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Montreal

L' Express Reviews

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3927 St-Denis St
Montreal, Quebec H2W 2M4
(514) 845-5333

Shetraveler
Shetraveler
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2
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6
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L'Express

  • January 7, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by tcguide from New York

The is a classic old school French bistro that is famous in Montreal. We felt like we were in Paris. The waiters were all men and they spoke French (which is true for all places) and the menu had hand-written specials. Tabletops are covered with white paper on top of white tablecloths. Waiters bring you a pretty big olf-fashioned jar of sweet pickles (cornichons) swimming in pickle juice to snack on.

There is a long bar on one side and the dining room converges into it. Ally enjoyed the pumpkin soup as a first course, and for the main course, she had duck with mashed potatoes. I had the raviolis with mushrooms. Chocolate cake for Ally's dessert was a nice complement to my apple tart with vanilla ice cream. 

L'Express is a very solid and delicious bistro that is a quite memorable Montreal experience. Also, very reasonable prices. They are open practically all day from 8am to 3am.

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From journal A Romantic Weekend in Montreal

Editor Pick

L'Express

  • February 18, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Shetraveler from Campbell, California
Across the street from the other restaurant I reviewed, Toque, L'Express represents the other end of the spectrum when it comes to French food. Here innovation and fusion isn't as important as consistency and depth. It is the kind of restaurant that reminds you of why you fell in love with French cuisine. Fresh, unpretentious dishes served daily to locals who return repeatedly because of the restaurant's consistency with the classics. You'll begin to believe that this kind of food has been prepared as per its orginal recipe. There are even regulars that eat at their spot at the long zinc bar in the simple black and white tiled room. The atmosphere of the restaurant is lively but not loud. Food here is taken seriously, but the restaurant itself is low key. It is so popular though, you should make a reservation.

My companion started with a monk fish soup, delicatly suspended in a white wine and tomato broth. However, I was in need of serious traditional French comfort food, so I chose bone marrow served with crusty toast points. It may be an acquired taste, but that marrow is dug out of the bones and spead on the toast like a beefy butter. Next was the ultimate chicken soup, chicken pot au feu. Juicy pieces of dark chicken meat swimming in its own broth and surrounded by tender root vegetables. Since it was Chirstmas tim, I wanted to try something that was created just for the holidays, so to finish my meal I ordered a special Christmas cheese, Vacherin Mont d'Or, a creamy fromage served with walnuts and croutons. My dining companion chose the showy floating island. A mound of meringue crowned in spun sugar bathes in creme anglais, the dessert is deceptively light on the tongue but happily hits like a brick after several bites.

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From journal Winter Holiday in Montreal

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