MONTREAL – TAVERNE SQUARE DOMINION

My train was scheduled to arrive in Montreal at 9:30pm. The 4 ½ hour trip went by quickly with the help of onboard wi-fi (way to go Via) and The Fiance’s kindle. Since I hadn’t eaten since lunch in preparation for our late dinner reservation, the wi-fi also distracted from my stomach grumblings. While planning this weekend, I had asked a couple of Montreal food bloggers for their recommendations. Taverne Square Dominion was one that made the cut for being close to the train station, having rave reviews and still serving dinner at 10pm.

Atmosphere: While boasting a menu full of British classics, I found the decor of Taverne Dominion a mix of Parisian and English. Large wooden chandeliers that could’ve been picked out of a castle hung over cute bistro tables and big leather booths. Lighting was dim and the bar was full of couples sipping cocktails. I could see myself starting or ending a night in the same fashion.

Service: One feature I loved about restaurants in Montreal was that they all seemed to have coat racks/rooms. This was amazing and so helpful. At Taverne Dominion, there was one coat rack at the door and hooks spaced out along the walls in between tables. Once settled into our table, we were well attended to. Our server was efficient, professional and checked in on us unobtrusively the entire night.

Food: While I starved in transit, The Fiance was already in Montreal waiting for me. He spent the wait at a bar over a couple of pints but no food. So we were both ready to eat. I also ordered a Mint Julep, which was kind of like a boozy snow cone. At first sip, I didn’t love it but each subsequent sip was much better once the ice started melting and mixing in with the bourbon and syrup.

To start, we ordered the Scotch Egg and Bone Marrow. With a $15 price tag, I had high hopes for the scotch egg and they delivered. My camera also ran out at this point, so I have no photographic evidence of the perfect yolky goodness, but it was worth every penny. The fried crust was crispy, the sausage tender, flavourful and the yolk was liquid gold. Not to mention there was a generous dollop of creamy Swedish sauce. The platter of bone marrow was served with a stack of crostini, sea salt and brussel sprout salad. Both bones yielded a ton of fatty marrow. The bottom half could have been roasted a touch more. I won’t be able to understand any restaurant that serves only half a bone anymore.

For entrees, we split an order of Mussels with Fries and the Meat Ploughman’s Platter. The mussels were light, lots of rich natural flavour accented by the thick cut bacon. I polished off the bowl of fries and much of the mayonnaise. We mainly ordered the mussels because we spied the awesome looking fries on another table and it was an excellent decision. With the Ploughman’s platter, there was a pork rillette, cured duck and a sausage along with apple slices, cheddar cheese, a deviled egg, carrot sticks, celery sticks and whole raw red radishes. For condiments there was a beautiful fruit preserve and a strong dijon mustard. Of the three meets, I favoured the rillette while The Fiance loved the fatty duck. All of the vegetables were extra fresh and crispy but the radishes really threw us off. They were really big, and crunchy but radish alone has very little taste. We each ate one but left the rest.