We sampled Henri’s classy comfort food

Henri Saint-Henri. Photos by Barbara Pavone
 
Meet Henri Saint-Henri. He’s the new kid in town, as far as restaurants go, and you’ll want to be friends. Really good friends.

The latest addition to the ever-changing southwest neighbourhood, Henri opened its doors three weeks ago inside what used to be Légaré, a shop that lived out its last days long before young professionals and trendsetters started ruling the area. Located west of Atwater, far away from staples like Joe Beef and Burgundy Lion, it currently dominates the block it’s on, ensuring a packed house even on a rainy Sunday evening.

The brainchild of a group of seasoned restaurant industry vets, Henri’s focus lies heavily on Eastern Seaboard classics, which are intricately crafted and served up with refined twists, but (thankfully) zero pretension.

Outfitted with a plywood bar, lamps hung on steel pipes and brass accents, it embraces the industrial heritage of St-Henri without overdoing it. Ask one of the staff about the chalkboard map at the back and they’ll gladly counter with a challenge: Find Waldo. (I spotted him in less than 30 seconds — just sayin’! )

My dining partner and I scored a seat at one of the cozy window-side tables — this place is going to be a fabulous escape come winter — and began perusing the menu. We were admittedly surprised to discover that an English version isn’t available, but our waitress walked us through it. Although limited, it offers great choices for seafood lovers, but picky eaters and diehard meat enthusiasts may have a hard time deciding.

If you’re stopping by for a 5à7, look to the Eat and Drink portion of the menu, which is sure to hit the spot with a yummy cocktail and snack pairing ($15). Having come for dinner, however, I decided to opt for a full-blown meal, even if that meant skipping out on the ice cider cocktail and foie gras parfait combo, which had just temptingly been delivered to a nearby table.

Instead, I kicked things off with the seafood poutine. At Henri, the Québécois staple boasts a serious overhaul and is served with gooey smoked cheddar cheese cubes, mushrooms and a bisque foam. The depth of flavour delivers a major punch and the potatoes, well, they deserve big-time praise. Thick-cut and cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection, they had me seriously considering a second helping.

For the main course, I was torn between chicken and chowder and finally went for the latter. Topped with a seafood medley, including mussels, shrimp and bone marrow, the corn-based soup struck an ideal balance between chunky and creamy, but fell short when compared to the poutine. Meanwhile, the accompanying sandwich seemed repetitive and unnecessary, as it featured a seafood mix that was almost identical to that of the chowder, and pushed the portion size over the edge. There IS such a thing as too much shrimp.

To wrap up my Henri experience on a sweet note, I decided to give the dessert menu a try. It only featured three options and I soon settled on the Henri-lime pie, a twist on classic key-lime pie. Paired with a crispy coconut cookie, Ungava gin froth and candied basil leaves, it was the lime custard that stole the show, as it had just the right amount of acidity and was chilled to perfection. Interesting and unexpected yet harmonious, it was refreshing and a real highlight.

Overall, Henri’s ambience and dishes are certainly worth your while if you’re looking to try something new for a special occasion. Expect to pay around $100 for two three-course meals with no alcohol, but the portions are extremely generous, so be sure to bring a serious appetite. Otherwise, skip straight through to the main course and dessert or, alternatively, share a few of the appetizers, tapas style. That’s what I’ll do when I go back for Round 2.  ■
 
3734 Notre-Dame W., 514-303-0777