Restaurant : Restaurant Sinclair & Terrasse Sinclair
Event: Turquoise Blog’s #ExperienceSinclair Foodies & Bloggers Dinner
Restaurant type: French, terrasse, sharing boards, $1 oysters and $8 cocktails on Thursdays, 5@7, seafood, weekend brunches
Prices: $8-$19 entrées, $13-$29 mains
Date: Thursday July 5th 2018
Table of: 6
My favorite dishes: the foie gras waffle + the squid ink lobster burger + the duck confit grilled cheese

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of hosting yet another Foodies & Bloggers Dinner, this time, at the beautiful and hidden Terrasse Sinclair, adjacent to Restaurant Sinclair and part of the Saint-Sulpice Hotel complex. The evening featured their Thursdays 5@7 specials, like $1 oysters, $8 cocktails and their beautiful and delicious sharing boards! Present this time around to #ExperienceSinclair, there was myself @elisebgravel, familiar faces Julie@julie_missjolie, Sarah @redlipstalk, Zineb @pluminaa, Sabrina @hangryinmtl and new foodie friend Sabrina @tinyfoodie!

First Course: Nuts, Olives, Oysters & Prosecco

To begin the 5@7 in style, we were treated to delicious prosecco, which was a tad sweet and a great hit amongst all attendees. While we waited for our oysters and for the evening to officially began, we got to try a mixture of olives with sliced roasted almonds and warm sautéed nuts with garlic and arugula. I don’t eat olives, but the girls said they were delicious and I really enjoyed the nut mix, with the arugula and garlic; very original and different! Next, we got to sample some delicious oysters, served with homemade raspberry vinegar mignonette. The oysters were perfectly sized, not too big and not too small and very fresh and refreshing on this very hot day!

Second Course: Sharing Boards of Entrées & Mojitos

The second service consisted of beautiful seafood sharing boards of entrées, which were all delicious. These sharing boards featured many different kinds of seafood, such as: octopus, calamari, tuna and crab and many different types of preparation methods: fried, grilled and raw. First up were the Crab cakes, which were delicious. They were nice and crispy on the outside, with lots of creamy, flaky crab on the inside. Next, the Fried calamari, which were scattered all over the board, were perfectly crispy. There was also some Grilled octopus with its vegetable purée and edamame, which was grilled to perfection and very tender. The Crab tartare and the Tuna tartare were two of my favorites; seasoned to perfection, asian style, which I love. Next was the Tuna tataki, which was good, but I found it a bit watery. Finally, there was some Smoked salmon which I don’t eat, but the other ladies said it was very good too. Overall, a sharing board full of delicious ocean goodies and enough for everyone to have some of everything!

After this delicious round of seafood sharing boards, we had a round of mojitos, part of the $8 5@7 cocktails special.

Third Course: Sharing Boards of Main Dishes

The third service consisted of sharing boards of mains and similarly to the entrées, featured many different proteins and preparation methods. First up was the Filet mignon, which was seasoned and cooked to perfection and covered in a delicious wine reduction. Next, were the Duck confit imperial rolls, which were very good but like last time, could have used some hoisin sauce to sweeten them up just a bit. Afterwards, one of my favorites from last time, the Foie gras & waffles which is absolutely divine. I’m not usually a big fan of foie gras but Le Sinclair’s foie gras is very good and even more so spread over some sweet Belgian waffles. Next, another favorite for me, the Squid ink lobster burger. I loved the squid ink bun, I found it very original and the burger itself was full of delicious and big chunks of tasty lobster. This was followed by another favorite of mine for the evening; the Duck confit grilled cheese. It was excellent, perfectly cheesy and full of delicious strips of confit duck. Next was the Lamb cutlets, which were seasoned nicely and grilled to perfection. And last but not least, some of that delicious seared Deer that I had last time, perfectly cooked and seasoned and covered in a wine reduction. Again, another amazing sharing board, full of many delicious things! The perfect way to discover and try a bunch of different foods! Of course, all of this was enjoyed with some fries, sweet potato fries and steamed vegetables.

Fourth Course: Homemade Desserts

Although we were full, we opted for a final round of food: desserts. This time, no sharing boards, but rather, individual homemade desserts for everyone which we ended up sharing. I got the Nougat ice cream, which was very good and creamy. Sometimes homemade ice cream can be a bit “chalky” and “dry” but this one was super smooth and creamy and full of delicious pieces of nougat. There was also a delicious chocolate and caramel tart, which I tried last time and loved. The tart itself was nice and buttery, covered in a layer of creamy caramel and then a dark chocolate ganache. What a treat! There was also the praline crème brûlée which I also tried last time and enjoyed more this time around. I like the twist that Le Sinclair puts on this dessert, as its not served in its typical white mould but rather, upside down in a plate. The cream itself was nice and thick and creamy, with a distinctive praline taste. I also enjoyed the trio of sorbet, which was perfect and very refreshing for this hot summer night on the terrasse! And, last but not least, I tried a sabayon for the first time, which is an Italian dessert made of whipped egg yolks, sugar and wine. I thought it was interesting, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Overall, we had an amazing time at Terrasse Sinclair, where we pretty much got to sample everything off their menu! I love the concept of sharing boards, even for mains, as it allows you to maximise your visit and try many different things. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to making this evening special, to my guests for attending and to Restaurant Sinclair & Terrasse Sinclair for the wonderful 5@7!

Part of the planning for this dinner also included the table decor and gift bags for my attendees. The floral arrangement was provided by San Remo Florist. The goodies which were provided for the attendees’ gift bags – basbousa and spicy brownies – were provided by Noha from @ladelisherie. And beautiful hand painted name cards were purchased from Rachel @keikirachy. Thank you all for your generous contributions!

Restaurant Sinclair & Terrasse Sinclair are the perfect place not only for their beautiful and relaxing terrasse, but also for their bottomless brunches, 5@7s, events, weddings, date nights and any other occasion you can think of. So, how will you #ExperienceSinclair ?

UP NEXT: My restaurant review of Pizzeria Moretti (Truffle mac n cheese to die for!)

*This restaurant post does not contain my usual restaurant review criteria of restaurants, as this is a sponsored post where I was invited to the restaurant as a guest.

*All photos and comments are mine