Anyone who read my review of Labarake’s opening night knows I was left somewhat underwhelmed by how the night went down. A couple of weeks have passed since then and I was recently invited back to give it another go. Here’s what I thought.
Starting with the décor and atmosphere of the restaurant, I love the detail that has gone into transforming this old Angus Shop firehouse (and more recently a gaudy SAQ) into the beautiful space it is today. The building which houses Labarake is a protected site which meant the restaurant owners had quite a challenge in dealing with our city’s persnickety architects and engineers. The outside of the building has barely been touched with only street facing sides of the building announcing the name of restaurant.
I chatted with the owners about how my first trip to a restaurant usually means me looking for their burger. Montreal’s restaurants have done a great job taking the burger off the fast food track and turning it into something uniquely gourmet. Labarake does have a burger made with a generous patty of Angus beef and towering with fresh ingredients. Of course I tried it and it was nothing short of amazing. My friend tried the tartar (which I sampled plenty of before) and it was tasty, well seasoned and came with homemade paprika chips. For more on their menu, check it out here!
Photo credit: David Major-Lapierre