Fine sporty fare

>> Brasserie Brunoise, across from
the Bell Centre, appeals to both the
hockey crowd and the fine diner

by MARK SLUTSKY

You wouldn’t really call the Bell Centre a nexus of fine dining. But that hasn’t stopped the folks behind popular “market-based cuisine” eatery Brunoise from opening an offshoot, la Brasserie Brunoise, in this particularly culinarily-deprived corner of downtown.

With the exception of the venerable and pricey steakery Queue de Cheval up on René-Lévesque, Brasserie Brunoise’s competition largely caters to a rib-centric sports crowd: Bâton Rouge, Cage aux Sports, or diner le Roi du Hockey. While making sure to appeal to that scene, the restaurant thankfully offers plenty that isn’t heavy and meaty—not that there’s anything wrong with a good steak, but there’s definitely more to explore here.

The restaurant’s dining room is two-tiered, large and airy with high ceilings, exposed ducts and mirrors on the walls. Can’t say the multiple large flat-screen TVs hung here and there really add to the atmosphere, but the room has a very pleasant and cheerful ambience notwithstanding.

The Brasserie’s menu, printed on its paper place settings, looks simple at first, with about 10 starters and 10 main courses to choose from. There are other dishes lurking in the corners, though, like a shrimp cocktail ($10), various pastas (mac & cheese with smoked ham, $16, mushroom risotto, $17) and cheese and charcuterie plates ($9 each).

Myself and two companions tried the charcuterie plate on a recent visit and found it very satisfying, with a generous serving of cured meats (including a delicate prosciutto and an intense speck), gherkins, olives and pickled onions.

Other starters of note included an oversized bowl of lobster bisque ($9), which was maybe a little too large a serving for an appetizer, though pleasing and subtly seasoned. The beet salad ($8), with baby spinach, watercress and pine nuts, was a little disappointing. The yellow beets were fresh and tasty, but the greens were way overdressed with a citrus-y vinaigrette that would have been fine in moderation. (This proved to be a recurring issue with the salads.)

The goat cheese gratin ($12) was lovely, a savoury, mushy hockey puck of chèvre, potatoes and leeks served with a cresson caulis, croutons and an (again) overdressed salad. And don’t be fooled by the complex-sounding “goujonettes” ($9)—they’re actually a pretty simple serving of breaded fish fingers with a homemade tartar sauce, a fun if not remarkable dish.

Another simple dish, this a main course, was the croque monsieur ($12), that simple Parisian concoction of toast, ham, cheese and butter. The chef thankfully left the basic elements in place, relying on the quality of the ingredients to carry it, and the result was a delicious sandwich with a satisfying crunch (and, need I say, an overdressed salad on the side).

The halibut with green beans and chorizo ($18) was another favourite, the fish making an elegant pair with the crisp chorizo. Another fish dish that impressed us was the salmon ($16), which was a small triumph. Seared on one side and cooked through perfectly, the salmon was served with a light, frothy hollandaise sauce and meaty asparagus stalks.

Having heard mixed reports about the steak-frites ($23), I resolved to try it myself and found it very satisfying, cooked pink enough to my taste, and while it was perhaps a tiny bit over-salted, I didn’t mind that much. The fries were just what you’d want, although the mayo dip was a little odd; though it presumably only contained mayonnaise and mustard grains, it had a distinct taste of... banana. Banana? No one could explain it.

Make room for dessert. The basil and passion fruit vanilla panna cotta ($6), imported from the original Brunoise (at 3807 St-André), is one of the city’s great sweets, deeply creamy, with that surprising, pleasing basil flavour. And the Brasserie’s homemade donuts ($6), a generous serving of four, with a chocolate filling and caramel sauce on the side, are plump, sugary and totally decadent.