Being a Montreal tourist, I discovered Hélicoptère on Eater's Essential 38 list for Montreal and boy did it deliver. The restaurant reminds me of a casual farm-to-fable spot that you'd find in Brooklyn, with a laid-back, comfortable dining room that is right up my alley. We were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and opted for the $55 CAD tasting menu. A relative steal to get 9 inventive and delicious small plates for $40 USD bucks. The masterminds in the kitchen really push the culinary envelope and show such skill and restraint in composing these incredible dishes. The true magic with all the plates is how restrained and not overly seasoned they are, something you might expect with so many different ingredients on the plate. There is such balance and harmony of flavors and textures, where the chefs purposefully highlight the quality of the product used in the various plates and really let them shine.
I posted a picture of the tasting menu for those of you who can read French, and I will do my best to describe what I remember eating. All 4 appetizer small plates come out at the same time, which was a welcomed surprise. It was fun tasting and experiencing four distinctly unique plates all at the same time. The standout star was the beef tartar, which was buried under house made chips and coarsely grated Parmesan. The raw beef was so wonderfully fresh, if tasted blindfolded you would have no idea it was beef. The tartar was soft and luscious, probably the best tartar we've ever had. The multi-colored beets and goat cheese dish was spectacular. The quality of these beets were insanely good, and cooked to perfection. My wife loves beets and said this was the best beet salad she's ever had. The calamari dish was so innovative, where the soft and supple calamari paired beautifully with the chili sauce and contrasting flavors from the fresh mint and fried onions. Genius! The mixed melons was a nice refreshing change of pace, with the fresh, sweet flavors complimenting the three other savory dishes. The truffle cavatelli was really, really good. Wonderfully executed and well balanced, not too rich like a lot of other light cream sauces. Truly a sublime dish. Their take on a merguez sausage and falafel were also so incredibly good. From beginning to end, this was a meal for the ages.
Service was top notch too, and they even remembered it was our anniversary and brought out a sparkler with our dessert. What a kind and thoughtful touch! The restaurant was packed so clearly the word is out on this fantastic restaurant, but if you're looking for a special meal at very affordable prices, come to Hélicoptère! read more