Food review: Lawrence offers the same great taste in a new Mile End location

 
I’ll admit it, from the moment I walked through the door, I was inclined to like Lawrence. Strings of light bulbs run the length of the place, which is decorated with old wooden crates and tins, fuzzy paintings of raw meat and oysters that hang on the brick wall, and there’s the highest ratio of window-to-wall space in all of Montreal. Open since December, you might recognize the Lawrence team as the people who made Sparrow a brunch destination; but if you think Lawrence is just another brunch place, you are sorely mistaken.

Chef Marc Cohen explores the potential of “nose-to-tail” cooking, which means that he purchases entire animals, then uses the basement at Lawrence to butcher them for meals. The menus change every few days depending on what part of which animal is available. The night we visited, he seemed to have some rabbits and a pig or two on hand.

I had a pork chop with braised radicchio and mustard fruits, and my companion tried grey bream with roasted salsify, preserved lemons and kale. While the main courses were delicious, what neither of us could stop thinking about were the appetized (a squid, salicorne and parmesan salad with caramelized roasted cherry  tomatoes) and dessert (apple doughnuts with ice cream) we shared, both of which offered deceptively simple combinations that were perfectly prepared. The flavours are rich and hearty, the service is attentive and accomodating, and Lawrence is a gourmand’s dream come true.

Lawrence
5201, St-Laurent | Laurier Metro