By Chef Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
Running a restaurant, is contrary to perceptions to the opposite, an extremely tough business. With profit margins dangling around the 10% mark every effort has to be made to keep expenses in line and to the minimum. This factor maybe one reason why, in the past few years, we have seen restaurants open in areas of town where the rents are much lower. St Henri has definitely seen a sharp rise in small stylish and very good bistro type establishments, especially on the stretch of Notre Dame between Guy and St Remi.
One such welcome addition is Le Smoking Vallee.
On entering, the ambiance is immediately sleek, stylish and has that definite French bistro flair. One side of the room is resplendent with a huge mural of a night time street scene and the other side is occupied by a raised very large family table set aside to accommodate groups. The a la carte menu is displayed on a chalkboard at one end of the restaurant.
I must interject at this point that I don’t often go to b ring your own wine places as I have more often than not been disappointed in the way they tend to jack up the prices of the often mediocre food to make up for the lack of a full liquor permit.
Look no further, Le Smoking Vallee is the real deal and it succeeds on so many levels. In addition to being a BYOW restaurant they have the class not to tack on a corkage fee for opening your wine, the service is friendly, informed and very professional. However the real star of the evening was the food, the inspiration of its young, but very talented and passionate chef Thierry Dufour who has a long and successful path ahead of him.
The cuisine is definitely a bistro menu du marché. All his dishes are market centered and are fresh, light and full of bold flavours and not a one is sauced with cream. He respects the freshness of the food he prepares and lets the food shine through. The a la carte menu is small, but focused with six appetizers, six main courses and four desserts plus a daily special. There is also a table d’hôte, a four course selection at $50.
We started with a Gazpcho garnished with Feta, Roasted Pecans and Angel Hair Cucumber Strands ($9). The flavours and freshness of the ingredients were wonderful and made my taste buds sing. Close my eyes and I could have been sunning on a balcony on the Amalfi coast. The creamy saltiness of the crumbled feta and the crunch of the roasted pecans were unusual, but wonderful additions, all adding a delicious and welcome counterpoint to the freshness of its tangy tomato base. My partner started with a plate of Smoked Salmon, Roasted Beets, Chervil, Asian Pear and Goat Cheese ($9). Once again it was fresh, light and delicious especially with the addition of that cloak of creamy goat cheese…a perfect beginning!
For main dishes we chose the Bavette de Boeuf with Sauce Espagnol, Coleslaw and Frites Pont-Neuf ($24) The beef was cooked perfectly and its accompanying sauce Espagnol was boldly flavoured. but light and a great foil for the tender portion of beef. The coleslaw added a nice crunchy counterpoint and the frites pont-neuf homemade chunky fries, the perfect addition to soak up that delicious sauce. I chose a dish that intrigued me. I have never come across the pairing of octopus with lamb before. It tweaked my interest. I must say that by in large it worked, the octopus was charred and fork tender, but I wish the lamb portion had been better explained on the menu. Instead of the piece of lamb I was expecting my dish included shredded lamb combined with potato and served as a gallette. In spite of this small disappointment it was all delicious and was accompanied with a zesty tomato salsa, celeriac puree and a shaved cauliflower, olive and arugula salad. It looked beautiful served on its warmed green slate plate.
We ended our meal sharing a cream cheese mousse with cherry jam sandwiched between two crumbly cardamom flavoured shortbread cookies ($8) a wonderful end to a very memorable meal.
Le Smoking Vallee is an exceptional addition to the much belabored bring your own wine restaurants in the city and its chef’s visible passion for his food bodes well for its future.
Beware, this is not an ideal choice if you have a quiet romantic evening in mind. The night we were there it was packed and the atmosphere was an electric with the excitement of the largely twenty something crowd. Reserve early as I’m sure as its reputation grows this restaurant will be among the stars in the city.
Our bill came to $87 not including tip or tax.
Appetizers $8-$15 Main Dishes $22-$30
4370 Notre Dame St West Reservations 514 932-0303 Accepts all credit cards and Interac.
Open every evening from 6pm and is open for lunch for group reservations only.
Website: www.smoking-vallee.com
