Salmigondis, located a block away from Impasto and GEMA in Little Italy, is the best brunch I had so far in Montreal for 2015. This restaurant is run by the same owner as Arts Café. I have been to Salmigondis twice. My first visit was after New Year, the second was in March. On both occasions, the menu is completely different. The food is best described as simple and comforting like Arts Café, but with a touch of refinement. Each dish is prepared with minimal amount of ingredients in which 2-3 flavour profiles are identifiable.
The service was impeccable. The waiters were calm and knowledgeable. They explained in great details the menu so we won't be disappointed in our choices. The menu consists of 8 items offering a wide range of cuisine as the name of the restaurant suggests. It changes seasonally with the use of local produces. Being versatile in several cuisines is a rare sight.
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| Carnitas, Scrambled Eggs, Watercress, Arugula, Parsnip Chips |
On the first visit, my friend had the carnitas, a typical Mexican shredded beef dish soaked in a spiced sauce. It comes with a generous amount of scrambled eggs to balance the amount of beef. It is garnished with watercress and arugula for freshness and parsnip chips for crunch.
On my side, I had the borscht, a staple Russian soup made with red beets. Here it is prepared in a rabbit reduction with tender cubes of beets, a dollop of crème fraîche and sprigs of dill. It comes with two pieces of pierogies filled with minced pork and cabbage. The taste reminds me of a Chinese dumpling. One of the best borschts I have eaten in my life because of the addictive and flavor-packed rabbit broth.
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| Borscht, Pork and Cabbage Pierogies, Crème Fraiche, Dill |
My second visit I went with my friend from Un Voyage Gastronomique. The mustard Benedict with confit guinea fowl is an unusual pairing for brunch. The guinea fowl is a melt-in-your-mouth with crispy skin. The eggs perfectly poached, the rye berries provides a nice bite with a light chew and the polenta cakes were firm and flavorful.
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| Confit Guinea Fowl, Polenta Cakes, Rye Berries, Mustard Hollandaise, Poached Egg |
Finally, the pork belly is not for the faint-hearted. It's not thin slab of bacon that is offered on the plate. It's a thick slab of tender, perfectly caramelized pork belly. The coriander curry is a great choice of condiment to balance out the fattiness of the protein. It comes with scrambled eggs and thin slices of dried persimmons. A filing and well-composed dish.
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| Pork Belly, Hoshigaki, Coriander Curry, Scrambled Eggs, Cippolini |
The meal was flawless, every item in the dish is well thought out yet keeping it simple. Salmigondis is a good example of a restaurant where less is more. I can officially say that this is my favourite brunch spot for 2015.
Salmigondis
6896 rue Saint Dominique
Montreal, QC
H2S 3B2
514-564-3842
Opening Hours
Mon: Closed
Tues-Fri: 6pm - 11pm
Sat: 10am-3pm, 6pm-11pm
Sun: 10am-3pm
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