The menu at chef Antonin Mouseau-Rivard’s Le Mousso reads like surrealist haiku, with nominal descriptions such as “gluten/potato/hay,” “cucumber/chocolate” and “blood/apple/shallots.” Deciphering these minimalist descriptors offers maximal delight, requiring only an adventurous spirit and a big appetite.
Founded in 2015 by self-taught chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, scion of a famously creative family—his grandfather Jean-Paul Mousseau’s vibrant abstract paintings enliven the restaurant’s spare interior—Le Mousso has won the hearts of Montrealers with its fabulous seasonal tasting menus. Mousseau-Rivard and his team, now led by executive chef Massimo Piedimonte, never stop exploring and experimenting. Unusual flavour and texture combinations balanced to perfection, high-quality (mostly local) ingredients fancifully transformed, and exquisite, eye-catching plating designs are hallmarks. Take the lowly beet as an example.
When it appears on the menu, it might end up as cotton candy dusted in raspberry powder and wrapped around a dollop of foie gras. Or it might be dried, rehydrated and juiced with pineapple weed to accent grilled, koji-cured Muscovy duck. Or it might become a sweet crémeux made with fermented elderberries and served with buttermilk snow and burnt verbena wood oil. Such artistry and inventiveness are evident many times over at Le Mousso, but flavour is always at the forefront. Which is to say that restaurant’s innovation never strays from good taste—and we endorse that wholeheartedly.
Executive Director Duane Ellard of Canada Beef presents the award to chef Mousseau-Rivard
