Q & A with Chef Ségué Lepage

Q. Tell us about Le Comptoir

A. Le Comptoir charcuteries et vins is a restaurant and wine bar serving affordable and amazing food, as well as house-made charcuteries. The menu is on a chalkboard and offerings follow what's in season. An open kitchen, that is the centerpiece of the room, allows people to watch everything be made. Simple food but thoughtful, with contrasts and textures.

Opened in September 2010, the restaurant seats 44 and is located in the trendy Mont Royal neighborhood in Montreal. An excellent selection of private-import natural wines is made every week by sommelier Jack Jacob.

Q. What would you recommend ordering for the full experience?

A. We start, of course, by the charcuterie platter, which is produced here and then you let it go according to your tastes.

Chef’s Recs | Montréal

Find | Food Purveyors

Birri & Frères

Installed at Jean Talon Market, Birri Brothers sell salad, sprouts, herbs and vegetables produced by themselves. An exceptional product providing the bests restaurants in town.

Lufa Farm

Hydroponic greenhouses on the roof top of a building, directly in the city of Montreal, producing vegetables all year round. It is possible to have a product that was picked in the last hour.

M. Bertrand

Produces fruits and vegetables on his land in St-Joseph-du-Lac. Exceptional products provided only to a few upscale restaurants in Montreal.

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Eat | Restaurants

Where I’d Take A Visiting Chef

Kazu

It’s a Japanese restaurant in the purest tradition of izakaya. Dish to order: the tuna belly.

Joe Beef

A small place decorated in the style of traditional English pubs with intelligent traditional English food. Order the lobster spaghetti.

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Off The Beaten Track Restaurants

Dépanneur Le Pick-Up

A little diner, Anglo-hipster-trash! Thing to eat: the veggie pulled “porc” -- to eat every day, again and again!

Wilensky's Light Lunch

Established since 1932, go for the food, only one option... the baloney sandwich. Without being transcendent, the place and the experience is worth it, because the locale has never changed! A throw back in time.

Au Pied de Cochon’s Cabane a Sucre (The Sugar Shack)

For a traditional Quebec experience with a "PiedDeCochonesque" approach!

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Eat | Pastries

Les 400 Coups

For a chance to eat the pastry of Patrice Demers, probably one of the best pastry chefs in Canada. An unforgettable experience for sure!

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Drink | Coffee

Café Névé

Located in a former bicycle repair shop in the Plateau Mont-Royal. The fauna is a mix of artists, young professionals and McGill college students. They serve one of the best coffees in town. They work with Metropolis and Mad Cap.

Pikolo Espresso

For its coffee, but especially for its New York style.

Café Olimpico

A true institution! It is usual to wait for your coffee for about twenty minutes... it says it all!

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Drink | Wine

Bar à Vin Pullman

The wine list of Veronique Dalle, one of the best sommeliers of Quebec. It’s by far one of the most beautiful in Montreal!

La Buvette Chez Simone 

A trendy Mile End bar with a nice wine list assembled by Djôsèf. Trendy bar ambiance with the quality of a wine bar.

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Drink | Cocktails

Big Bar

From Big in Japan restaurant. Fabulous decor, classic cocktails with a high accuracy.

Sardine Café

By far the best cocktails in town! The creativity and accuracy of David Schmith (co-owner) are limitless. He makes his own tonic ... that says it all!

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Details

Details of chef Ségué Lepage’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Montreal.

Recipes

- Porchetta di Testa

City Guides

- Montreal: Online | Download