by MARK SLUTSKY

The Secret From Japan, Le Hot club de ma rue, Electrik Bones... checking out the poster hanging in the front window of Le Divan Orange, my friends and I briefly thought we were looking at the restaurant's menu. But no, these weren't esoteric dishes from around the world; it was simultaneously a relief and a disappointment to realize we were looking at the live music calendar - though I would like to have tried the Electrik Bones. Maybe.

Le Divan Orange was founded earlier this year by eight ex-staff-members of the old Café Ludik, who quit the place after it changed management and decided to start a resto/café/showbar of their own and run it as a co-op. They seem to have put a lot of love and hard work into the new venture, and it's really paid off. Le Divan Orange is one of the most pleasant places to spend an afternoon or evening in this town to open up in a long time.

It doesn't hurt that they've got one hell of a space to work with. The place - a former clothing store - is enormous. With its couches in the front, its bar on the left and stage at the back, it resembles nothing less than a telescoped version of the Casa del Popolo, and it shares a lot of the Casa's cozy, homemade vibe. There's an upright piano in the front, just by the door, and on a recent visit in the early evening, a fellow was playing it, accompanied by a violinist. They ran through a Green Day song as well as some other familiar numbers, and as off-putting as that might seem to you, they sounded great!

The restaurant offers a variety of snack-type items, like nachos (with sour cream and their own, tasty guacamole and salsa - $5 for just the nachos and cheese, $7.50 for all-dressed), as well as more substantial fare. There's also a variety of extravagant, creative salads. I liked the Vlimeuse ($9), made with tomatoes, nectarines, mozzarella di bufala, pine nuts, oil and herbs (when we had it, sweet cantaloupe slices were substituted for the nectarines). It was a big salad, served with sweetish bread - although my lovely companion complained of an over-abundance of melon slices, this wasn't a problem for me. You might also try the Concombre masqué ($7.50), made with mango, cucumbers, sunflower seeds and a peanut-based vinaigrette.

The place has an interesting approach to sandwiches - the petite miche menu (all $7.25) consists of six options, each featuring a variety of sandwich ingredients served with several slices of fresh bread. The Hippie déconfit was a hearty, toothsome choice, almost a mini-buffet of veggie pâté, guacamole, slices of white cheddar and a tomato coulis. For the adventurous, Le Bourrelet d'amour consists of camembert, pears, hazelnuts and dark chocolate. Yum. Also appealing is the Gros bon sens, with chèvre, puréed zucchini and tomato chutney.

Beyond the sandwiches and salads, the grande bouffe section of the menu has some main courses worth considering. Definitely worth checking out are Les Bronzés ($11.50), a dish containing two pupusas (those delicious Salvadorean fried pockets of dough - these containing tomato, onions, and cheese), a fried plantain with a sugary rum sauce and a somewhat inappropriate cabbage and dill salad. (The vinegary dressing and the strong dill flavour just didn't co-habit well with the other flavours on the plate.) A somewhat lighter meal, L'Urluberlu ($11.50) featured coconut rice, cucumbers, and a couple delicious imperial rolls (which are also available on their own, three to a plate, for $5). We tasted carrot, shiitake mushroom, coriander and peppers in the rolls, which were crisp but not greasy at all, and came with sweet and sour dipping sauces.

Le Divan Orange is a happy addition to the city's assortment of places to spend a chilly day. Something about the atmosphere's low-key conviviality had a really pleasing effect on this writer, and it'll likely have the same effect on you too.

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Le Divan Orange
ADDRESS: 4234 St-Laurent (just up from Rachel)
PHONE: 840-9090
HOURS: Tue-Sun 11 a.m.-3 a.m.
BEST FEATURES: Cozy, charming atmosphere and
inventive vegetarian food
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Oh yeah
CREDIT CARDS: No
NO-SMOKING SECTION: No
PRICE: $5-$15 per person, before tax, booze or tip
RATING: *** out of ****