These past days have been a whirlwind, spent amongst wonderful celebrations, great friends, and {unfortunatedly} my bed. I’ve fallen a bit ill due to the unpredictable weather… but it’s time for a little update!

Since I’ve been a bit MIA I decided to make a different type of entry, let me know if you enjoy it in the comments below :)

If you follow me on FB or Twitter you probably know it was my birthday this past week, and my wonderful beau organized a lovely soirée at a charming little bistro in Outremont. The service was amazing impeccable, the staff did everything they could {and more!} to make it a memorable night. We had a tasting menu that consisted of 8 delicious and inventive courses. The servings were so generous, I could barely get to the last courses {too bad because they were the best in my opinion}!
The tasting menu was a wonderful medley of bistro surf and turf, with a smart and balanced Mexican character. The first two items to hit the table featured some of springs little treasures: salmon and cucumbers {Quebec cucumbers are in season now!}. One was a little amuse-bouche and the other was a salmon tartar.

Sorry for the dark, candlelit pictures

We had two lovely tartars that night: salmon and beef. The soft salmon was nicely paired with a crunchy cucumber coolie. But the beef tartar was phenomenal and quite original with a fresh burst of flavor thanks to the basil and green olives {sorry for not having a pic of the beef tartar, it was so good I ate it before I could take a pic}.

Afterwards, we had a mini fish taco with green tomatoes, the flavor was nice; however, I would’ve liked my tortilla a bit crispier.

The next course delivered that crunch. A croquette de morue en salsa verde {a nice  rendition to typical Mexican salsa verde with mint and cilantro–very refreshing!} My sister, who is by no means a cilantro lover, adored the sauce!

Then the surf… a mini lobster grilled cheese sandwich, buttery perfection. Personally, I would’ve liked bigger chunks of lobster, but maybe I’m just being greedy ;)
 The following two courses were my favorite! Duck magret served on a bed of white bean purée with chorizo- Need I say more?! Wow! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

Bavette and mashed potatoes (who doesn’t love meat and mash) with beautifully made chipotle sauce, and onion confit.

Finally, a crispy peanut-crusted arancini in a thick {not in the least bitter} tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella.

The standouts of that night {for me} were the two tartars, the magret de canard {pefectly cooked}, the bavette, and somewhere between the croquette and the buttery, lobster sandwich.

I hope you enjoyed this, let me know in the comments below!

I wanted to thank everyone who made that night possible and my dear & lovely friends who joined to celebrate, and you for reading!!