L’inconnu: The fare of maritime whalers

Walk into the Montreal restaurant L’inconnu and you would think that you’re about to experience a swank French restaurant with small plates and little portions of light fare. Nothing would be further from what you’re about to experience here. This restaurant serves food fit for a hard-working habitant, a maritime whaler, a Klondike adventurer or a Hungarian peasant.

But the atmosphere is more subtle. Austere grey walls, a funky green wax bowl, hushed lighting emanating from light fixtures that look much like a keffiyeh, or the traditional Arab headdress that Lawrence of Arabia might have worn on his desert adventures in the 1920s.

We started with a butter squash soup served in a small glass. It was almost ridiculous trying to eat it with a spoon, so we breached the rules of etiquette and drank it straight. The hot bread served with chunks of melting cheddar left a sign of the hearty nature of the food to come.

The apex of the meal was in the starter. The roasted sweet bread and mushroom was exquisite. The only thing I can compare it to was tasting the equally heavenly whale steak at the 3 Frakkar Restaurant in Reykjavik, Iceland. Like the steak, the tender sweet bread – made from the thymus gland of beef, lamb or pork – melted in your mouth, with bursts of flavour spurting from the marinade and crispy mushrooms. The main course was a Quebec lamb trio consisting of a tender cutlet, a hearty cassoulet with spicy sausages and a small tourtière. While each course was rich and satisfying, there seemed to be missing some kind of parachute of lighter fare to calm the spirit. It was like playing a three-period hockey game without an intermission. No lack of intensity at L’inconnu. We know that now.    

L’inconnu
Address: 3807 rue St-Andre
Telephone: [514] 527 0880
City, Province: Montreal, Quebec
Web: http://www.linconnu.ca
Email: info@linconnu.ca
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday 17:30-23:00, Friday-Saturday 17:30-23:30, Sunday closed