New restaurants will soon open in Quebec, despite the crisis

Despite last year’s “extreme difficulty”, restaurant owners are standing up to the pandemic and will open new restaurants in time for the summer.

Starting in June, health regulations permit, BO Cuisine d’Asie, located in front of Le Diamant Theater, should welcome its first customers.

The 98-seat restaurant, which has a terrace for 40 seats, is intended to be a “classy bistro” where Asian culture and local produce will be amalgamated, says executive chef Vincent Morin.

Thus, we will be able to sample Asian citrus fruits grown in greenhouses in Montreal, miso paste from North Hatley, as well as seaweed from Gaspé.

The chef adds that the menu, inspired by “Monsoon Asia”, or South and Southeast Asia, will include new types of Asian dishes, thus creating “a new kind of flavor”. Food, wine, sake or tea pairs will also be served.

It was Robert Liebag himself, the creator of the stage that hosts the restaurant, who wanted to open an Asian restaurant there, he said. He loves Asian culture. “He travels a lot and inspires him a lot for his work,” says Mr. Morin.

Samoser

Another restaurant, Le Clan, will open in mid-July, in the former Café de Paris building, on Avenue des Jardins, in Old Quebec.

For the partners, Yannick Barrient, the current owner of Bello, La Buche and Don Vegan restaurants, and his new partner, Stéphane Modat, the former chef at Château Frontenac, are “stars aligned” so they can go into business, even in a time of pandemic.

“I want to have fun, I want to have fun, without barriers,” says the chef. “It’s going to be like an orgy at the Palace of Versailles!” He says, to clarify the atmosphere that will prevail in his new institution.

A gourmet, but “unassuming” restaurant, Le Clan will serve local food in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, says Mr Parent.

To make up for the fact that “catering is going bad” in the midst of the health crisis, restaurants will also promote local products, in order to “give back to the farmers and producers in our area, which is a dear community to us,” says Mudat.

Archibald in Old Quebec

Also in June, Archibald will also enter Quartier Petit Champlain, the first of its kind in the ‘more tourism’ area. The new establishment, which represents an investment of more than a million dollars, will be located in the former building of the Spag & tini restaurant, in front of the ferry.

“Yes, she is bold [étant donné le contexte]. It’s a huge challenge, says Evan Waddell, assistant general manager of the Archibald de Sainte-Foy.

But these new ventures have their share of concerns, as with restaurants, first because of the epidemic that is not over yet, but especially with regard to the difficulty in finding employment. “As much as I am excited about this project, I feel nervous and tense,” says Mr Parent.

The story is the same for Mister Maureen, who is actively looking for 8-10 kitchen employees.

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