“If you build it, they will come”
Those Iconic words were whispered to Ray Kinsella in Field Of Dreams as he contemplated building a baseball field in his farm’s cornfield. It was a dream he pursued despite all the naysayers around him telling him that no one would ever come to a corn field, but build it he did and indeed, they came!
A similar conundrum may have faced the partners of one of Montreal’s newest and finest restaurants, Hoogan et Beaufort.
Hoogan et Beaufort was not built in a corn field, but rather slap in the middle of the old Angus Yards, an industrial complex in Rosemount, where it shares one of the old factory buildings with a pizzeria and a cafe and bakery. The restaurant is named after the two farmers, Hoogan and Beaufort, who in the 1800’s gave their farm and to CP Railthat eventually bacame the Angus Yards, the centre for building trains and yes, even tanks in Montreal..
The design of the restaurant could be classified as ultra modern industrial with its high ceilings, sleek industrial lighting and clean monotone modern furnishings. It also sports a large central sit up bar and an ample open kitchen centered around an open fire pit where most of their dishes are prepared (this seems to be a burgeoning trend in restaurants. See my recent review of Foxy)
The two chefs and partners, Marc Andre Jette and William Saulnier, are no amateurs, they have worked with some of the best chefs and restaurants Montreal has to offer. They don’t disappoint. Their plates are exquisite with each ingredient receiving its deserved attention. Each dish we sampled on the evening we were there was perfection in both preparation and presentation.
The cocktail list at Hoogan et Beaufort is unique featuring an unusual wide variety of craft brewed beers, both local and imported. One of their selections, a Belgian beer, is priced at $45 (330ml)! I settled on a local brew, an Irish style ale from La 3 Capitaine, Brasseurs du Monde ($7)…Excellent!
Their dinner menu offers a myriad of creative dishes with a choice of nine appetizers ($9 to $20), four fresh pasta dishes ($14 to $16) and five main courses ($25 to $60/2people).
We started with Trois Huitres, Sabayon Cidre, Pomme Verte ($9) and Pieuvre Grille, Pommes de Terre Ratte, Olive, Poivron Brule, Yogourt ($18).
The oysters, each sitting on its own bed of rock salt, looked positively regal crowned with light quenelles of rich, cider scented sabayon and diced green apple. A perfect one mouth bite of heaven!
I have eaten octopus in Montreal almost whenever it has appeared on a menu. I can’t avoid it! However none that I have tasted so far comes even close to the version here. The octopus, cut into slices and grilled over their open flames, was perfectly tender and its addictive smoky flavor from the fire was a perfect foil for the rich and robust roasted pepper flavored yogurt. This is a dish I would return to again and again and with seven more appetizers begging my attention, a return visit is definitely in the books!
We skipped the fresh pasta section and chose the Porcelet de la Ferme Gaspor, Salsifis, Pomme, Avoine ($25) and Morue Grille, Palourde, Pleurotte, Bouillabaisse de Poblano ($28) from their main dishes.
The slices of suckling pig, from the well known Quebec Gaspor Farm, were perfectly cooked, moist and delicious on the inside and accompanied with an artful slice of crackling, all sitting atop a creamy and velvet textured salsify puree (a root vegetable with a mild oyster like flavor). Garnishes of braised apple and crunchy oatmeal crumble completed the dish’s luscious flavors and textures.
Gaspor pork still reigns supreme and has found a creative new incarnation at Hoogan et Beaufort!
My grilled cod was also cooked to perfection, rich and moist with a crispy skin. its accompaniments of clams, sautéed pleurotte mushrooms and shavings of colorful radish and fried potato were delicate but perfect. The main flavor of the dish came from its bright green, robust and boldly flavored puree or bouillabaisse of roasted poblano peppers ( a pepper native to Mexico, that when dried, takes on a second incarnation as the fruity ancho chili used in many of the country’s famous mole sauces).
Their treatment of fish cries out for the addition of another seafood dish on their menu (cod was the only one)
We accompanied our meal with a wonderfully full flavored and fruity red wine from Italy Marche Rosso, Vergaro, Fattoria Corocino 2013 ($45).
Desserts at Hoogan et Beaufort are most assuredly not an oversight, the same attention to flavor and contrasting textures is apparent in all their perfectly balanced ‘sweet’ offerings.
We ended our meal with two choices: Chocolat au Lait, Poire, Meringue a l’Erable, Crumble Cacao ($9) and Charlotte a la Canneberge, Mousse Vanille, Nougatine d’Amande ($9).
The first was an artful and delicious mix of not too rich chocolate cream, shards of maple flavored meringue and dusted with pieces of cacao flavored crumble…Yum!
The cranberry charlotte was, in my opinion, a perfect dessert it had the perfect balance of sweet and tang. It was delicious. A slightly sour cranberry compote of fresh cranberries elegantly topped with a light and airy cloud of sweet vanilla mouse all sitting atop a crisp bed of crunchy cubes of almond nougat. Perfect in EVERY way!
Reviewing Hoogan et Beaufort I only have one personal side bar to offer. When visiting such restaurants I quite often leave with the feeling that the portion size of a dish often plays second fiddle to its actual presentation, which is a shame. I just wish that the portions, especially the main dishes, were just a wee bit bigger.
Hoogan et Beaufort is most definitely an exciting addition to Montreal’s gallery of excellent restaurants and is most assuredly worth the trip to the Angus Yards.
Our meal, including taxes, two cocktails and wine came to $189
4095 Molson St
514 903-1233
Wed to Fri: 11.30am – 1.30pm
Tues to Sat: 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Sunday Brunch: 10.30am – 2.30pm
Some images courtesy of www.tastet.ca and LaPresse
