[MTL] Quirky Anabel Bar et Vin in the Mile End

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Anabel Bar et Vin is a quirky and country-styled restaurant that just opened for business in February 2014. It’s located on rue Bernard and avenue du Parc.  The entire restaurant is painted in my favorite color, turquoise. The classic black and white floors, marble tables with wooden chairs created a cozy ambiance. The candle at each table lightens up the night.

I visited with a friend for their MTL à Table 5-course menu, which consists most of their signature items.  And I could say that I was impressed!

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After we ordered, the waiter brought us the baguette with flavored butter. The baguette was served warm, and it was pretty good.

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Amuse-bouche: Salad niçoise (crispy pork belly, soft boiled egg, arugula, vinaigrette) I didn’t expect to have a small salad as an amuse-bouche! Normally, amuse-bouche is just something like finger-food that you can finish in one bite. I really liked this sale! The pork berry was crispy that you don’t real notice the fats. The soft boiled egg… it speaks for itself. It was a nice kick for the start of the night!

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Appetizer: Heirloon tomatoes, croutons, coriander, deep fried poached egg. Another dish that surprised me (especially the fried poached egg)! The egg yolk was still runny when I cut it open. The tomatoes were refreshing as deep fried food can be heavy sometimes. It was a nice balanced dish.

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Appetizer: Lobster, french toast, chips, and bacon marmalade. There’s a small “wow” to this dish! A bit of lobster with a small piece of french toast together in your mouth.. The combination was well-balanced. The french toast was deep fried, so it was still crispy, and the lobster was mixed with mayo and other ingredients, which wasn’t as chunky as it was supposed to be. The mayo was light, which didn’t make the entire dish heavy.

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Main: Halibut, leeks, confit pdt, clams, and carrot butter. This dish comes with two pieces of halibut, one was a bit overcooked, but the other was fine. The fish was fresh, and it can be easily flaked with fork. The carrot butter doesn’t have any carrot tastes, so don’t get scared away if you don’t like carrot!

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Main: Short rib, carrots, haricots, chimichurri, mashed pdt. This was the main ordered by my friend (we both ordered the same appetizers). This portion was huge!! She even asked me to help her finish it, but we couldn’t in the end. The short rib was tender and wasn’t hard to chew. The mashed pdt was really creamy and smooth!

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Dessert: Fried oreos. These evil goodies are definitely their house specials! Since we have two people, four pieces of fried oreos (was only expecting one each, but we got TWO!) were served on a wooden board with two glasses of milk shots and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The oreos in there were so soft (not soggy) and smooth, and the doughnut dough coated around the oreos was gooey and chewy. A small piece of fried oreo + a teaspoon of vanilla ice cream + a sip of milk…. miam miam miam… Definitely ended the meal on a high note!

I had once of my best dining experiences in Montreal! Since it was a 5-course menu with $39 for the event, I was expecting the portion of each dish to be small, but the portion of each plate was decent! Especially the main course. The dishes were original. The ambiance was definitely good for a chill Friday night or a date out.

p.s. Their oysters are $1 every Thursday!

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