Salmigondis, defined literally, means ‘hodgepodge’ or a ‘ragout of different meats reheated’.
However it also has a much more apt definition as it pertains to cuisine or, in this case, the particular cuisine of a restaurant where it is defined as a ‘repas festif ou chacun des convives apporte un plat ou une partie de repas’.
Salmigondis, although located in Little Italy, does not feature Italian cuisine. It is Market cuisine at its finest.
It’s not a large restaurant, seating probably no more than fifty diners inside, but Its size echoes a wonderful warm, welcoming and casual but elegant ‘bistro’ atmosphere. The kitchen is open and there is even a small sit up bar located just inside the entrance.
What makes this restaurant so special and inviting is not only the food, which I consider some of the very best I have sampled in this city, but the waiters (yes all the servers are male, at least they were the night we visited). Their service is some of the most accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable I have come across. They make you feel instantly welcome the moment you enter and working as a team the service is seamless throughout the meal.
Now to the food. Where do I start. It is uniformly some of the most creative and superbly prepared and presented in the city.
The menu is small but enticing, with all the dishes very much market oriented and incorporating locally sourced ingredients. There are just seven appetizers ($13-$16) and seven main plates ($23 – $36) with excellent selections to satisfy game and meat lovers, seafood aficionados and even vegetarians.
After enjoying an amuse bouche of their warm homemade grilled potato bread and pickled vegetables we decided to start with Celery Root ($13) and Smoked Mackerel ($14).
The celery root was a feast for the eyes with its paper thin slices of crisp celery root artistically arranged among a myriad of assorted flavors and textures provided by pieces of Flemish beauty pears, nasturtium sprouts, crumbled bleu d’Elizabeth cheese and crunchy toasted almonds all sitting atop a unique and perfectly sweetened celery jam. A feast for the eye yes, but also nirvana for the taste buds.
The smoked mackerel, roasted and served warm with its crispy skin encasing a wonderful moist interior, sat atop a creamy ragout of smoked field peas and rye berries. Its garnish of a large molasses crouton added the perfect dramatic foil of sweetness and crispness to the dish. A superb balance of flavors and textures.
For our main plates we chose the Gaspor Piglet Osso Bucco Shakshuka ($27) and the Bernier Guinea Fowl ($32).
The Gaspor piglet is a locally Laurentians raised and prized meat whose diet includeshealthy portions of vanilla flavored milk. It is delivered to many chefs in Montreal and shipped to chefs in New York, California and Toronto, among others. Shakshuka is an arabic word roughly translated as ‘ ragout.’
The osso bucco or slice of pig shank braised shakshuka style was fork tender and melted in the mouth. It sat atop a mix of perfectly sautéed kale and gai choy and a creamy ragout of al dente quinoa. It was topped off with a savory sweet and tart mustard cream sauce…..Pig heaven!
My Bernier guinea fowl consisted of half of the bird perfectly roasted and moist inside. It was served deconstructed in 3 pieces interspersed with crunchy roasted Jerusalem artichokes, roasted coins of leeks all drizzled with a creamy and slightly sweet camelina sweet mustard sauce, not forgetting the ultimate garnish of a perfectly cooked fried guinea fowl egg!
Camelina oil by the way is a fairly new oil in our markets that belies its ancient roots going all the way back to Bronze Age. It is very high in the healthy Omega 3 oils and is perfect for cooking and salad dressings.
Portions at Salmigondis are a perfect size leaving ample room to sample a couple of their intriguing desserts. We indulged in their Caramel Flan ($8) and Ricotta Donuts ($7).
The caramel flan, a velvety caramel cream garnished with crumbled candied pecans and several crispy shards of home spun toffee sponge, served in an antique looking cup, was a delicious and thankfully not too sweet. ….Yum!
My ricotta donuts were four small ricotta deep fried nuggets of donut bliss dusted with Tonka sugar each one filled with that wonderful and sinfully rich creamy caramel dulce leche. Attractively garnished with lemon balm sprouts their deep fried oil free goodness exploded in your mouth….Tim Bits, eat your heart out!
Our meal at Salmigondis was flawless in every aspect, food and service. The chefs, hailing I understand from New Brunswick, are brilliant with their creativity and cooking skills seemingly knowing no bounds!
Here’s hoping Salmigondis will be around for quite some time to come because I certainly plan to return many times perhaps to try their weekend brunch, which I hear is fantastic and very reasonably priced, or perhaps in the summer to take in their terrasse which, although now covered with a blanket of snow, looks equally elegant and welcoming.
Our meal including cocktails, wine, food and taxes came to $172
6896 Saint Dominique (corner Belanger)
Tel: 514 564-3842
www.salmigondis.ca
Tues – sat 6pm – 11pm
Sat & Sun Brunch 10.30am – 3pm
Salmigondis image courtesy of www.montrealeater.com
