Catch of the day

Réservoir brings the seaside to the city
with its inspired and fresh seafood dishes

by A.J. KINIK

For a city that sits on an island in a river that was reengineered to function as a Seaway, and whose livelihood for centuries was very much based on its status as a port town, Montreal sometimes feels like it’s an awful long way from the ocean.

Sure, we’re not short on lobster festivals and oysters aren’t hard to come by in season, but for the most part, the city’s restaurants (and even its fishmongers) seem surprisingly disconnected from the fishing industries of Eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. You don’t see too many restaurants offering crabe des neiges or crevette de Matane festivals, and much of the city’s seafood comes from further afield.

The reasons for this are complicated, but basically, when a restaurant around here goes out of its way to bypass the usual cartels and get access to fresher, better-quality seafood, they stand out.

With all the talk of the “Normand Laprise effect,” and the rediscovery of terroir in contemporary Montreal cuisine, this mini-trend (we’re only talking about a handful of restaurants) towards sourcing regional seafood caught by independent fishermen has been one of the most interesting developments of the last decade.

Restaurants like Au Pied de Cochon and Joe Beef have gotten a lot of attention in this department, and with good reason, but for my money (and I don’t have a lot of it), one of the most consistently satisfying spots in town for seafood is Réservoir.

This isn’t to say that Réservoir is a “seafood restaurant” (no, you won’t find Popcorn Shrimp or Surf ‘n’ Turf combos), but since chef Samuel Pinard took over the helm four years ago he’s gradually expanded his offerings as he’s improved his supply chain. So the menu has remained short and sweet, but it’s kept getting sweeter. It had been five years since the Mirror visited Réservoir, so with summer here and me landlocked and desperate for even the vaguest semblance of the ocean, I made a few trips to check out the catch of the day.

Fittingly, Réservoir’s focus tends to be on specialties from Eastern Quebec and the Maritimes, things like Bluefin tuna, halibut, scallops and salt cod. In season, Réservoir has a small but well-chosen selection of oysters on-hand (Pickle Points and the like), but these days, the best place to start is with the Accras de morue, their salt cod fritters ($9).

Generally, I shy away from deep-fried seafood, but it’s hard to argue with these perfectly fried, golden-brown nuggets of goodness, the salt cod subtle and flavourful, the mayonnaise lemony and homemade.

Meanwhile, Réservoir’s scallops have been so plump and beautiful that if you closed your eyes and blocked out the Daft Punk on the stereo (and had a lot of imagination) you might think you’re in Digby, N.S. But you’re in Montreal, so your scallop (it’s so big, you only need one) is pan-seared and served in a bowl surrounded on all sides by a chilled, deliciously herbal Vichyssoise, with a dollop of lemon-basil yogurt hidden underneath the scallop creating an enticing ménage à trois ($11). On another occasion, those gorgeous scallops made for a tangy, tasty ceviche, with citrus, red onion and cilantro ($11).

Expert pan-searing is the preferred technique with much of Réservoir’s seafood, I think it’s safe to say, and the standout in this department was a plate one of my dining partners had when we came for brunch a few weeks ago. Get this: her halibut filet was served over a fried polenta and spicy Spanish chorizo concoction, and accompanied with tapenade, sautéed fiddlehead ferns and a watercress salad ($14). Not your standard brunch, and all the better for it.

Also outstanding was an unlikely Bluefin tuna croque monsieur (fish and cheese? together?) that came with a smoky chipotle mayonnaise and impressed everyone at the table ($14).

Finally, be on the lookout for Pinard’s honest-to-goodness stone crab guédille with cherry tomatoes, watercress and lemony mayo ($14), which is the cheapest round-trip ticket to Gaspé you’re likely to find. Estimated time of departure: August into September.