A Table

Jul
07
2011

A Table – Nuevo Latino success yet again

The 411

Last year I had the pleasure of checking out Madre, which is one of the restaurants of Mario Navarette Jr, a chef who does Nuevo latino style of cooking. Madre was a hit and is one of my favourite brunch experiences so, when I heard that he had another place that did brunch by the name of A table, I needed to check it out. Situated on Fleury, in the Ahuntsic area, A Table is not in it the usual spots you would expect a cutting edge restaurant to be. Often we picture the Plateau, Mile End or Old Port but this location choice is quite interesting.

At 1st glance

When you walk up to A table you can easily miss it since the front does not scream out to you. It is setup with tables all the way to a partly open kitchen concept and a single washroom past that. They have a coat section so no need to put it behind your chair. The open kitchen looks nice if you are seated close by it and you can see the staff preparing the meals. The kitchen does not seem that enormous but the place itself seats only around 50 give or take a couple.

Food

The menu is a mix of classic breakfast aspects with a touch of fine dining and latin inspiration. Yes, I know it’s confusing but here is why it works. Let’s take the poached egg and caviar: you get poached eggs which is a breakfast dish then you add caviar which you would only find at a fine dining restaurant and then all this placed on a corn bread piece for support. The menu is one page but most people will be impressed with its quality. The menu items are:

Orange Juice: $3.50 (small) $4.50 (large)

Fruit cocktail: $4.50

Mimosa: $9.00

Wine: $7 (per glass)

Capucino or latté: $3.50

Smoked salmon: $14.25 (egg salad,aioli and tomatoes)

Poached egg and smoked salmon: $15.75 (potatoes Crepe & caviar)

Poached egg and chorizo infusion: $13.50

Bavette: $16.75 (Oeuf nmiroir roasted potatoes and aioli)

French toast: $11.75 (with maple syrup and yogourt)

French toast with apples and dark chocolate: $13.75

Crepe: $13 (carmelized bananas and bluberries)

Omelette:$13.50 (mushroom roasted patatees onions and sautéed tomatoes)

Sides

Soup with poached egg: $4.75

Sautéed Chorizo: $6.50

Roasted potatoes and aioli: $4.50

Before we even ordered they brought a bowl with some warm corn bread balls with a side of apple sauce and butter. This was a nice appetizer and it was also included in the price which, in my books, makes it taste better. It was a comforting dish and you could open up the corn bread balls and butter it right up. Also, the butter was the perfect consistency so it spreads easily (none of those frozen pieces that tear up your bread) and some apple sauce for that extra touch of sweetness.

For the main dishes I ordered the Poached egg and smoked salmon ($15.75). This dish is two poached eggs on top of some smoked salmon resting on a corn bread base with a side of vegetables and topped with caviar. This dish was pure genius as the eggs were perfectly done, the smoked salmon worked well, the corn bread base/pancake wasn’t too crispy but still did not get soggy and even the caviar was appreciated so as to give it that little extra bit for presentation.

My friends ordered the decadent French toast with apples and dark chocolate ($13.75). This dish was comprised of 2 very thick slices of French toast and is topped with warm apples and dark chocolate sauce. The chocolate was a touch bitter which worked wonderfully with the sweetness of the apples and the French toast. The bread was very tasty and generous. This mixed with the syrup made for an out of body experience. I think I was transported to heaven.

Service

Our service started off really well but then a large group showed up and we lost our waiter for a while. In fact, we waited a good bit to place our order but after that he was pretty good with checking in on us. The downside is that there was only one waiter for the entire place and when it’s full it can be busy. Besides that, he was polite and helpful especily when helping decide between two dishes.

Vegetarian

Most dishes are vegetarian friendly and if you can handle smoked salmon then your options increase a little more. The menu is in no way vegan and don’t expect anything really healthy..

Wrap up

Overall I was very happy to experience A Table and my impression with restaurants associated to Mario Navarette Jr got even better. If he has another place that does brunch, trust I will be there. I think people should check it out even if it is off the beaten path. The prices are not that bad once you consider that you get that bread at the beginning. In the end, you can have a foodie brunch for a great price.