Le Mousso - Montreal, Quebec

I can't give anything less than 5 stars for food and service. The foie gras amuse bouche was the best thing I tasted all year... until the morel course which was just wow. The chef explained to my Celiac partner the modifications made before each dish and we hugely appreciated ... that attention to detail. The price point is high but you see exactly how it translates to the ingrediants selected. I'd prefer slightly higher salinity but it makes sense to keep it muted with these dishes. The only way to make the experience perfect would be to speed up service. We arrived at 6 for a 615 reservation and, had we stayed till the natural end of service, would have been sitting on bar stools for 4 hours. A long service is normal for tasting menus but 4 hours is really pushing most folks' endurance. If they could pull it into 3 hours, it would be perfect. Wine pairings were AMAZING and actually very well priced. More (white) wines from Quebec would be interesting. The non alcoholic juice pairing was less successful. Some of them simulated strongly flavored alcohol containing cocktails and wine. My partner ordered the juices because she doesn't like those flavors. Overall, best meal of the year so far and this Montreal trip has already been full of bangers. I've read a lot of the other reviews and they seem to be really taking into account the odd time when it's not just 5 stars omg! That kind of responsiveness should be praised. We'll be back!!! Read more

Delicious food beautifully presented. Set menu by the chef that changes according to the season and local produce. The chef presents each dish as well, very entertaining. Amazing wine pairing! Great experience. On the very pricier side. $$$$

One of the best culinary experiences I’ve ever had so far. I’ve been waiting to try this restaurant for about 2 years. 99% of the dishes were extremely amazing and well done. Also the wine pairing was pretty good. Every penny was worth the quality. If you’re looking for incredible ... and outstanding food, this is the right place to go. 100% recommended! Read more

What an incredible experience. This chef supports local / maritime agriculture all while providing an exceptional work environment. He is grateful to his team and has created favorable work for conditions. I absolutely loved learning about each dish and its ingredients. It was absolutely worth the money.

In short - I'd give it 3.5 stars. This is strongly influenced by the price point. My partner made our reservation kind of by accident. We didn't know anything about the restaurant prior to arriving, including is being a high end dining chef's tasting menu only. So we went in with ... no expectations, but we've had plenty of fine dining experiences before so we were down for the experience. I'm actually shocked we got a reservation only a couple hours prior to service. (To be clear the restaurant's website and Resy were very clear about their menu. My partner just didn't pay attention.) Where the Le Mousso shines is in service, ambience, and visuals of the food. Every dish was beautiful and must take a very high technical ability to pull off. While we don't speak French the staff gave us a full explanation of every dish from inspiration, to sourcing, to execution. A lot of thought goes into every dish and wining pairing, and the entire staff seem super passionate about their work. Stand out dishes including sea urchin, scallops, boar. However, I thought many of the dishes over promised. They couldn't totally live up to the hype. They might do themselves a service to tone down the build up to the actual food in my mouth. I would say 1/3 of the dishes were truly phenomenal. Some of the dishes were so delicate that they didn't leave an impression (gin cocktail, oysters), and the duck was a disappointment since I otherwise love duck. Also, because all 30 plates are prepared together and there is a somewhat lengthy introduction to each course some of the dishes lose heat. I must disclose that I really do not care for natural wine. I think they all taste like juice/cider and lack depth/complexity. The entire wine pairing was natural wine. I wish I had been told that before agreeing to it. I may have passed and saved myself some money. They did pair well with the dishes. But again, a lot of flowery descriptions for wine that can't live up to the hype. I was kind of shocked there was no alternative to wining pairing, or water. Read more