Le Molière par Mousso at Studio-Cabaret / Espace St-Denis provides true “Lasting Impressions”
When was the last time a restaurant gave you some true “Lasting Impressions?” Well, that was truly the case for me after sampling the extraordinary cuisine at Le Molière par Mousso. I was first contacted by the publicity firm that handles the account for this new Parisian restaurant in early winter, with a promise to invite me for a tasting once they had been open for a bit.
After attending a showing of the spectacular Lasting Impressions at Studio-Cabaret / Espace St-Denis, the timing was perfect to treat myself and a colleague to this much anticipated meal. Lasting Impressions, which will return for a second run June 1 to 18, has given this new dining establishment the perfect jumpstart and with a built in audience.
Le Molière par Mousso is located on St-Denis Street, at the corner of de Maisonneuve boulevard. Elegant and affordable, this gourmet French brasserie provides direct access to the Espace St-Denis complex. Hostess Johanne Bouchard gave me a tour of the facility, which includes a room for private functions.
Our server Clément, who just arrived in Montreal a few months ago via Belgium, went over the menu: soup, entrées, fish, beef, chicken, duck, tartares, sides, desserts, a full bar and of course champagne.
Owner, Jean Pilote, the man behind the rebirth of the Capitole de Québec, has partnered with Nicolas Rousseau (Le Continental du Vieux-Québec) and A5 Hospitality (Jatoba, Le Cathcart and Flyjin), to launch this concept.
A colleague and I started off our meal with two piping and delicious bowls of cream of ravioli soup and enjoyed some French bread with butter. For the main course I chose the aged duck in grand veneur sauce. It cut like butter and I must say was a real treat, since I do not see it on many menus.
On the side I enjoyed a crispy plate of French fries. The Coquille St-Jacques also comes highly recommended. This classic scallop recipe from the French kitchen is oven-baked in the shell. It is nicely accompanied by a side of sautéed mushrooms.
There is a tantalizing dessert menu here. I could not resist the chocolate mousse and I also had my eye on the lemon tarte.
The menu here has other items worth looking at: cream of mushroom, onion and fish soups; pâtes, Oysters Rockefeller, lobster, salmon, rabbit, veal, schnitzel and beef filet just to name a few. There are also several items on their special “rapid menu,” such as half a chicken, beef tartare, an omelet, hamburger and croque-monsieur.
Culinary Director Antonin Mousseau-Rivard is the winner of numerous awards, including Most Innovative Chef from Canada’s 100 Best in 2019, and leads the kitchen staff. “My driving passion in life is eating! And with Le Molière, I am returning to my first love: French cuisine,” said Mousseau-Rivard. “I want to offer guests an informal gourmet experience, and the opportunity to appreciate the classics that have been brought up to date, simply and with quality ingredients. I’m thinking about French onion soup, truffle toast, oeuf mayonnaise, seafood platter, bone marrow, jellied salmon, lobster thermidor. Various classics that I was really happy to come back to. Honestly, I missed this type of cuisine. They are recipes that I studied when I was really young, which made my mouth water. I am self-taught and the rather strange child that I was; reading old French cookbooks before going to bed!”
With 45 years of experience in gastronomy, Daniel Vézina is the founding chef of the restaurant called Laurie Raphaël as well as for the entire Espace St-Denis complex, which caters the Lasting Impressions food services.
For more information and to see the full menu log on to: www.lemoliere.com.
