Brasserie Manoir’s Ready-to-Eat Revolution
Brasserie Manoir has been around for almost 50 years, starting off in Pointe-Claire and adding locations in NDG (the former Serre Picasso Restaurant) and Lachine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, owner Peter Sergakis and executive chef Chantal Sauvé have continually come up with new ways to keep business flowing via take-out and delivery. Their latest concept — a selection of 30 beautifully priced, ready-to-eat meals — is already catching on big time with long-time clients and new ones alike.
Everything can be done via their website at www.brasseriemanoir.com. It is as simple as choosing your meals, placing the order, and it will be delivered to your door in an ice-packed Styrofoam cooler that you can keep. The meals come frozen, and it is recommended that you defrost them in the fridge and heat them up the following day in a conventional or microwave oven. The delivery boxes contain multiples of 8, 10 or 12 meals, each weighing a minimum of 500 grams. You can order as many multiples as you wish. All orders of individual meals (seven and under) must be picked up at the Pointe-Claire location.
Delivery on orders over $100 is free; a $5 fee applies for orders under $100 on multiples of 8, 10 or 12. Orders must be placed before Friday at 6 p.m. to be received on the following Tuesday, or before Tuesday at 6 p.m. to be received on Thursday. The pick-up option is available at all times during regular opening hours, regardless of quantity.
And what about seniors who might not have access to the internet? “They should call our Pointe-Claire location and we will find a way to assist them,” said Sergakis. Sauvé lifted the items directly from her bevy of homemade recipes that customers crave. “It was our customers who encouraged us to come up with this format,” said Sauvé. “We have all had to reinvent ourselves during the pandemic. So we have a nice mix of meat, fish and pasta meals. It has been particularly appreciated by clients who want to ensure their parents have healthy and easy-to-prepare meals in their homes.”
The meals are displayed in a large freezer — the kind you see in grocery stores. Sergakis can see the potential here and envisions making these meals available across the province. “This option of ours will indeed remain in place after the pandemic,” he said. “It might be even more popular for people who want easy meals to merely warm up when they come home from work.”
I can vouch for the excellent quality and taste of the meals, which range in price from $9 to $13. Over the course of a week, I shared 10 selections with people in my office and brought a few home: creamy garlic and lemon chicken; scallops and shrimp marinara; maple caramelized chicken thigh; roasted turkey; old-fashioned braised beef; Milanese pork tenderloin; Italian meatloaf; cod Florentine; dill salmon filet; and Marsala chicken tenderloin. “Portions are very generous,” said Brigida, who shared the pork tenderloin with her parents. I echo those sentiments — the turkey, gravy and stuffing tasted like it just came out of the oven.
Attractively packaged, each order comes with clear instructions on how to prepare the meals, and the website lists all the ingredients in each dish. Sauvé says she plans to expand the offerings in the months to come, notably for the summer when she can use freshly grown organic products from a farm Sergakis now owns.
You can still order or pick up meals from the regular Manoir menu. The West Island location is at 600 Boul. Saint-Jean in Pointe-Claire. The phone number is (514) 695-2071.
