Do not rely entirely on the name Pastaga (the Marseille nickname given to pastis, the anis-flavoured alcoholic drink ubiquitous in the south of France). Pastaga does not intend to celebrate the cuisine of Provence. You won’t find pistou soup or bouillabaisse, nor aioli, nor anchovy paste. Instead, Pastaga celebrates the values of the famous pastis moment: warmth, friendship and sharing. Chef Martin Juneau presents a menu of several entry size courses: order a few and share with friends. This seems to be a trend in Montreal. Let’s call it: “the sophisticated tapa”.

First impressions count. The first thing I noticed when I walked into Pastaga was the design: layout, light, sound, textures, art. In terms of layout and atmosphere, I didn’t know whether to sit in the front room virtually empty or in the busiest middle room. The emptiness of the street-side, front room accentuated the cold elements: large window, mirror, aluminium Ikea lamps. Neither the lighting nor the warmth of wooden tables could compensate for it. Although, to be fair, Pastaga had only been opened for a few months. In contrast, at the opposite end of the restaurant, the state of the art kitchen and its red wall tiles was vibrant and buzzing with action. In the center, behind a separation of wooden bead curtains, was the middle section, with a shy buzz, more intimate. Problem was, the moss green walls and the too-low, large chairs upholstered in 90′s faux ostrich leather suggested the room had not received much attention. It reminded me of the before version of the program “Restaurant Makeover”. I found the middle room old-fashioned, uncared for, to sum it up: not the level of experience I expected, but not having reserved the kitchen, that’s where we sat.

To start, Pastaga suggests a selection of cocktails, most of which are based on pastis. I didn’t taste any as I associate pastis with summer holidays, family and barbecue. Drinking pastis in winter in Montreal is a bit like drinking a Gazpacho Andaluz under the rain. We skipped the cocktails and started directly with wine, in this case ‘natural wine’.

I’m still not totally convinced by natural wines. Neither my palate or my nose are accustomed yet. Having said that, I enjoyed the bottle of pinot noir les Riaux: a soft and balanced burgundy with red fruits aromas. We were not as lucky with the Santenay, which despite good flavours, had a bouquet similar to the smell of sulfur. At $12.50 glass, ouch! I am not giving up on natural wines but I will certainly be more careful in the future. To date, I’ve had as many negative as positive experiences.

Pastaga’s current menu is composed of ten savory dishes on one side and five desserts on the other. We started with a yellow pike with rapini and mashed butternut squash followed by Quebec beets with whipped cream cheese. The presentation was beautiful. The fish was cooked to perfection. The nuttiness of the butternut squash balanced the acidity of the rapini. While the beets were fresh and perfectly cooked, I found the dish a little easy and boring.

Some people would never taste black pudding because it is based on blood: their loss because in Pastaga it was just amazing. Served in a pie, it’s extremely appetizing. The crust and seasoning were perfect, the creamy mustard and apple mostarda, divine! I could have another serving of it right now.

Despite associating waffles with fairgrounds more than fine dining, I ordered the braised mushroom waffle. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise and a good match with the black pudding as the server recommended.

We finished with brown sugar lacquered porcelet (milk-fed young pork). The crispy coating gradually made way for the melting meat. All this accompanied by a parsnip pancake. Yum, a real moment of happiness.

On Twitter, there’s much praise for the desserts from pastry chef Isabelle Leroux. As we were celebrating a birthday, we were very much looking forward to trying. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. After the first two services, things decelerated until finally we felt completely abandoned by the wait staff in front of our empty plates. After a few calls for attention I asked for the bill. Disappointed, a little humiliated, we left without dessert.

In summary, the chef gave a lot of attention to the dishes. They were well presented, creative, succulent, even, in some cases. The black pudding was memorable. But I cannot separate the quality of food from its context which in my perspective includes very much both design and service. A trip to a restaurant is a sensorial experience at every level. At the price of two good concert tickets, Pastaga was not up to my expectations. It’s almost as if the spacious, dream kitchen had swallowed up the entire investment and the service, trying to be cool, just got too casual. I have faith Pastaga will pay attention to the details and that it will become successful as in the end, the core of the business, food, is very strong!

View Larger Map

Pastaga Restaurant & vins nature
6386 St. Laurent Blvd (corner Beaubien)
Montreal, H2S 3C3

Bookings on 438 381 6389