Nice Niçoise

Lou Nissart’s cuisine transports you to
distant Mediterranean shores

by JOANNA FOX

Sometimes, just what a dud summer needs is a little trip to the shore. The South Shore, that is. A food-loving friend of mine once spoke of Lou Nissart, a restaurant in Vieux Longueuil that specialized in true Niçoise cuisine. Located in the south of France along the Mediterranean’s Côte d’Azur, Nice is known for its Italian-influenced unpretentious cooking style, which includes lots of seafood, olives, anchovies, garlic, tomatoes and an abundance of fresh herbs. Fascinated, in part to venture off the island of Montreal, but also to discover a culinary treat, I gathered some friends on a balmy summer evening, put on my best vacation attire and headed across the bridge.

Located in the heart of Vieux Longueuil, a short bus ride from the Longueuil metro (either the number eight or 88), we discovered a charming little restaurant resembling a quaint cottage. With a white front porch, dimly lit yellow room and big patio surrounded by leafy trees and flowers, it seemed the perfect setting for a summer dinner out. Aside from the ravenous mosquitoes that came out after dark, we sat outside in order to soak up the fresh air and the sweet sound of the distant water lapping the shores of the St-Lawrence River.

Okay, okay, so it wasn’t exactly on the water (or even that close to the water) and we were realistically only 15 minutes from downtown Montreal, but this cozy little restaurant made us feel truly removed from our city surroundings and we liked to imagine a beach only minutes away.

As with all true vacation dinners, we started with an aperitif of campari and soda as well as classic Ricard (when in Rome). Perusing the menu, we settled on some staple Niçoise entrees of socca, a traditional chickpea flour dish, ratatouille, pissaladiera, an onion flan, and fried calamari. The socca, pan-fried, served in bite-sized clumps and perfect to eat with your fingers, was excellent. Simple, crispy on the outside and salty, it was easy to imagine eating this on the beach in Nice.

The ratatouille—a mixture of eggplant, zucchini, onion and bell peppers—was also good, but had us divided. I felt that it was too sweet and had a slightly bland taste, whereas my friend found it satisfying in its straightforwardness and freshness. The Pissaladiera, something in-between a tart and a pizza, was very good, covered in sautéed onions, olives and anchovies with an oily, flaky crust. A perfect dish for sharing, the flavours complemented each other without being too overpowering. The fried calamari proved to be tender, lightly fried and very addictive, served with mayo and lemon on the side.

For mains, we went for a real mish-mash of dishes that included skate wing, veal sweetbreads, a chorizo pizza, a Niçoise salad, a warm goat cheese and onion crostini, quail samosas and crispy duck rolls. The skate, cooked lightly with capers, onions and lemon, was fresh and perfect for a light meal with the meat just falling off the wing onto my fork. The veal sweetbreads were equally good. Pan-fried and plump, this generous portion was served in a barely there veal jus. Both these mains were accompanied by the same medley of veggies and a square of scalloped potatoes that was melt-in-your-mouth delish.

The pizza, common in southern French cuisine because of their proximity to Italy, was thin-crusted with just the right amount of sauce, cheese and a generous sprinkling of chorizo to give it some kick. The Niçoise salad was basic, with canned tuna, olives, tomatoes and egg, and although predictable in flavour, we were all drawn to its no frills French charm. The goat cheese and caramelized onion, served on a crispy piece of toasted bread, was sweet, salty and very good.

The samosas (a real wild card) and the duck rolls, on the other hand, completely fell flat. Short of tasting like standard spring rolls at any mediocre Asian restaurant, it was hard to decipher between the two: Both were greasy, heavy and filled with dried out meat.

Finishing off the meal with a bitter French coffee and a rich piece of chocolate fondant, we felt satisfied with this experience. Although not breaking any culinary grounds, this really was a nice French bistro meal served in a great environment that took us away from the city for a night of faux-vacation fun.