polari keaton ritchie
Food & Drink

Polari is a new intimate natural wine bar from Montreal wine authority Keaton Ritchie

by Clay Sandhu

The alumnus of Larrys/Lawrence and Vin Flor, and partners Émile Foucher and Asa Perlman, have soft-opened a new restaurant in Villeray.

Founded by partners Keaton Ritchie (of Vin Flor and ex-Lawrence/Larrys), Émile Foucher and Asa Perlman, Polari is Villeray’s newest and most exciting natural wine bar. 

Inspired by the Parisian cave à manger, service is counter style — meaning you order at the bar, open up a tab and everything is brought to the table. Reminiscent of the original Larrys, Polari’s room is intimate, with only eight bar seats and five communal tables.

To drink, the bar has a focus on natural wines from exciting producers, both local and international, along with a small selection of beers from Wills and a few sippable spirits. As one of Montreal’s most respected authorities on wine, Ritchie describes his list as, “Pretty personal because the thing that most excites me right now is serving great wines that are made by people I like.” Intention has gone into the non-alcoholic side of the beverage offerings as well, with unique non-alcoholic options like honey and sea salt soda from Prince Edward County’s Drinks Farm and drip coffee from Luna Coffee.

As for food, the philosophy is simple: quality products from quality producers. The menu, which is set to change regularly, hovers at around 10 items and includes things like seasonal cruditée, good tinned fish, bread from Hof Kelsten, charcuterie from Aliments Viens and a rotating selection of Quebec cheeses — including buffalo mozzarella from Maciocia in Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, served with olive oil from la Gazzetta in Lazio and some citrus zest (an hommage to Paris’s La Buvette). 

Located inside a former garage, the industrial-verging-on-raw space captures the bootstrapped nature of the project. With furniture sourced from Facebook marketplace, church bazaars and yard sales and art from friends Mégane Voghell and Joanna King, the trio built a space that’s genuine, welcoming and a reflection of two they are. “I’m pretty proud of this little room and the way it feels” says Ritchie. 

Still currently in soft-opening mode, the plans are to extend opening hours from Thursday through Monday. ■

Polari is a new intimate natural wine bar from Montreal wine authority Keaton Ritchie

For more on Polari (375A de Castelnau E.), please visit their website.

For more on the food and drink scene in Montreal, please visit the Food & Drink section.

Posted in Food & Drink

by Clay Sandhu

Food Editor
Clayton Sandhu is what you might call a tasteful glutton who happens to write about food. When not cooking in restaurant kitchens or pouring natural wines, he can be found eating well, drinking well and enjoying a leisurely lunch.