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| - I was staying at Le Westin Montréal, a lovely hotel in Vieux-Montréal, so I decided to pop into the hotel's restaurant, Gazette, for a quick bite. What a mistake that was.
As I was eating alone, I asked to be seated at the bar. I don't know who thought these particular bar stools were the right choice, since they were way too low with respect to the height of the bar, and I'm pretty tall. Pity the poor woman who was a few stools down from me (and quite a bit shorter from me), whose plate was barely below chin-level.
The rather disinterested bartender saw that I had put the menu aside, so he finally came over with nary a greeting, took my order, and off he went. I guess the bartender became even more disinterested when I only ordered a Pellegrino to drink, as I only saw him two more times - once when he delivered my sandwich and once again to hand me the check. I doubt we exchanged more than 20-ish words total. Everything took an exceedingly long time, as others have noted in their own reviews.
Let's dissect my order, a chicken club sandwich: One layer instead of the classic two, on a rustic bread that seems to have been toasted earlier today and was soft. Several slices of chicken breast that had just come out of the refrigerator and were ice-cold, not having any real flavor. Condiments served in small Heinz bottles, as if I had ordered room service. The only good thing in that sandwich was the smoked bacon, but it wasn't enough to carry the sandwich. I had a side Caesar that was sloppily plated, hanging out of the side of the bowl in places, and the dressing was just so-so.
If you're going to position yourself at a higher price point, everything needs to be done with care, but I just got a sense of general indifference from the staff and from looking at the plate put in front of me. Gazelle probably earns the honor of the worst Westin restaurant I've visited during my many years of travel, given the performance of the front and the back of the house on this particular occasion. I'd dissuade you from visiting yourself.
A much, much better option for breakfast or lunch if you're looking to stay 'on property' is steps away and attached to the hotel, namely Les Moulins La Fayette (http://tinyurl.com/les-moulins). I started my mornings here during my stay, and I highly recommend you do the same.
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