No. 20: Bouillon Bilk

1595 BOULEVARD SAINT-LAURENT, MONTREAL, QUEBEC
BOUILLONBILK.COM
514-845-1595

Located in one of the less glamorous parts of Saint-Laurent boulevard, Bouillon Bilk stands out amidst all the other Montreal restaurants catering to a hip, young downtown crowd.

The décor is modern and spare, mostly white with occasional accents of dark wood. The food here is serious and thoughtful. Expect novelty and refinement in dishes such quail, sweetbreads, salsify, endive and clementine, or sea bass, leek, celery root, potato, escargots, bone marrow and lemon confit. Chef François Nadon likes original and polished presentations.

Dining at the bar affords a good view of the semi-open kitchen. Professional but friendly waiters are good at making recommendations from both the menu and the short, but carefully selected wine list. Do not forget to try the bread, made on the premises. It’s so perfectly soft and crunchy that everyone wants to bring some home. So now they actually sell it to go.