Hot dog

Le Chien Fumant is a comfy
refuge for winter woes

by JOANNA FOX

The dark days of Montreal’s winter pretty much suck. We’re broke, cold, pale and hungry (sometimes really hungry). Comfort food often comes to mind during this time of relative hibernation and I find myself fantasizing about braising, roasting and carb-loading. While the idea of my New Year’s fit plan sounded so great that first Monday, somehow, by about the 15th, my awesome quinoa salad started to make me feel like I was going against the natural grain. I needed food that would make me full, happy and sleep like a baby.

Enter Le Chien Fumant. Newly opened by three talented and ambitious Montrealers who have experience in the realm of food and drink (Joe Beef, Distillerie), this charming 36-seat bistro on the corner of a residential street in the Plateau is the perfect refuge to indulge your winter cravings.

Long and narrow, Le Chien Fumant has lots of big windows and a fabulous view of the open kitchen from the prime seats at the bar. Hooks from the ceiling, like pots and pans, conveniently hang liquors and spirits, saving on space and allowing you a full view of the goods. The menu is written on a chalkboard and follows the market-fresh formula, changing daily and according to produce. From the back-to-back wooden tables and chairs to the checkered napkins, this place is casual and comfortable. Not to mention the house cocktails, which will warm you up faster than you can say Cuba.

We started our meal from the nightly selection of appetizers, including Chinatown-style squid, blue cheese and pear salad, mixed seafood salad and smoked herring ($10–$22). We went with the mousse de foie and the grilled octopus salad. The mousse was exceptional, made with chicken livers, and came with the perfect sweet balancing component for the savoury mousse: a mostarda made with figs, mustard seed and cubes of candied cedra, similar to quince. Served with thickly cut country bread, this generous slab quickly disappeared with very little effort. The octopus was fresh, tender and came on a bed of arugula with roasted red pepper, confit tomatoes, green olives, capers, pickled button mushrooms and olive oil. I love eating octopus when it’s done right, and this one had an amazing firm texture that you could sink your teeth into but then softly melted into a delicate, clean flavour. Complemented by the bitterness of the greens, my only complaint would be that the oil was a little heavy handed, weighing down the fragile leaves.

The mains included fried chicken, lasagne, salmon with mussels, ris de veau and our selections, a flat iron steak with dauphine, and lamb on a bed of lentils ($24–$32).

The flat iron steak, also known as the top blade, is a shoulder cut, nicely marbled and tender. Our request of medium rare proved to be on the medium side but was saved by the quality of the meat and the rich mushroom sauce ladled on top. The dauphine potatoes that accompanied the dish were a combination of mashed potatoes and choux pastry, a light fluffy mixture deep-fried to form something similar to a potato donut. Although I particularly enjoyed this French recipe that seeped up the steak sauce like a fried sponge, my dining companion found it much too rich and heavy for his liking. The lamb, also the shoulder, was a perfect example of why Quebec lamb is so good. Just on the edge of gamey, this juicy pink meat was lean and roasted with garlic, rosemary and thyme. Splayed on top of a bed of lentils, I can never resist a classic.

Everything about Le Chien Fumant is homey and hearty, exactly what you want from a winter splurge. The wine list is fair and chef Maksim Morin can also make awesome desserts. His chocolate cake, amongst other classics like pineapple upside down cake, is definitely worth a try, as well as the addition of Sunday brunch. If there is one thing I have to say about eating here, it’s bring your appetite—these dishes are big and these boys are just getting started.