L' Atelier De Joel Robuchon | Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, Bars and Chefs.

MUCH HAS BEEN said in Quebec about the opening more than two years ago of this expensive restaurant inside the Montreal Casino.

The mysterious sum paid to Joël Robuchon to establish one of his ateliers in Montreal—the multiple-Michelin-star chef already had another dozen around the world, with similar black-and-red decor centred around a long bar at the edge of a vast open kitchen—was much discussed. As was the decision of casino overseer Loto-Québec not to ask a local culinary talent to take advantage of the prime location and direct access to the customer base. But what has not been said enough is just how precise and highly professional the food prepared by chef Eric Gonzalez’s team is.

This might be the closest thing to a classic French Michelin-starred restaurant we have in Canada. The menu is full of sophisticated Robuchon classics, sometimes with a Quebec-ingredient-forward touch: local foie gras au torchon, bison tartare with truffles, lacquered duck with maple sap, the famous Robuchon potato purée with loads of butter. The flavours are rich, and creativity is high but never disconcerting. One has to walk across the casino to get there but once you’re inside, you feel you’ve crossed over into another civilization.

Wednesday to Saturday: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.Sunday: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.