Back to basics

Two very different spots
keep it simple to tasty effect

by MARK SLUTSKY

Simplicity is good. I like a restaurant that doesn’t do a lot, but does it well. Who needs pages and pages of menu items when all you want is something fresh and good, anyway? A couple of new Montreal spots have taken that streamlined approach to food service to the maximum, though each in their own particular way. Both, though, seem to be unconscious substitutes for the street food we are so cruelly denied by archaic municipal regulations. Because isn’t that what, ideally, street eats are all about—fast, simple, unpretentious goodness?

Well, “unpretentious” might not be the best descriptor for the high-concept Müvbox. I’m not saying it’s putting on airs, but it’s definitely an ambitious and stylish idea. “Think inside the box” is the slogan of this cool new restaurant idea designed by Sid Lee Architecture. Basically, the solar-powered restaurant exists inside a single shipping container. At night, when it’s closed, it looks like a vividly painted corrugated box, but it unfolds (in 90 seconds, apparently) into a full-fledged, semi-al-fresco solar-powered mini-restaurant.

With a Web site that touts technical specs and solicits investors, Müvbox definitely feels a bit like a proof of concept. But it’s a good concept. The walls fold out to reveal small, comfortable seating or standing areas, and the inside contains enough of a kitchen to support a pizza oven. Located on the Quai des Éclusiers in the Old Port, right by the bike path, it’s beautifully situated, and a great spot for grabbing lunch on a sunny day.

More importantly, though, how about the food? Well, especially for fast food, it’s pretty good, and the menu adheres to the simplicity of the concept. Most of it is built around fresh Quebec lobster, which I’m certainly not mad at. A basic lunchbox special will set you back $14.95, and that gets you a fresh lobster roll, a cup of clam chowder ($1 more for a whole bowl), a bag of kettle-cooked chips and a drink. The roll (which you can get on its own for $7.95), featuring big chunks of fresh, firm not-too-sea-like lobster meat (a little mayonnaise and spring onion added some tang) on a no-frills toasted hot dog bun, is perfectly tasty. The chunky chowder, though less creamy than I like, isn’t bad either.

There are a couple of pizzas available too, all in the $10 range, one with duck sausage, one plain and one topped with lobster, of course. They’re a classic thin-crust deal, smallish and not particularly memorable. I’d stick with the lobster rolls, which are clearly the stars of the show. Müvbox is open all summer, so if you’re hanging out in the Old Port, it’s well worth checking out.

Burger time

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Müvbox, at least design-wise, is… Buns. Buns is a hamburger joint, and pretty much nothing else. You got a guy, a grill and some burgers in an empty room. With locations downtown and on the Plateau, Buns is about as plain and no-nonsense as you can imagine. Burgers are $4, or $6 for a double, and cheese (mozzarella) is free. You can also get some fried potatoes if you like, or a soft drink. That’s it, that’s all.

Luckily, the burgers are pretty good, at least as far as fast food burgers go—thick, juicy and relatively fresh-tasting. We’re not talking best burgers in the city or anything, but for a quick, cheap bite, you could do a lot worse, and I admire that it’s called “Buns.” I mean, it’s kind of goofy. It’s a goofy, friendly place and I’m sure there will be days I’m glad it’s there. Though it occupies a completely different aesthetic space than Müvbox, both are doing something right by keeping it simple.