Review From the Road: Le Smoking Vallée

Last weekend I was lucky enough to join one of my good friends for her birthday dinner at Le Smoking Vallée in Montreal. Not only was it a great celebration, the food and experience were pretty great as well. 

Happy Birthday Kristen!

Smoking Vallée is in the south west part of Montreal on Notre-Dame Ouest. I'm not even sure how I'd classify the food other than to say it's delicious. They give a sample menu on their website but the individual dishes change depending which ingredients are in season.

Cod with lobster bisque, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and morels ordered by the birthday girl

The atmosphere was great. Our reservation was for 9:00 on Saturday night and the place was packed. We were a large group and ended up sitting at a huge table with another small group at the end. It was actually nice to have some interaction with some of our fellow diners. The other factor influencing the atmosphere at this place is that it's a "bring your own" restaurant. They don't serve any alcohol so you're free to bring your own with you with no corkage fee to speak of. They'll open anything you need uncorked and they even provide ice buckets for your whites or bubbly. 

Asparagus risotto with crispy pork belly

By far, the most ordered dish at our table was the risotto with asparagus, cheddar, and crispy pork belly. That's what I had and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was most impressed that they were able to produce that many portions of perfectly cooked risotto at the same time.

We were all enjoying our wine and were in no hurry to leave so it only made sense to order some dessert. Honestly, I can't actually remember what the other dessert options were but the strawberry shortcake was delicious. The base was almost a cross between a biscuit and cake so it wasn't too sweet but had a great texture. The crushed meringue on the top made for a really nice contrast in texture. I really enjoyed it.
 

Strawberry shortcake with crushed meringue

If you find yourself planning to eat dinner in this part of Montreal, and you're looking for a lively spot, I would highly recommend checking out this restaurant. I don't think you'll be disappointed.