Le Sieur d’Iberville

There are things you can expect at a new restaurant’s tasting event. You can expect hungry crowds who are curious about what the restaurant will offer. You can expect copious amounts of food coming out of an overworked kitchen at breakneck speeds to feed that curiosity. You can expect that there will be drinks flowing all night but sometimes a restaurant will surprise you with a little something more. This was the case at Le Sieur d’Iberville last week when they invited Montreal into their restaurant to show off what they can do and they did it with a twist. Le Sieur d’Iberville is the latest offering by the team behind two of NDG’s staple hotspots, the Typhoon Lounge and Monkland Taverne.  They wanted to explore something new in Montreal that was outside their familiar little neighbourhood so they bought the entire building where Le Sieur d’Iberville now finds itself (on the corner of Mount Royal and Iberville). The restaurant is the first step in their plan to eventually expand into something a little more (but that scoop is for another time). After months of renovations, Le Sieur d’Iberville opened its doors only a couple of weeks ago. The space is beautiful with a central bar, booths, a VIP table (with its own fridge) and plenty of space to stretch out. The floor space is nicely divided between stand-alone tables and large comfortable leather booths while the restaurant’s large windows retract letting in tons natural light and fresh air.  They also feature Montreal’s only known working dumb-waiter (pictured above) located in a beer fridge that reaches down into the basement of the restaurant and quickly delivers the beer up to the restaurant.  Before the media event, I had the pleasure of a sneak preview late one night with one of the owners. He brought me through he vast kitchen and down through the underbelly of the restaurant. I saw everything with my own eyes and knew from the second that I had completed my walk around that Le Sieur would be bringing something exciting to the area. The restaurant has a very well stocked bar that can’t be missed. Its central local grabs your attention just as you walk in. Built up with dramatic dark wood and perfectly lit, the bar will be a great gathering place for people looking for something a little different in a vastly unexplored area of the Plateau. One of the biggest draws will be the unique way they will be able to serve their beer. Have you ever heard of a growler? Le Sieur d’Iberville will sell you a Growler of beer instead of a pint or a liter (I’ve never seen that in Montreal), which holds a half-gallon of beer in a reseal able glass jug. That means only having to order drinks once or twice all evening (and make lying about how much you drank the night before that much closer to the truth!).  They also feature an impressive stock of liquor for making an endless choice of cocktails (like a delicious Pimm’s cup, pictured with sample of the food below). The food we tried at Le Sieur d’Iberville was phenomenal and I’m still very curious about the food I didn’t get a chance to try. They feature a full pub style menu with items such as deep friend Portobello mushroom burgers, pulled pork burgers, a variety of sweet and savoury chicken wings and most impressive of all, a full rotisserie. Their chicken is slow roasted to perfection and will without a doubt draw me back up to the restaurant again before long.  Sitting with a group of Montreal’s finest (and chattiest) writers, bloggers, photographers and developers, the food silenced us all as we filled our plates and covered our faces with wing sauce. The special event’s twist that I mentioned earlier came at the beginning of the evening when we learned that all the proceeds from the drinks purchased by us during the night would go to charity, more specifically the St. Justine’s children’s hospital. It was fantastic good will on the part of the partners and made the night that much more special. Le Sieur d’Iberville might be the new kid on the block on the plateau but like so many of the Plateau’s cool new restaurants, they are found off the beaten path. They offer something fresh and exciting in an area that’s been ready for something interesting for quiet some time.

Photo credit: David Major-Lapierre