Kitchen Galerie Poisson: Old Port eatery doesn’t skimp on the seafood

From the outside, Kitchen Galerie Poisson doesn’t look like much – you might even miss it altogether on a stroll down Old Montreal’s Notre-Dame Street. But on the inside it’s a tasteful establishment with a contemporary-feeling design: chalkboard walls (where staff members update the different oysters and fishes available on a daily basis), an open kitchen, rough-hewn wooden tables, comfy leather chairs and exposed light bulbs which dangle from the ceiling on long cords. The effect is pleasant while keeping the focus on the food.

The restaurant specializes in seafood, and so seafood was the order of the day. Dishes sampled from the “petites fritures” appetizer section included fried calamari (chewy but not too chewy!), oyster beignets, and tempura shrimp (flavourful and juicy!). We also tried an octopus salad which featured baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and harissa hummus. The octopus bits were almost like little octopus steaks and their meaty smokiness worked well with the Moroccan flavours in the salad. Also stellar was a salmon tartar which was served with baguette chips and arugula to great effect.

While there were a few missteps (the tempura shrimp seemed to very loosely interpret the Japanese frying technique, the arugula salad was a little salty and the sauces for all the “petites fritures” seemed to be different mayonnaises), seafood in Montreal is largely lacklustre, and Kitchen Galerie Poisson really offers quality fish. Their daily oyster specials are reasonably priced and the oyster “aux bulles” is a decadent treat. A worthwhile venture for any seafood fan.

Kitchen Galerie Poisson
399, Notre-Dame W. | Square-Victoria Metro
kitchengaleriepoisson.com