Jaunted

My little blue Knopf Mapguide for Montreal intrigued me with this listing:

The opening of a restaurant in Montreal by an Egyptian-Swiss-Greek gives new meaning to the idea of “fusion cuisine.” Seated on a swing or a comfortable seat, diners nibble tapas or order a hearty meal listening to a soundtrack of French chanson or house music. The result is merry confusion!

OK, swings? More than a tad gimmicky--but I had to check it out.

Confusion is a small storefront on Rue St. Denis, the happening street in Montreal. We climbed down some steps to enter the small, dimly lit interior. Luckily, we were seated at a table. The swings looked fun but I preferred to focus my attention on the task at hand--eating.

We enjoyed a couple of free drinks courtesy of coupons from RestoMontreal.ca while we debated what to order. I love tapas because I grow bored of a dish after a few bites. My husband doesn’t share food well, though, so it took some negotiating to arrive at our selections.

First to arrive were the soupe de poisson ($9) and the scallops in smoked vanilla sauce ($16). Ostensibly we were to share them, but I claimed the scallops and only gave up a sliver in exchange for a taste of the soup, classically French but with a Middle Eastern twist I couldn’t identify. (The waiter said the chef makes it with whatever is on hand.) Once I polished off the two perfectly seared petoncles I literally ran my finger around the dish to finish the sauce.

Next came the chèvre chaud ($11), not your usual French salad of hot goat cheese. It was served on rustic bread with fig preserves, drizzled with maple syrup in a nod to Canada. Then came the mushroom risotto with truffle oil ($12). Look, they had me at truffle oil. This was my third risotto since arriving in Quebec--and the first to be prepared correctly.

We were full by this point but couldn’t resist the tarte au sucre ($7.50), a sugar pie so painfully luscious I had to eat with my eyes closed.

I considered breaking my rule of never eating at the same place twice on a trip, just so I could come back and eat the exact same meal. But I decided to try their sister restaurant Vertige instead--and I've busied myself since coming home recreating the chèvre chaud and the scallops in vanilla sauce.

Related Stories:
· Confusion Tapas du Monde [Official Site]
· Could These Be Canada's Best Escargots? [Jaunted]
· Eating Quebec coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dana McMahan]