Time Out Market opens in Montréal, bringing the best of the city under one roof

Time Out Market Montréal opened to the public on 14 November 2019. The highly anticipated food and cultural market brings the best of the city under one roof: there is food from 16 of Montréal’s most outstanding chefs and restaurateurs, exciting craft cocktails from top mixologists, culinary classes and cultural experiences—all based on editorial curation.

Spanning 40,000 sq ft, Time Out Market Montréal showcases the very best the city has to offer with its 16 eateries, demonstration kitchen, cooking school, three bars, cultural space and retail area. As the centrepiece of Centre Eaton de Montréal on Sainte-Catherine Street—a major downtown destination owned and managed by global real estate leader Ivanhoé Cambridge—Time Out Market introduces a new culinary and cultural destination into the heart of the city.

Time Out Market Montréal’s opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. with some eateries offering breakfast (from 9:00 a.m. on weekends); all other eateries open at 11:00 a.m. It closes Sunday to Wednesday at 9:00 p.m.and Thursday to Saturday at midnight (bar at midnight and eateries at 11:00 p.m.).

“Time Out Market Montréal brings a unique experience to the city—we are thrilled to welcome our guests to this fantastic space,” says Time Out Market CEO Didier Souillat. “We came to this city with a mission to bring the best of the city under one roof and we are incredibly proud that Montréal’s culinary who’s who accepted our invitation to join Time Out Market. This is a place where you get a true taste of the city. Every day of the week from morning to night you can choose from more than 100 fantastic dishes—each representing some of the best food Montréal has to offer. There really is something for everyone.

“Time Out Market is about exploring the different cuisines and cultural experiences, seeing the chefs and their teams cooking right before you; it is about enjoying the casual atmosphere at communal tables and spending time with family and friends. We are dedicated to democratizing fine dining—we are making fine dining casual, and casual extraordinary.”

Time Out Market Montréal’s curated mix: A lineup of top chefs and restaurateurs

To select Montréal’s best culinary talents, the local Time Out editorial team tested and tasted the city’s best food and then invited some of the very best chefs and restaurateurs to join Time Out Market. The result of this curation is a stellar lineup, offering an incredible range of local cuisine—served on fine china with flatware, and made affordable and accessible. Time Out Market Montréal features the following top chefs and restaurateurs:

World-renowned, local culinary giant Chef Normand Laprise brings his ingenious touch to Time Out Market Montréal with Burger T!

No celebration of local cuisine will ever be complete in Montreal without the innovative work of Chef Normand Laprise. Having championed the farm-to-table movement in Quebec with the 1993 opening of his fine dining establishment Toqué!, to his James Beard Award-winning cookbook Toqué!: Creators of a New Québec Gastronomy –Chef Laprise’s contribution to Montreal’s dining scene is legendary. Toqué! has also been a prolific training ground for fellow Time Out Market Montréal chefs such as Charles-Antoine Crête and Jeffrey Finkelstein. In 2010, Chef Laprise – with longtime Toqué! co-owner Christine Lamarche – expanded the Signé Toqué! family with the opening of Brasserie T! in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, where his savoury burgers are widely considered amongst the best in the city, and further with Beau Mont in 2019. In 2009, Chef Laprise was knighted into the National Order of Quebec, and in 2014 he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his single-handed and unmatched effect on the development of Quebec cuisine. Following the philosophy of the Signé Toqué! family of working exclusively with ingredients from local producers, Burger T! offers Time Out Market visitors gourmet sustainable burgers and homemade fries with the renowned chef’s twist.

Chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson offer the avant-garde dining of their flagship restaurant Montréal Plaza

Chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson have long been known for their boundless passion and creativity, and how they combine culinary eccentricity with technical skills. Their highly accomplished theatrical presentations and unique flavours – which they now bring to Time Out Market Montréal – have wowed Canadian and international diners alike time and time again. Since opening in 2015, their restaurant Montréal Plaza has been a consistent name on “Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants”, taking the 8th rank in 2019. Crête began his career working under legendary Quebec chef Normand Laprise who would become his long-time mentor at Toqué!, where he also met his future culinary partner, Cheryl Johnson. Together, Crête and Johnson went on to create Montréal Plaza, followed by their latest venture, Foodchain. Montréal Plaza is thrilled to introduce their accessible avant-garde cuisine to Time Out Market Montréal.

Chefs Claude Pelletier and Mélanie Blouin bring unparalleled meat and fish dishes to Time Out Market with Le Club Chasse et Pêche

Le Club Chasse et Pêche opened in 2004 and has since been wowing guests with its unique, intimate atmosphere and with its exquisite meat and fish dishes prepared with incredible levels of skill. The joint venture between designer and fellow Time Out Market Montréal restaurateur Bruno Braën (of Moleskine, Pullman, Big in Japan), co-owner Hubert Marsolais (of Le Serpent, Il Miglio, Le Filet) and chefs Claude Pelletier and Mélanie Blouin has seen consistent local and international success over the last fifteen years, regularly ranking in the city’s best of lists. As its name suggests, Le Club Chasse et Pêche’s menu highlights both local game and catch from the province, in unique and surprising ways that change weekly. The menu – created by Claude Pelletier and Mélanie Blouin – is meant to bring guests through a discovery of Quebec fine-dining cuisine and it is this kind of experience the team now also brings to Time Out Market with menu items like Braised piglet risotto, foie gras shavings or New school surf & turf: lobster & sweetbread.

Chef Paul Toussaint serves hearty and spicy Haitian cuisine

Born in Haiti and having moved to Canada when he was 19, Paul Toussaint embarked on his culinary career in Montréal, graduating from Collège LaSalle and later joining the Toqué! team as an apprentice in their revered kitchen. He spent several years in Haiti to help the community after the devastating earthquake and came back to Montréal in 2017 as chef of Agrikol. He is now dedicated to Haiti’s rich culinary and cultural heritage and his Carribean fare— full of the textures, flavours and spices of Haitian cuisine—has captured diners’ hearts and stomachs. Joining as a signature chef and trading under his own name, Time Out Market Montréal is a new stage for Paul Toussaint’s incredible talent: he takes diners on a voyage with a menu featuring his crackling griot with piquant pikliz, accra fritters or fall-off-the-bone pineapple-and-rum ribs.

Montréal Plaza Deli makes simplicity unforgettable at Time Out Market

The traditional deli gets a serious kick-start at the Montréal Plaza Deli at Time Out Market. This will be another spot at the market for chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson who also offer the avant-garde dining of their flagship restaurant Montréal Plaza—one of Canada’s most acclaimed restaurants—and Foodchain. With their deli concept, they take something as simple as an egg salad, minestrone soup or fried-pork-tenderloin sandwich and turn it into something unforgettable and satisfying with an unexpected array of techniques and flavours. Montréal Plaza Deli is like receiving a personal invitation to the home kitchen of a top chef!

Olive et Gourmando offers all-day breakfast, sandwiches and more

An unparalleled breakfast, brunch and lunch menu is what made Olive et Gourmando a much-loved Old Montréal fan favourite. Owners Dyan Solomon and Eric Girard trained at culinary institution Toqué! under the famous Chef Normand Laprise before creating Olive et Gourmando in 1997, and have since gone on to open the restaurant Foxy and aperitif bar Un Po’ Di Piu while maintaining the reputation of Olive et Gourmando. This is a cozy bakery and café where the owners’ fine dining expertise is combined with a casual atmosphere and homemade goods. After two decades the institution is more popular than ever, serving gooey paninis, refreshing chia bowls, satisfying coffees and more, drawing long lines of insatiable crowds. Now the team offers their outstanding sandwiches, breakfast and brunch foods at Time Out Market with a mouth-watering all-day breakfast menu.

Romados serve their famous Portuguese rotisserie chicken

Since 1994, Romados has been serving what many consider to be Montreal’s best Portuguese rotisserie chicken – one of the city’s most beloved dishes. Now father-son duo Fernando and Manny Machado, both the owners and chefs of Romados, bring to Time Out Market the rich history of Portuguese rotisserie dishes and baked goods both savory and sweet, including their scrumptious pasteis de nata. Also on the menu is one of Romados’ most popular recipes: chicken slathered in their signature bright orange piri piri sauce, served with a selection of delectable sides such as dressed greens, mouth-watering seasoned fries or a poutine. It is dishes like these that have garnered this restaurant’s lifelong fans amongst Montrealers and tourists alike, many of whom have Romados on their must-eat bucket lists in the city.

Restaurant Moleskine offers Neapolitan-style pizza at Time Out Market Montréal

Since opening in 2016 in downtown Montreal, Moleskine‘s downstairs pizza eatery and upstairs wood-fired menu have been consistently lauded by critics and loved by locals. A proud Montrealer since 1997, chef Fred St-Aubin studied Italian cuisine at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec and won the prestigious Toques Blanche Internationales contest in 1999. He then went on to perfect his craft in Europe, working at three-time Michelin- starred restaurant La Maison Troisgros amongst others. Now St-Aubin and Moleskine co-owners Catherine Bélanger and Bruno Braën bring their adventurous and delectable pizzas to Time Out Market. Fans of authentic Italian dining are able to taste the popular Marguerite, Américaine, and Salsiccia pizzas – all made with delicious fresh ingredients such as their specialty house sausage, stracciatella di bufala and fior di latte cheese, and boundless olive oil and tomato sauce.

Le Red Tiger serves the aromatic cuisine of Vietnam

Since opening in 2015, Le Red Tiger has been consistently surprising Montrealers with its traditional dishes, convivial atmosphere and simple yet flavourful menu inspired by the street cuisine of Southern Vietnam. Le Red Tiger is Vietnamese-Montrealer chef Phong Thach’s fourth venture in the city alongside business partners Dan Pham and the Lucky Belly Group, the successful team behind Kamehameha Snack-bar, Miss Wong, Le Golden Dragon and Le Blossom. Together, they bring the fun, excitement and most importantly the richly aromatic flavours of Southeast Asia to Time Out Market Montréal with Le Red Tiger Cantine Vietnamese. The menu features a variety of specialty dishes such as: delectable banh mi sandwiches, flavourful Bo tai chanh beef carpaccio, refreshing papaya salad, traditional Vietnamese soups and bowls – to name but a few.

With Il Miglio Chefs Claude Pelletier and Mélanie Blouin bring a concept to Time Out Market Montréal, focused on artisanal fresh pasta and beautifully simple Italian dishes

The brainchild of Chef Claude Pelletier – in collaboration with co-owners Giovanni Rasile, Michele Mercuri, and Hubert Marsolais – Il Miglio pays tribute to its famous neighbourhood namesake, the Mile End. Since its opening in 2017, the casual eatery has been a firm favourite among locals and much loved for its exquisite Italian cuisine, fresh antipasti and some of the city’s best pasta. The instant popularity of this Mile End staple led to the 2019 opening of Il Miglio Express in Old Montreal, providing busy workers with their midday pasta fix. 2019 has also seen Il Miglio – led by Chef Mélanie Blouin – coming to Time Out Market to offer beautifully simple, flavorful and mouth-watering Italian dishes like Veal meatballs, basil & tomato sauce or Campanelle mushrooms, truffle oil, jus.

Japanese counter experience Marusan joins with their savory ramen bowls, donburi and more

Since 2016, owner and chef Hideyuki Imaizumi has spearheaded a renewed interest in Japanese cuisine at his restaurant Marusan, where classic dishes are given a new life through bold flavours and textures. A minimalist counter offering quick take-out items at lunchtime that turns into a contemporary and intimate lounge at night, Marusan offers its guests not only unique dishes but an incomparable modern dining experience with bowls of savory ramen and donburi alongside elegant omakase services. At Time Out Market Montréal, Marusan’s chef Tetsuya Shimizu—who trained in Tokyo, Vancouver and Toronto before moving to Montréal to open his own Japanese restaurant and teaming up with Imaizumi—serves his casually cool and familiar dishes such as karaage Japanese curry rice, triple soup tonkotsu ramen and truffle oil onsen egg.

Foxy turn up the heat at Time Out Market Montréal with their delectable grilled cooking

After almost twenty years of serving delicious brunch and café treats at Olive et Gourmando, owners Dyan Solomon and Eric Girard ventured into evening dining in 2015 with the opening of their instantaneous hit, Foxy. Located on Notre-Dame Street West in Griffintown, Foxy offers dishes cooked on open fires. Menus here are expertly crafted by head chefs Leigh Roper (formerly of Vin Papillon and Joe Beef) and Vincent Russell (formerly of Le Comptoir), using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. At Time Out Market, Foxy serve up charred, grilled and comforting dishes paired with plenty of fresh produce. The menu features oysters served with burnt onion mignonette and house-made hot sauce; Foxy’s feta garnished with charred cara cara orange, roasted acorn squash, summer honey, and pumpkin seed chili oil; hand-rolled gnocchi with grilled oyster mushrooms, cacio di bosco cheese and brown butter; and many other flavourful treats.

Grumman ’78, restaurant and food truck sensation, brings its Mexican-fusion fare to Time Out Market

With a philosophy based around the joy of eating and sharing in laughter, Grumman ’78 is an establishment like no other, offering guests excellent gourmet dishes in a relaxed space. Co-owners Gaëlle Cerf and Hilary McGown, along with chef Sébastien Harrison-Cloutier, have created a unique eatery at the cutting edge of modern fine dining. Grumman ’78 first opened in 2011, solely serving meals from their now-famous food truck (the first ever local food truck in the city). A quickly increasing demand for their unique tacos pushed Cerf and McGown to open Grumman’s permanent space later that year, set in a converted garage in Montréal’s Saint-Henri neighbourhood. The menu represents an eclectic mix of their Mexican-inspired fare including the fan favourites of fish tacos, gobi halloumi tacos, their jicama salad, and an impeccable wine list sourced entirely through private imports. Winner of the prestigious Food Truck of the Year Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise award in 2019, Grumman ‘78’s delicious meals and welcoming atmosphere makes it a natural fit for Time Out Market Montréal.

Foodchain presents its plant-forward concept

Fine dining and fast food are no longer polar opposites on the culinary spectrum thanks to the ingenuity of chefs Charles-Antoine Crête, Cheryl Johnson and Jeffrey Finkelstein. Forming a partnership with co-owners Jean-François Saine and Zebulon Perron (famed Montréal architectural and interior designer), they launched Foodchain—a vegetable-based fast food counter. It took little time after launching for Montréal to get hooked on their take on healthy eating. What’s the twist? No lettuce or animal proteins are found on Foodchain’s menu and everything is chopped on the spot. Each item on the menu features a different combination of vegetables that are sliced and diced to best highlight each ingredient’s texture and flavour. Their salads also include herbs, crunchy seeds, and sharp dressings tailored to optimise flavour. The dishes are wonderfully paired with Jeffrey Finkelstein’s new creation “Magic Bread” (the genius pastry chef behind Hof Kelsten and Time Out Market Montréal’s Hof SuCrée)—a roll made with caramelised onions, cheese, herbs and spices. Montrealers can expect the ultimate veggie experience at Time Out Market Montréal’s Foodchain outpost.

Hof SuCrée—a new dessert concept brought to Time Out Market by famous Montréal bakery Hof Kelsten— satisfies every sweet tooth

Jeffrey Finkelstein and partner, pastry chef Suyin Wong, are expanding their range of sweet delicacies with Hof Sucrée. The duo originally behind famed Montréal bakery Hof Kelsten are reuniting to create a new dessert counter at Time Out Market Montréal. A local with exceptional global experience, Chef Finkelstein studied at the International Culinary Center in New York City and honed his skills at the three-starred Michelin kitchens of Per Se, French Laundry, elBulli, the two-starred Noma, and under iconic chef Normand Laprise at Toqué! in Montreal. Each of these experiences greatly influenced his culinary style but it was under world-renowned pastry chef Oriol Balaguer at his namesake confectionary boutique where Finkelstein first discovered his love of pastries. Today, Chef Finkelstein – commonly hailed as Montreal’s best baker – is known far and wide for his French essentials like croissants and baguettes, Italian panettone ciabattas, and Jewish challah and babkas. It is all masterful chemistry of sugar, flour and water at the hands of Finkelstein. Wong, formerly of Lumière in Vancouver and the head pastry chef at Maison Boulud in Montréal, adds an expert light touch to Jeff’s ingredients. At Time Out Market Montréal, they introduce HofSucrée to offer a mix of classic viennoiseries, signature desserts, and specially created baked goods.

Dalla Rose brings artisanal ice creams and ice cream sandwiches

2016 saw the opening of Dalla Rose—an ice cream parlour which has since become a much-loved hot (or rather cold) spot in the city. The Italian-Canadian owners Michael Dalla Libera and Nicholas Rosati met when working together at the restaurant Nora Gray. Nicholas—born in Vancouver—is a hospitality veteran who has worked in the food and wine industry in his hometown, Toronto and Montréal; Michael—a Montréal native—has spent over 15 years working in great restaurants across the city such as Maison Boulud, Nora Gray and Manitoba. Both are passionate about experimenting with local ingredients and putting their culinary experience into their hugely creative products. Dalla Rose’s inventive and unconventional flavours change with the seasons, using ingredients like Québec corn, locally grown berries and more. Just like at their popular spot in Saint-Henri, Time Out Market visitors are able to have a lick and snap a shot of their delicious handmade ice cream by the cone, cup or in a stuffed ice cream sandwich. There are permanent and seasonal flavours such as Sponge Toffee, Québec Strawberry, Coconut-Camerise and Québec Corn—in addition to gluten-free and vegan options.

Chef Laurent Godbout takes residence in the demonstration kitchen

Montrealers can give famed local chef Laurent Godbout a warm welcome home as he excitedly returns to the kitchen at Time Out Market Montréal after a year of travel and adventure. Formerly of Chez L’Épicier, chef Godbout helped spearhead the farm-to-table movement in Québec, serving up dishes from his youth in Lac Mégantic. Literally named “from the grocer,” the success of his flagship restaurant in Old Montreal, established in 2000 led Godbout and his wife to open their second location in Palm Beach, Florida in 2015. Bringing the flare of French Canadian cuisine to Floridians, some of Godbout’s most popular menu items are inspired from classic sugar shack experiences such as maple smoked salmon with poached egg, or maple-lacquered chicken drumsticks. Godbout has also published two books, ‘Laurent Godbout Chef at Chez L’Épicier’ and ‘Life’s a Cottage: Simple Laid Back Recipes for All Seasons’. Godbout won the Canadian Culinary Federation’s National Chef of the Year Award in 2006 and has represented Quebec in culinary competitions all over the world. At Time Out Market Montréal, Godbout’s talents will be on full display as guests can watch him prepare dishes from start-to-finish on stools right at the kitchen’s edge.

Ateliers & Saveurs hosts its culinary classes at Time Out Market Montréal’s Cooking School

Atelier & Saveurs, a cooking school like no other, is the first of its kind in North America to offer cooking workshops, mixology classes and wine tastings all in the same venue. Restaurateur and founder Arnaud Ferrand, and husband and wife duo Éric and Fanny Gauthier first opened the school in Old Montréal in 2008, creating a new way of sharing their passion for cooking and mixology with others. Now they offer their classes at Time Out Market Montréal’s Cooking School—a place where guests of all skill levels get to learn new recipes and discover the joy of cooking. Each workshop is given by passionate and seasoned professionals, eager to share their years of experience. Guests at Ateliers & Saveurs at Time Out Market are able to choose from a multitude of classes from $22 (which will include not only the cooking and learning from great chefs, but also enjoying the meals they have prepared) as well as wine tasting classes. Classes will be available to book several weeks before the market opens via the website of Ateliers & Saveurs: www.ateliersetsaveurs.com/en/branche/timeoutmarket

Signé Local brings its locally produced items to Time Out Market Montréal’s retail space

Founded in 2015 by entrepreneurs Vanessa Lachance and Maxime Tremblay to promote responsible consumption and buying locally, Signé Local is a store that offers a wide selection of quality products made by Québec artisans and entrepreneurs. The team now sells its wonderful range in the Time Out Market Montréal retail space and visitors are able to discover high-quality products made locally, such as local food items, decorative objects, clothing, beauty products and much more.

A beverage programme to complement the culinary experience

Time Out Market Montréal offers a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks and several counters serving beer, wine, spirits in addition to an unparalleled menu of craft cocktails featuring recipes from ten of the city’s best bars. Signature drinks include a swanky Martini Sauge from Pelicano (vodka and gin mixed with cucumber bitters and a sage leaf garnish to create a flavourful wallop); a refreshing and spicy Yuzu No Hana from Gokudo (mezcal and elderflower liqueur shaken with jalapeño slices, lemon juice and yuzu syrup); La Nostalgie from Coldroom (vodka punctuated with rhubarb liqueur, raspberry syrup and squeezed lemon, before being topped with a kombucha foam and a dusting of nutmeg); a MN Mai Tai from Le Mal Nécessaire (this playful take on the classic tiki drink comprises light and dark rum, falernum syrup, lemon and pineapple juices, and a splash of bitters); and a fruity Isla Mujeres from Le Royal (tequila and the Québecois spritz Les Îles is mixed with guava nectar, tamarind, citrus syrup and a bubbly splash of soda). Top bars El Pequeño, Le 132 Bar Vintage, Cordova, Perles & Paddock and Le 4E Mur have also contributed specialty cocktails to the bar at Time Out Market Montr& chef’s twist. eacute;al. Rounding out the menu are mocktails like the Zingi, smoothies like the Açaïa, a large selection of wines, an exclusive choice of natural and orange wines, and draft beers from four of the best local breweries in Québec: Dieu du Ciel, Archibald, Microbrasserie de Charlevoix and Pit Caribou.