QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES — Downtown Montreal has a new destination for upscale Caribbean food with Kamúy now open at the centre of Place-des-Arts. The restaurant is helmed by chef-owner Paul Toussaint, who made his name at Village Haitian spot Agrikol (he also has his own counter in downtown food hall Time Out Market, open since late 2019). Kamúy takes over the space of Portuguese restaurant Taverne F, alongside the Place-des-Arts complex on Jeanne-Mance Street, and a prime location for the summer festival crowds (except for this summer, naturally).
Toussaint is branching out from the Haitian dishes he has focused on in the past to an island-hopping pan-Caribbean approach; expect an array of spicy smoked or barbecued meat options (from jerk chicken to beefy Colombian lomo al trapo), and smaller plates like jicama “carpaccio” and accras (cod fritters); tropical cocktails with rum, tequila, and mezcal also feature prominently.
Kamúy is open at 1485 Jeanne-Mance from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
HOCHELAGA — The owners of north-side sandwich hot spot Dépanneur Le Pick Up and now-closed bar Alexandraplatz have thrown open the doors on a new project on Ontario East, near Joliette metro. Named Resto-Bar Le Pick Up, it’s a little fancier than the diner-esque approach of the original, although some of the sandwiches (pulled pork, anybody?) still figure onto the menu. New additions include a fried chicken sandwich (or the fried cauliflower vegetarian counterpart), shrimp tacos, and melon salad, as well as picnic box options, craft brews, and natural wine. Take note: it’s only offering takeout for the moment.
Resto-Bar Le Pick Up is open at 3739 Ontario East from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.
ST-HENRI — The owners of exceedingly popular St-Henri brunch-and-lunch haunt Arthurs have a new fried chicken pop-up to share with the Sud-Ouest. Bucky Rooster’s is now open close by Place-St-Henri metro (owners Raegen Steinberg and Alex Cohen still plan to open another restaurant, Evalina’s, in the space, but have put that project on hold due to the pandemic). No-fuss fried pieces of bird are the focus, available in buckets or sandwiches, with an array of sauces. For sweets, expect American-style sweet pie, all made on-site. It’s takeout only for now — orders must be made in-person.
Bucky Rooster’s is open at 3981 Notre-Dame West from 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesday to Monday this week (August 26 to 31); future hours TBA.
CITÉ-DU-MULTIMÉDIA — A chic new café-wine bar, Gabrielle, has landed in between Old Montreal and Griffintown (in the in-between slice known as Cité-du-Multimédia). With a bright, tiled interior, it’ll serve up pastries from Hof Kelsten and coffee in the breakfast hours, with a lunch menu featuring bright, fresh dishes such as beet-halloumi or burrata-tomato salads, from chef Samuel Sauvé-Lamonthe (ex-Laurie Raphäel, Renoir), one of a team of four owners. An evening menu from ex-Hoogan et Beaufort chef Alexis Yale-Soulière then centres around fresh pasta and locally-sourced sous-vide meat options.
Gabrielle is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
- Kamúy : le nouveau délicieux restaurant caribéen de Paul Toussaint [Tastet]
- Grab fried chicken picnics and pork belly sandos at this new takeout & terrasse spot in Hochelaga [Time Out]
- Un nouveau resto à poulet frit casse la baraque dans Saint-Henri! [Nightlife]
- Gabrielle: un nouveau café, bistro et épicerie dans le Vieux-Montréal [Silo57]