It's very difficult, in Rosemont, to find a nice place to sit down for a nice coffee or drink and a good bite to eat. The difficulty does not lie with the amount of choices, quite the contrary, actually. There are more than plenty of coffee shops and restaurants but they are mostly average in terms of the quality of the food, decor and comfort. The good places are very sparse and, as a result, always crowded.
And then, Le Elsdale appeared a few months ago, in October. This lovely little café/ restaurant/ boutique satisfies all my needs: it's open all day long (except on mondays where it closes at 5pm) so it serves brunch, lunch and supper; the minimalist and modern decor is the perfect blend of warmth, comfort and brightness; the meals are unique and original; and finally but most importantly, their drinks, all their drinks from the morning coffee to the evening cocktails, are delicious!
Le Elsdale
2381 Rue Beaubien E, Montréal, QC H2G 1N3
(514) 725-9769
As you can see in the picture, Le Elsdale is right in front of the Beaubien movie theater. The atmosphere is relaxed, welcoming and unpretentious, and so is the clientele. Once you're done eating and drinking, you could very easily take a little stroll towards the back, where the restaurant becomes a store. You'll see a variety of very stylish home and kitchen supplies and you will have to resist the urge to buy everything!
Though always tempted, I never bought anything. I shop with my eyes. When it comes to the food, though, I make my decisions with my belly.
For brunch and lunch, my absolute favorite thing to order is the breakfast sandwich. The ingredients in themselves are not that peculiar: eggs, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and cheese, with a side of roasted potatoes. However, the sandwich tastes a-ma-zing! I usually order it with their homemade lemonade with hibiscus, and I'm in heaven!
If you feel like eating something lighter, they serve an amazing gravlax, but what really stood out was the nordic shrimps on toast. Tasty, new and refreshing! It's served with pickled rhubarb, grapefruit, endive, with a lime labneh. It looks great but tastes better!
Are you hungry yet? I am! and I just ate...
If you feel like ordering something sweet, go for pancakes! The flavor seems to change, often varying between blueberry and strawberry, but it doesn't matter. Their pancakes are delicious! They come with lots of fruits of course, as well as a special whipped cream and coulis that make you forget about maple syrup.
They also have a to-go counter where you can order cakes, cookies, muffins, scones and the likes (not necessarily to-go, by the way!). I haven't tried them all yet but the cookies and the scones are heavenly.
For the evening, now. They have a different menu as well as a cocktail menu!
Cocktail wise, my personal favorite is the Rosemont (vodka, lime, honey and blackcurrant) because it is fruity, sweet and light. Perfect for a hot summer day. Of course, there are stronger options if that's what you like.
What is great about the evening menu is that the portions are small, so you can order a bunch of stuff and not feel bad about it!
I tried the lamb kefta and a salad. The kefta comes with a great tahini sauce and pickled eggplant, I think, and it balances well with the salad, which is very light and fresh. Perfection!
I still had room left after the meal so I ordered dessert. It was really hot outside, that day, so I picked out what seemed to be the most refreshing, the Vacherin. It's a perfect meringue sandwich with a strawberry sorbet in the middle. It was just awesome and an excellent way to end a meal and a rough day.
Le Elsdale is the perfect little nook outside of home to just relax, meet friends or work. The food is delicious, the ambiance is friendly and the decor is so pretty! I'll try to enjoy it as much as possible now because it won't be long before more people find out about and I'll end up having to wait for a table to clear! If that happens, it's well deserved. That place is great.