For the very first time, there was not a single dish that my friend and I had a moment of “we shouldn’t have ordered this”. Tuck shop is located in the St-henri neighborhood. Their quality of cuisine, ambiance, and then service are above and beyond. If I have to point out a con, that would be I wish I visited earlier!
I always find restaurants with open kitchen quite attractive, especially they have stools right in front of the counter! It is a rather narrowish, deep space with bar in the front and kitchen at the back. When looking into Tuck Shop from the outside, there’s a feeling of mystery, but once you entered the restaurant, the coziness of the seating layout gives out a contrary vibe.
As the waitress recommended that it’s normally one entrée and one main per person, we ordered 3 entrées and one main to share. Surprisingly, the portions were quite big! (Bigger than those restaurants that claim to offer “sharing plates”). As pictured, it’s the QC asparagus, burrata, cured egg yolk, grilled homemade sourdough. Since asparagus is in season right now, it is on the menu everywhere. It was simple dish with asparagus, but not an ordinary one! I liked the different textures of grilled asparagus and the crispy shreds on top.
When our waitress described this dish as more of like a “salad”, we didn’t expect the portion to be so generous! It consists matane shrimp, endive, bacon, fennel, pickled celery, green peas, asparagus, tarragon aioli, and finished with bread crumbs. It was not a boring salad – various textures, balanced flavors. It was a refreshing start!
If you didn’t order this crispy pork belly with aged Gouda and oyster mushrooms, don’t consider yourself that you’ve been to Tuck shop! The fatty part of the pork belly melted in our mouth without feeling too greasy, and perfect blended with the meat. Moreover, the cheese will make you want to ask for more bread to clean the plate!
For the main course, we had the Gaspésie halibut with smoked ramp fumet, morels, chanterelles, asparagus, green peas, and white turnip. The halibut was nice and crisp on the surface, and moist inside!
While I was doing the research before the visit, I’ve heard that the dessert is a must, because they are made by chef Theo’s mom! It was a hearty dessert – a bit too sweet for me, but happy that it was filled with pecans to balance it out!
Tuck shop is truly a gem as my friend and I couldn’t find a dish that we have regretted. The items on the menu change almost daily and they will post it on Twitter around 3pm! The service was impeccable; I remembered vividly that as soon as a staff took the plates away, another person was already standing by and came up to wipe the table right away! Each dish was well-crafted with textures and flavors that complement each other harmonically!
Tuck Shop
4662 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC
Tel: +1(514)439-7432 (Reservation recommended!)
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