Restaurant: Au festin de Babette
Date: Sunday December 31st 2017
Table of: 2
For my last brunch of the year 2017, I chose Au festin de Babette. Going for brunch that morning was a very last minute and rushed decision. After doing a few searches and calling a couple places, we settled on Au festin de Babette because they were open, they weren’t full and they had eggs Benedict on their menu 🙂
I really liked the decor and the mismatched furniture of Au festin de Babette. Everything was very French and café-like. After making an obvious choice for my breakfast, I chose to order a hot chocolate, because there were just so many to choose from on the menu. In end the, I chose the Dalmatian hot chocolate, which contains both dark and white chocolates (we were advised that the white chocolate makes it sweeter). The hot chocolate was delicious; sweet but not too sweet, warm and full of goodness. Although it seemed quite watery and not very rich, you’ll feel full after drinking it all.
I ordered the eggs Benedict dish, which was huge! There was so much food that I couldn’t finish it all. The dish is called “Le Drolet” for the nearby street named Drolet and consists of: eggs Benedict over smoked salmon (I asked to have mine swapped for some ham), a gratin dauphinois, a mixed salad with balsamic vinaigrette, a crostini with bruschetta, a vegetable potage and a petit pot au chocolat. The eggs Benedict were very good, although a little cold. The gratin dauphinois was amazing; full of warm cheesy and potatoey goodness. The mixed salad added a refreshing and light touch to this heavy dish, but there were many pieces of soggy lettuce that’s no longer good to eat. The crostini with bruschetta was also good and tasted as expected. The flavours, seasoning and taste of the vegetable potage were amazing, but the whole thing was way watered down which didn’t make it very enjoyable. Lastly, the petit pot au chocolat was the perfect way to end the meal, with a rich, creamy and chocolatey dessert.
On his end, Alex ordered the Québécois brunch plate, which came with: poached eggs, fried sausage, baked beans, baguette, the vegetable potage, two mini pancakes with maple syrup and the petit pot au chocolate. As Alex is less of a complainer than I am, I heard no negative comments from his part, although he did agree with me that the soup was very watered down.
Overall, the meal was very good, filling and delicious, but with many minor setbacks (the salad, the soup and the coldness of the dish). I have my own criteria when it comes to reviewing restaurants, which I also use on my Instagram account (@elisebgravel). It’s very simple, there are only three points: the quality of the food (on 10), the price (from $ to $$$$$) and the following question: would I go back?
So, here is my review of Au festin de Babette:
Food: 8/10 (bonus points for the delicious gratin dauphinois)
Price: $$
Would I go back?: Yes, but it wouldn’t be one of my top choices, as there are many other brunch spots I’d also like to try out in Montreal
UP NEXT: my restaurant guest post for District Bagel (fresh bagels, brunch and more in TMR)
*All photos and opinions are mine
