Narcisse Bistro

We stayed in the Hotel this restaurant occupies. Both are wonderful.
Even though the restaurant pricing is considered $$$, my boyfriend and i ate here for like $ 30 total. They featured a fantastic soup of the day which wa cream of carrot topped with some kind of fried potato bits and crème fraîche. Delicious, and a huge serving. I was basically full from this alone. Then we added some grilled mushrooms and veggies, delicious and fresh, and a salad topped with warm goat cheese. This was really excellent, and they provided so much cheese, i didn’t think i could fit in dessert but i did. We then got the sorbet, and passion fruit panna cotta. Both delicious. The wines were reasonably priced at about $ 7 a glass but we received complimentary drinks b/​c we were staying at the hotel.
Its a very romantic setting — our table was inside but set by the window flush w/​flowers from the window box, w/​a view of the water. Service was attentive but still allowed for privacy.

last weekend my mom and i went to montreal. though it was a short trip, it was a lot of fun. our saturday had been a day of HOURS at the open air market, a picnic in the botanical gardens, and a major bike ride back to our hotel. it was longer than i had expected, and left me sweaty, frustrated with bicycles, and incredibly hungry. i knew almost immediately what i was craving: steak frites.
my mother humored me and my insane craving for beef and fried potatoes and we checked every restaurant in the area of our hotel until we found exactly something labeled «steak-​frites» on the menu. and boy howdy, did we luck out. both of us being winos, the line «bar a vin» caught both our eyes and the «steak-​frites» caught mine.
it was a beautiful saturday evening, and we seemed to have arrived at exactly the right moment, because we were not only seated within minutes of arrival, but we were seated at a fabulous table in the corner of their outdoor seating area.
fast-​forward to our eating, and while i did feel terrible for my mom because of a mix up in the kitchen leaving her to wait an extra 10 – 15 minutes for dinner, we both had marvelous meals. the butter atop that steak was so heavenly, i asked how it was made. our waitress came back with a written recipe. my mom’s salmon was incredible as well and we both ate every bite.
while the price wasn’t something we’d spend every day, it was the last night of vacation and we enjoyed it very much. the service was great, i left with a steak-​frites baby, and we both left very happy.

On a recent lazy Sunday afternoon, I stopped in at Narcisse for a drink on their rooftop terrace (5^th floor of the auberge).
The Good: Great view of the Old Port!
The So-​So: Considering they’re a wine bar, I was hoping for a bit more from their wine list, in terms of the available selection (fairly small) and the originality of said selection.
The Bad: A loud air conditioning unit detracted from the atmosphere. I’m not sure if it’s like that all the time.
That said, I’d still like to give Narcisse another chance and try the less casual dining room on the first floor for a full meal.

Our fourth date night in 12 months! I just realized that three of our four date nights have been work related … oh well … doesn’t make the date nights any less fun :)
So, we were limited to what we could order but this is what I had:
Some sort of rabbit pâté with beets, greens, and bread crisps. The pâté itself was okay … a little too fatty though. The beets were quite good since the dressing used to flavour the beets was some sort of light citrusy vinaigrette.
Main meal was some sort of beef dish with a potato type side. Couldn’t quite finish it all because the meat was a little chewy and the potato side was disappointing.
For dessert I tried the crème brûlée … it was average. Nothing special.
Ordered a vodka cranberry and it was disappointingly weak.
Not a huuge fan of the complimentary bread and butter at the start either.
The restaurant itself is quite nice and situated right in Old Montréal right by the water. Décor is sleek and modern. Service was incredibly friendly and attractive!
Can’t say that I’m in love with the food … but it wasn’t too bad :)

Great friendly staff. My wife and I stayed at the hotel upstairs, so we had breakfast here everyday, dinner in the restaurant one night, and room service the next (no extra charge). I loved all the food, and the service was outstanding.

I don’t think I’ve noticed that anyone has mentioned the Auberge Terrace located on the roof of this restaurant/​hotel. Fantastic view of Old Montréal and the river. Great spot for drinks and a lighter bite to eat. Much more casual than the street level Narcisse Bistro. (seasonal opening, of course)

WORST SERVICE EVER!!!
Had to wait to be acknowledged by the hostess who was busy chatting away at the bar in the back, completely ignorant of the entrance and the people who started to accumulate behind us. Finally, when we asked for a table for 2, with completely empty tables in full view, the hostess rudely and nastily replied, «Nope, we’re full.» The party of 4 standing next to us however, (who didn’t have reservations either) quickly piped up saying that there was an available table outside that just needed clearing, was told, «Ok, please wait.» I was shocked and quite offended as the hostess quickly turned her back and walked away. Even the party next to us exclaimed, «Wow, that was very RUDE!» I approached her again to ask what the problem was that they could clean a table and make room for 4 but couldn’t seat a table for 2, and the hostess literally rolled her eyes and said angrily and nastily again, «What!!! They’re all taken or waiting for reservations.» I told her that she could’ve just explained that from the start, but she already stopped listening and was looking for a waiter or bus boy to help her…
Completely offended and disappointed!!! Don’t patron unless you want to chance being treated like this!

What could be better
than a bottle of wine with
friends on the terrasse?

It honestly took me a while to track down this place as I didn’t remember the name but I definitely recognized that escargot. Montréal, in general, was an experience to remember. This place just topped it off. My boyfriend and I chose it as our «big spender» meal of the weekend. To be honest, I do not remember the price but I know we spent more than 100 $ on dinner for just the two of us. Please keep in mind this was my first time in montreal, my first time eating any sort of french food, and my first time ever eating escargot. The escargot was surprisingly good and was baked in a cheese and garlic mixture which I enjoyed very much. As for dinner, I barely remember since it was almost a year ago now, but I remember leaving thoroughly satisfied. We both got some kind of steak and we shared a bottle of wine. I wish my memory wasn’t so hazy so I could provide more details, but I guess I’ll just have to update this if/​when I ever visit Montréal again.

Great place. Best onion soup and entrecôte I’ve ever had! Hope to stay at the auberge next time.

I stayed at the hotel, L’Auberge du Vieux Port, and though I typically don’t eat where I am staying, it was dead of Winter, rainy, and most everything in the Old Quarter was closed. As it happens, I was there on business on a Thursday, and when I saw they had live jazz that didn’t require me to walk through sleet to see I was hooked.
They offered a nice selection of complimentary cheeses and chunks of fresh baguette, but I wisely did not stuff myself. The Venison with cranberry reduction was outstanding, as was the selection of wine by the glass.
The duo was kind enough to play nothing but my obscure requests until the place closed, and the bartender offered me a complimentary
Armagnac (probably because I bought the band a couple of rounds.)
It is a very quiet, non-​touristy place for that part of the city, and I am sure would be a nice respite from the Jacques-​Cartier crowds in the summer.

Went last week during the Happening Gourmand.
From the fixed menu I chose the Garlic Escargot, Angus beef bavette, and Crème brûlée.
Given Narcisse was the least expensive of the Happening Gourmand restaurants I was pleasantly satisfied with the meal.
In fact out of the 3 HG restaurants we tried Narcisse was my favorite.
The standouts for me were —
The escargots — nice twist on traditional escargots with cheese melted.
The beef bavette — inexpensive but well prepared piece of meat.
The french fries — savory and lots of them.
The service was a tad on the slow side but i think it was more to do with our waitress than systemic of the restaurant.

we went on a thurs night, without reservation (was asked if we had one though), but were seated immediately (but you may want to make rsvn on busy nights/​weekends). service was attentive and professional. waiter is friendly, polite, and knowledgeable: he recommended wines to go with our food, and they were great – although my bf liked my heavier-​bodied «morgan v» from france (forgot what the waiter called it but this is what showed on our bill) better than his lighter-​bodied pinot noir from cali. well, me too ;). food was excellent, from appetizers to desserts. here’s what we had–
appetizers:
1. escargot — i actually liked it this way coz i’ve been «escargoted out» before and was wary to put another one in my mouth again; still traumatized from the taste of it in the past. but here, i get nothing but the tenderness of meat, and lots of garlic and cheese flavor; none of that raw taste of the snail.
2. millefeuille tomato & feta cheese– the millefeuille is not what i expected like those from the «napoloen» pastry i thought it’s made with, but it’s a thin, cripsy sheet like wonton wrapper, deep fried, then layered with pesto, tomato, and finely diced feta, drizzled with caramelized balsamic. bf liked it too bc the feta is not overpowering the dish; «very well-​balanced», he said.
main:
1. duck breast with maple syrup– just the right taste, although the syrup tasted EXACTLY like that in a chinese dish called «zheng jiang pai gu» (pork chops). the fragile, crunchy, fried spinach in the middle is a nice addition. it’s very light and we eat like chips, but we know it’s soaked in oil.
2. deer medallion with cranberry sauce– the deer itself doesn’t taste any special (at least to me), but the cranberry sauce (with berries in it) mixes well with the meat. meat is tender (at medium rare), potatoes are great (although not soaking up much of the sauce as i swiped it through).
dessert:
1. chocolate mousse– very, very rich; but could be too sweet/​rich for some (ex. my bf). he still liked it, though, esp the bits of chocolate inside. «great mix of texture», «not just a mush», he said.
2. crème brûlée– shallow, wide dish allowed for lots of surface area for the sugar layer, which was torched perfectly (no burned taste!) yet remained crunchy for the rest of the dish. the eggy custard had the right consistency – not too hard, not too runny. taste-​wise, it could render just a liiiiiitle bit on the sweet side, but it tasted great regardless.
cost-​wise, apptz at about $ 8 – 10 each, mains are in the $ 25 – 35 range. dessert is $ 7 each, our wines were $ 9 (cali) and $ 16 (france). total bill came to $ 129 ($ 114 before the 13% tax!) for two 3-​course meals w/​wine; i say that’s reasonable.
not to mention our meal was accompanied with live jazz that happens every thurs to sat at dinner time! check out their website for more info. this place has an upscale and romantic ambiance, yet to our surprise, they took us in casual wear and flip flops (so tourists don’t be deterred: D)! hardly i go to an «upscale» restaurant and not complain about something – esp those in america, they are usually too snobbish/​busy to serve you right, and/​or the food just didn’t justify the price. but at narcisse, ambiance was great, food was excellent, service was impeccable. had the best night out there!
:)

This place was recommended by our concierge.
I was looking for some Québécois cheese and she said this was an excellent choice.
We dined al fresco and I was really looking forward to this meal, however, I left wanting more.
I ordered the cheese plate and although it was fantastic, the waitress wasn’t able to tell me the names of any of the cheese.
She just mumbled something and walked away.
My boyfriend had the French onion soup and it was excellent: lots of onions, cheese and bread.
Next, he had the Beef Bavette [similar cut to a skirt/​flank/​hangar].
The presentation was lacking – it looked sort of like vomit on his plate – and I mean that in the nicest way.
Although it did taste «okay», there was nothing at all spectacular about this dish.
I then had the escargot and it was too rich for me but my boyfriend thought it was just perfect.
Maybe we didn’t eat the «right» things or it was an off night for the chef but I was disappointed with this restaurant and I don’t think I’d come back for round II.

If you are looking for a somewhat upscale dining experience with a great atmosphere, this is the place.
We were bored of eating in the Gay Village and decided to explore the old Montréal neighborhood. After an afternoon of walking around and enjoying the sights, we decided to eat. I wanted to go to this place called Les Remparts and realized that it is an upscale place with a strict dress code. We like dressing up for dinner. So, we decided to go back to the hotel and change. Came back to the neighborhood and realized Narcisse replaced Les Remparts. It still retained the dress code. At least that is the impression I got after entering the place.
The food is French bistro fare. All the ingredients are fresh and prepared with flair. I ordered a duck gizzard and walnut salad while he ordered the escargots. The duck gizzards were prepared in a manner that retained some of the toughness of a gizzard but, it was also tender. Kudos on that. The escargots were divine. I ended up eating my salad and half of his appetizer.
For the main course, I ordered the quails in raisin sauce and he got the duck breast in maple syrup. My quails were excellent… I am not a fan of raisins but, the dish was prepared in a way that the sweetness of raisins did not overpower. His duck breast was tender with the right touch of maple syrup goodness. Not too sweet either. Perfect balance.
For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse. He did not order anything. At least one of us knows how to control his diet. I felt like a glutton but, the chocolate mousse was divine and canceled out all my guilt.
If you want a nice dining experience with a beautiful view of the river, Narcisse is the place to go. The rooftop terrace overlooks St. Lawrence river and you can see the marina. Just remember to be appropriately dressed or you will feel out of place. Service was very professional.
They also serve breakfast and have a wine bar. We didn’t experience either, only the dinner.