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| - A very charming little restaurant in the midst of Rue Saint-Denis. Somehow it worked out that two people ate dinner here for under $20! (Our boozey digestif was to be gotten elsewhere, though Mache, of course, also serves beer.)
The food we had here was exactly appropriate for our last night in Montreal - comforting, classic Quebecois. The "Le Spicy" pate-chinois ($11) is, for all intents and purposes, Shepherd's Pie. It came straight out of the oven with the ceramic still radiating heat. Under the mashed potato layer was ground beef and corn studded with tiny slices of merguez. Not the prettiest thing to look at, but delicious. The entire time you're eating, you're thinking: "yummy yummy in my tummy..."
We also had the "a l'effiloche de porc" poutine (pulled pork), which arrived hot and piled high in a steel bowl. This was on "happy hour" special for $7 instead of $9. Compared to our other poutine experiences, it was somewhat more conservative with the cheese curds and VERY liberal with the gravy - every fry down to the bottom was saturated. Somehow this dish stayed hot throughout its time being eaten - thank god because cold gravy is revolting. I might not run the risk of ordering it next time.
Given the nature of the food, the portion sizes are pretty random - a woman sitting near me also ordered a pate chinois and hers was practically rising out of her bowl. Another table nearby had an order of battered onion rings which looked amazing. (Apparently, filled with potato and meat, I still eye other people's food...)
Service was fine; the two waitresses on the floor were a bit short and frenzied because literally the entire restaurant ordered at the same time. We came at 6pm on a Saturday and just made it before the rush - during our meal, at least 8 parties were turned away because the tables were full. The dining room can probably sit no more than 45 people total (not including the 4 or 5 outdoor cafe tables). Reservations strongly recommended.
For such a tiny space, they have several large tables and are able (and willing) to accommodate large groups of up to 12. But make that reservation!
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