Summer Ready

Henri St-Henri is doing something drastically different in St. Henri. Amidst a gaggle of rustic-trendy, hipster-friendly and gimmick-riddled restaurants, Henri St-Henri keeps its concept simple: great food, cool atmosphere and a fun, casual service.

I remember being present at the grand opening last year where several members of the media gathered to get a taste of what the restaurant would be offering. Back then they had a clear vision of what they wanted to present to their clients and to this day, their sucess continues to build on the quality of the food they serve.

Their new spring-summer menu features serveral new additions including gaspatcho, crisp saladas, savory fish and tender lamb. After a brief welcome cocktail, we sat down for a media tasting last week to try out a few items from the new menu. Here’s a look at a few of the dishes we tried.

We started with a delicious gaspacho that was poured over iced mustard, black garlic and Thai basil. The dish was fresh, just cool enough and burst with flavor. The second dish on the menu for the evening was sliced Speck which came served with quinoa salad, melon, plums, samphire and sorrel. This dish was beautifully served and the ingredients blended well leaving a balanced flavor.

For our third course we were served tuna albacore. On the plate with the tuna were marinated jalapenos, mizuna, cucumber, mango, watermelon and crispy echalotes. The seafood lovers invited that evening continued to be treated with the best of the best. The fourth course was a wonderful flounder dish, served with fresh peas, mint, fennel, fresh lemon and lemon confit, harreng egg and horseradish. The fifth course of the evening stepped away from seafood. We were served lamb surloin with eggplant, beets, black cabbage, cumin crumble and corriander.

Before rolling away from the table we were served up a light dessert. In the form of spheres, we were served three balls of chocolate (dark, milk and white), caramelized banana, chocolate cake and crumble. It was hard to say no to that, so we didn’t.

With the new menu now available to be enjoyed either inside the restaurant or on their recently opened terrasse, Henri St-Henri makes it easy to sit and enjoy a refreshing meal all summer long.

Photo credit: David Major-Lapierre