sauces are what sets this place apart from the many high end places out there.

Mon Lapin may not be the best food wise but they certainly know what they are doing. Too bad the portions could not be bigger. For example, at Nora Grey you'd get a huge pork chop for the same price but they don't come close to the flavour at Mon Lapin. Nowadays this is the dilemma...there is always a trade off.

The buckwheat cake was very nice. Tiny pieces of what tasted like brittle in the mascarpone light light cream was sweet but good. The wafers on the sides of the cake were soggy & fell apart when you picked it up...not great.

As I wrote in my review of Beba (where service & respect was lacking), Mon Lapin sets a very high standard in service & you wish all restaurants could pay this much attention to detail & more importantly provide the care & respect to their clientele as they do. So if you are hankering for some TLC while dining (although be warned it is extremely noisy when full) & don't want to be stuffed when you leave this is the place for you.

Sep 17, 2023

on Google