Oh what a divine experience! Our last dinner was held at l’Ambroisie, a French cuisine restaurant tucked away in the industrial/gentrified part of Petit Bourgone, close to the Lachine Canal. It really is a hidden jewel…some having been lost for over 1hr before finding it lol. But so worth the effort of finding it.
Once you do enter the building one cannot help but be charmed by the architecture. The old Merchant Mills factory, now converted into lofts and the restaurant, still retains much of its industrial traits: the old wooden stair case walled by old brick, the long corridor with ancient creaking wood flooring, a display case and a few items testifying of its factory days. When you arrive into the restaurant you are amazed by the grandiose yet modern decor. Silly enough, my first reaction was “this is too nice for what the group is used too”!
We had an amazing turnout. Even a first, not a single no show! So impressed. On to the dining experience. Our waiter Kevin did a great job of taking care of us and was quickly friendly with us. The menu offered especially for us was just divine and, as far as French bistros go, very reasonably priced…table d’hôte was between 16 and 27$.
The starter was a delicious celery-rave (celeriac) soup or a salad. My friend and I could not help but order on the side the homemade Belgium fries and we did not regret it at all. I had the Assiette Marseilles which was a chef’s mother’s recipe for bouillabaisse with lots of saffron. OMG it was so good. Other popular dishes ordered were the lamb chops and a chicken dish slowly cooked in a cream sauce. Everyone enjoyed every morsel on their plate. Everything was delicious.
Even the dessert was a lovely surprise. The usual crême brûlée was a popular choice, as was the chocolate mousse cake – a generous sweet portion. I think food wise this was one of the best outings ever. We had a lot of new people attend this outing and what an outing to first experience Cheap Ethnic Eatz . I had been searching for so long for a French bistro close to our price range and I just could not be happier with the culinary experience we had.
I highly recommend this place for a dinner outing. There is a large private room for parties with a dance floor and also in the summer a lovely terrace during warm summer nights. I am thinking of having the 2nd anniversary of Cheap Ethnic Eatz here in March. I am not crazy about repeating a restaurant so close in dates but for a bigger group I cannot think of a better place to be assured a great meal and a wonderful evening.
4020 Saint-Ambroise l
Stuart Abrams l 514 932 0641 l restaurant.ambroisie@bellnet.ca
Hugs and Biscuits
Evelyne
I too have dined at l’ambroisie. It was not such a good experience. Don’t get me wrong, the food was excellent with the atmosphere and service to match however when it came time for the bill there were fees for items that we did not request. And items that we did request were not served. Unfortunately, this was not a mistake but an intentional opportunity to increase the bill.
It was a disaster and I would not recommend this restaurant for any gathering.