By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
Le Mas des Oliviers is one in a very small handful of restaurants in this city that can boast a tenure of almost 50 years in this frequently fickle city of culinary prowess. Most restaurants today open, reap their glory and disappear into ‘restaurant heaven or hell’ a few years hence. Among the venerable few still welcoming Montreal diners after all these years are: Le Mas des Oliviers, Chez La Mere Michel, Cafe de Paris, Moishe’s, Delmos and perhaps Milos on Park Avenue).
My recent visit to this denizen of Southern French cuisine was very nostalgic,I dined her quite often when I first arrived in this city in the 60’s. At that time it was practically the only restaurant on the then mainly residential area of Bishop St between St Catherine and what was then, Dorchester Blvd.
Even today with its attractive terrace bedecked with rattan backed chairs and tables adorned with crisp white linens it manages to stand out elegantly amid this neighbourhood of bars, cafes and ethnic restaurants.
Le Mas des Oliviers has lost none of Provencal charm, it still sports with its rustic red cobbled tile floors, white washed walls, dark beamed ceilings with touches of wrought iron.
Consistency of food quality is the absolute key to the success of any restaurant and Le Mas has honoured this dogma faithfully since 1966 when it first opened its doors. It has always been rightfully known for the excellence of its food and service.
Sitting in Le Mas des Olivier’s one could easily be transported to a sunny courtyard in Provence enjoying the summer sun, fragrant fields of lavender and sun flowers while enjoying a bowl of their famous seafood stew, ‘bourride’ with its fragrant and pungent saffron scented aioli and a hunk of rustic bread and sipping on a cold glass of local rose wine…bliss!
The menu at Le Mas des Oliviers is a bible of Southern French cuisine, it offers a wide choice of appetizers including soups and charcuteries ($8-$10 for the famous Southern French Soup) and main dishes that offer a choice of duck, rabbit, fish, sweetbreads, frog’s legs, lamb, steak and Dover sole ($26 – $46 for the Dover sole).
On the night we visited both the dining room and terrace were quite full and gathering from the conversation around us many of the diners were regulars. The owner was ever present and stopped by on a few occasions to enquire if everything was to our satisfaction, a nice touch not found in most restaurants today. As usual the service was outstanding, professional, knowledgeable and friendly without being at all familiar.
We both started our meal with a refreshing and tasty gazpacho that iconic Spanish soup of fresh vegetables, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Gazpacho can be served in one of two ways resulting in two very different textures. It can be served ‘chunky’ style with the vegetables diced and left as is in the pureed tomatoes, or it can be pureed with the addition of white bread giving it a much creamier texture. The gazpacho at Le Mas des Oliviers fell somewhere in between. It was well seasoned, but its muddled texture left me a bit confused .(just a personal observation, my companion had no such complaints). We followed the soup with a serving of excellent smoked salmon served on top of a blini with a dollop of sour cream and local caviar and a small plate of Savoyard salad perfectly dressed with a delicious creamy vinaigrette, shredded cheese and croutons.
For main courses I chose the fish of the day, a nicely seared filet of halibut sitting atop a perfect beurre blanc sauce with capers and baby onions. It was accompanied by a medley of seasonal vegetables, rice pilaf and a small quenelle of cumin scented sweet potato, all classically prepared and delicious. My companion chose the surf and turf, a piece of perfectly cooked seared filet mignon with an unctuous brandy laced peppercorn sauce and six tender shrimp sautéed in garlic and butter…wonderful!
For dessert we chose a slice of blueberry tart and a classic chocolate mousse. The pie, made in house, was excellent with its crumb crust and rich pastry cream offset bya tangy topping of blueberry compote. How can you go wrong with a chocolate mousse, it was delicious rich and light and traditionally accompanied with a crisp ice cream wafer.
To accompany our meal and to complete our night in Provence we chose a bottle of rose, Saint Andre de Figuiere Cotes de Provence ($50)
Le Mas des Oliviers has definitely remained true to its roots offering up, as it has for its almost 50 years, excellent Provencal cuisine wonderfully executed and served in its sunny ambiance. For anyone looking to be wowed by other worldly ingredients and elaborate fusion cuisine will undoubtedly be disappointed, but if you yearn for a wonderful and ‘homey’ night out in sunny Southern France, Le Mas des Oliviers is a very good bet!
Le Mas des Oliviers
1216 Bishop St
Tel: 514 861-6733
Email: lemasdesoliviers@videotron.ca
Website: www.lemasdesoliviers.ca
Mon: 12h00 – 15h00 17h30 – 22h00
Tues – Fri: 12h00 – 15h00 17h30 – 22h30
Sat: 17h00 – 22h30
Sun: 17h00 – 22h00
