Le Petit Moulinsart

Now closed.

Suis allé avec un groupe de travail pour souper un jeudi soir, une première fois. Belle sélection de bières belges et de moules apprêtées différemment; j’ai choisi celles «Lotus bleue» aux soya et gingembre. L’entrée de chèvre chaud aux tomates et basilic avait malheureusement prise un peu trop de place et je n’ai donc pas pu essayer la crème brulée qui devra attendre une prochaine fois! Personnel et service très avenant avec le sens de l’humour, ambiance européenne comme on trouve souvent à Montréal. J’y retournerai.
P. S. C’est pas moi qui payait… Aucune idée du prix de la facture!

I laways stop in when I’m in town for business. The beer selection is awesome! The staff knew about all the beers and gave great recommendations. I Have never had anything but the mussels but every selection I’ve had has been excellent.

Bonne table.
C’est le restaurant du fils de Jacques Brel.
Il y a une terrasse à l’interieur qui est très agréable les beaux jours.
A essayer: les riz de veaux poilés.

Really good! Nice staff, lovely mussels and fries; great beer and wine. Only one high chair, but that’s one more than all their neighbors.

We came here for refuge from a rain storm and we left with happy bellies!
Order the mussels. Nothing else. There are several versions to choose from! Just look at the chalkboard when you walk in to view the different flavors.
Each mussel was cooked to perfection. Soft, supple, flavorful, and a decent size. Not those little itty bitty ones you get sometimes. The broth was fabulous! Ask for extra bread for dipping of course!
The beer list is also something to write home about. The largest selection I have seen in a while! Very global!
The service lacked luster so ask for the check once your food arrives otherwise you could be sitting there a while before anyone checks on you again.

We first stopped into Le Petit Moulinsart for an afternoon beer after wandering. Sitting out in their little back courtyard is a very nice way to spend the heat of the afternoon. Especially with a good beer, which they certainly have plenty of.
We came back a few days later for dinner. Hearing about the mussels and how it is their thing, sounded like a good idea. And it was mostly. We decided to get the petite portion but of two different preparations, Moules Picaros and Belle Epoque. The Picaros was a big disappointment. In now shape or form where they spicy and I didn’t see any tomatoes, so I think we got the wrong thing. The mussels were fine, just a bit flavorless. But the Belle Eqoque were very good. Very complex and lovely. so hard to understand the complete miss with the other preparation. Frites are good as well as the salad that came with our two versions.
We tried the poached pear for dessert. Very odd. Not like any poached pear I’ve ever had and covered in chocolate. The chocolate was good, but the pear was a bit undervalued in this dish when it should sing.
Service was good. The beer is good. Basically 3 stars or maybe 3.5 mainly because of the the odd things with the picaros and the pear. I would probably go back for a beer, but probably not for dinner.

Visited this place with a few friends and one of them found it via Unilocal reviews. She said it was decently reviewed so she made reservations for 7 of us. We arrived 8 minutes late and I know this stuck on the restaurant staff’s minds.
We were seated in a nice outdoor area with stone walls. A picture of the outdoor seating area can be seen here. The restaurant wasn’t that full and it seemed like we caught the later half off their busier times. We were then greeted by a waitress in which we asked questions about their beer menu. My group is very friendly which is why it perplexes me on why her replies were very snobbish and it included multiple eye rollings. Yes, we were tourists from out of town and there were difficulties understanding the menu, but I’ve been to a few other countries and never had this kind of problem being from out of town. Questioning the menu here is not advised.
We ordered appetizers which were the escargot and the salmon tartar. Both were good but after the appetizers were done there was a half hour to one hour wait for our food to come out. We asked repeatedly when our food was coming out and they kept saying in a few minutes. Meanwhile, many guests that arrived later than us had their food before us. When we kept asking for when our food was ready, the staff’s attitude became worse. We then asked for the check and told them to forget the food because we already had enough with the wait and the treatment from the staff. The manager came out with no apologies stating that since we ordered appetizers it would take longer for our food to come out. Then she begins to say that since we made the reservation at 730 and arrived late, which we interrupted that wtf does that have to do with anything. Is their a punishment for service because that. And 8 minutes? Come on. We were tired of explanations so we just asked for the check, so she clapped her hands as if wiping her hands clear from out mess. That is poor attitude and treatment towards your customers. One of the waiters comes back and gives us our check and tells us that «don’t worry, I’ll be sleeping well tonight». Okay.
Thank you for showing me thee very worse dining experience I’ve had in my life. Not worth the gratuity fee they add on to the check. I would never go again here, obviously, nor would I recommend this place to anyone else. I would even advise walking on the opposite side of the street of this establishment.

Let’s start positive, I called only a week in advance & the garçon easily accommodated our group. The beer was excellent and appetizers were tasty (not to die for)! And so ends that one star that really should be a half star if it was an option. From the moment we asked questions, we did not receive the same warm welcome that others have Unilocaled. One of my nicest, most kind friend even wanted to leave well before the rest of us called it quits. This whole review is about what happens when service sucks beyond all reason. And worst off, they have to make sure we heard their reasoning with no sincere apology. I was ready to drop serious F* bombs but did not want to be stereotyped that typical American. But they sure portrayed themselves as the snobby, stereotypical Frenchies.
HOWEVER, I will say I had the absolute OPPOSITE experience at Au Pied De Cochon. The manager recognized me from 2 – 3 yrs ago, warmly treated our large group in spite of the busy crowd and came around several times to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. He also gave our table round of Irish Car Bombers; I jokingly complained I did not like that shot. So he dragged me to the bar & we had couple of vodka shots! Sooo if I can take 4 stars that I didn’t give to Petit MoulinA** & shoot it over to APDC, they well-​deserve 10 stars!!!
& to be sure the cool French folks can feel our pain, here’s the rest of my review in French… Tip of the Day — Do not go here! Plenty of other French-​friendly staff at AUPD, Jardin Nelson, Deux Gamins!
Le service était lent et absolument inexcusable! Que ce soit parce que nous étions Américains, les Asiatiques ou tout ce qui est sans raison d’être traité comme nous l’avons fait. Nous avons été plus que poli, né se fâchait jamais à l’heure actuelle nous sommes arrivés à 7:38 p (730p réservations) jusqu’à quand nous sommes partis à 09h27 p! La nourriture sentait bon que nous sommes sortis, mais le goût dans nos bouches aurait été horrible! Aucune des quatre personnes qui a parlé à nous a donné un véritable excuse. Le gestionnaire blâmé pour commander des appetizers avec nos entrees! Une jeune serveuse m’a regardé et s’est éloigné de notre table! Un autre serveur a dit qu’il a fait son travail et il sera toujours bien dormir. Je pense que comment peut-​il dormir quand il perd son emploi parce que les clients arrêtent de venir au restaurant?!
Astuce du jour — Né pas venir ici! Au lieu de visiter française personnel amical Au Pied de Cochon, Jardin Nelson, et Deux Gamins!

Stopped in here on a Monday night for my last night in Montréal. I had to have another Blache de Chambly before I left since it was so good! Well that and a few Cuba Libres (Havana Club of course) later, we shut the place down. The bartender was really friendly and we talked to him for a good hour. He was actually going to close the place but when we walked in he said he would stay open. Since we were the only patrons in the bar he let us try some liquors he recommended and gave us samples of this and that. It was that very personable serve that you often crave but can never get! The atmosphere is also homey, warm, inviting; like an Old World style pub. Loved it!

Service was decent. Our little one fell asleep on the walk there so they put us in a quiet space, just above the main floor. Would have liked to eat in the main room as the décor looked cool. Still, we had a room all to ourselves since it wasn’t too busy. The walls were decorated with Tin Tin. Fun.
Our server didn’t write our order down so in the end he came back to ask for our order again. From apps to entrees, everyone had to repeat. We weren’t even sure if he got the order right until the food started arriving!
Ordered the Snob. What a funny name for delicious mussels with mushrooms, herbs and wine. Hubby ordered some mussels Provencal but was really in love with my Snob. Bro ordered the mussels poulette (white wine, cream, mushrooms) but the cream was slightly too much. The frites were good –surprisingly better at than Steak Frites. Ate them up like we were little piggies. We wondered if they were fried in some special fat. Mmmm.
Can’t remember our apps but our group ordered an assortment of salad and I had the french onion soup which is in a large crock. Another Unilocaler has attached a photo. The soup wasn’t as rich and tasty as at Steak Frites, but there was much more soup served at Petit Moulinsart which makes up for it.
For dessert, they had a belgian waffle with chocolate sauce. Bro ordered that. The waffles are cute and petite, not ginormous like at a diner. I had the crème brûlée but wasn’t feeling it. It didn’t have that nice, thick sugar crust that I adore. Ended up scooping up the chocolate sauce from bro’s plate. It could have been Hershey’s –gawd, I hope not– but everything tastes better in Montréal for some reason. Hubby’s coworker ordered the profiteroles, which were fine. Hubby adores nougat so he opted for the frozen nougat. It was perfect– the right balance of sugar and egg, without being overly dense. Definitely go for the belgian waffle with chocolate sauce or frozen nougat for dessert.
Also, their menu notes that they have a kid menu available but not really. They’ll make anything you want from the regular menu for the little ones. We ordered a basic pasta with garlic and oil for the little one who woke prior to our dessert service. Our server didn’t miss a beat and her order was squeezed in. She was fine with the pasta but really loved their frites.

The other reviews for Le Petit Moulinsart were very helpful and accurate. We went for a light dinner of drinks and mussels. They were some of the best mussels I have had (tomato and tarragon). The inner courtyard was a pleasant respite from the light rain. My son have the Endive au Gratin, which was also excellent. Highly recommend!

The best part about Moulinsart is the beer list and how knowledgeable the staff is about their beer. They were out of stock of the beer I ordered, and the waiter recommended another option. I asked him if he knew the alcohol content of the beer, and he did. Off the top of his head.
Also, really, really good mussels. I have had the chef’s special with garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes and the gascogne with armangac and orange. Both are delicious.
The salad with poached eggs, bacon, potatoes, green beans and basalmic vinegar was both really unique and exceptionally fresh-​tasting.
On the other hand, the service was slow, especially at the beginning and end. It took maybe 15 minutes before we were even able to place a drink order and and equally long time before we got the check after we were finished.

Great beer selection. Mussels are not my favorite thing in general, but I’ve always enjoyed them at Belgian restaurants. These ones were mediocre though. The shrimp stuffed with goat cheese came with spaghetti for some reason, and was ok. The frozen nougat was probably authentic and interesting (first time I’d tried it).

Ordered the linguine with scallops in a basil oil. The basil oil was light and not overpowering and the scallops were nice and tender (not rubbery like some places). The terrace is the place to sit if you want a nice romantic spot. Overall a nice evening.

This is my guilty pleasure each time I am in Montréal. I usually go by myself and get a table for one. I don’t drink beer, but in this case I will order a nice Belgian ale that the server recommends along with the Moules Picaros (Mussels with Tomato and Spices). It is rich and heady with spices and I cannot help but dig in. The guilty pleasure is that after I eat all the mussels, I dump the golden frites into the soup that is as thick as gravy. Voila! Makeshift poutine. The gustatory pleasure continues with an order of the Scallops main. (Note that this is the special and not the one that appears on the menu.) So creamy and velvety and just melts in my mouth. Finally, I end the meal with Crème Brulee. After such a splendorous meal, I walk hazily along the cobbled steps of Old Montréal, taking in the sights and totally enfolded in the warmth of my wonderful meal. I cannot wait to go again.

Le Petit Moulinsart is a little place located in Vieux Montréal along Rue St Paul. In truth, we probably wouldn’t have stopped here except we were looking for a late dinner spot and this was one of the few places that looked promising. The name is derived from a Belgian comic strip, which features a château called Moulinsart. As you might guess, the restaurant specializes in Belgian fare, though me and my companions really couldn’t discern Belgian food from French food if our lives depended on it.
LPM is really known for their mussels, which are served steamed in a large variety of different broths. We tried 4 different mussel dishes and all were good, but two were excellent. However, because there are so many different flavors, I would recommend just trying anything that sounds good to you. If the flavors sound appealing, you will probably like the mussels.
They cook enough mussels here that they definitely know what they are doing. All of the mussels came out plump, tender, and juicy. Complimentary baguettes can be used to sop up the broth. Round off the meal with a nice salad, and you have healthy, delicious meal.
In my opinion, this place serves the second best mussels I ever had. The top prize still goes to Bertha’s in Fells Point, Baltimore.

La carte du midi est variée et raisonnable (autour de 15 $). Franchement, la cuisine était tout à fait correcte et goûteuse. Très bon rapport qualité-​prix. Les tables sont petites par contre et le service un peu lent.

Great Sangria!!!

Nice little Belgium restaurant with great Tintin decorations.
The mussels are very good, I had the Dijonnaise one and I highly recommended them if you like mustard!
The foie Gras was good, but a little expensive.
in Summary, I do recommend it, but a full portion of mussel will probably satisfy most appetites and you can save a little money by skipping the appetizers.

The guidebooks recommended Le Petit Moulinsart for their mussels. They come in numerous preparations, in petite and full portions. We opted for 1 regular and 1 petite portion, along with appetizers and an entrée.
The verdict: stick with the mussels and perhaps an appetizer. The escargots were fine– but little overcooked (read: tough & chewy) in a rich cheese sauce. The soupe a la onion gratinee was delicous and nicely seasoned. The mussels were cooked perfectly, though the version I chose with whisky and mushrooms was a little harsh-​tasting; the husband’s version with cream, mushroom, wine and herbs — much more traditional and delicate. The biggest disappointment was the sweetbreads — were uttlerly tasteless, topped with a soggy puffed pastry and accompanied by some bland vegetables. I had to ask for numerous slices of lemon to impart a bit of flavour to the dish.
The highlight of the evening was striking up a conversation with an architect who was eating late and dining alone. We broke the ice when a fly fell into her soup. She recommended we go to Bilboquet for ice cream.

You know how when you go to a Hot-​Dog joint, you’ll pay more for a toasted Hot-​Dog than you would for the tastier steamer? This is obvious because the toasted Hot-​Dog takes more time to prepare and more steps, hence why you pay that extra 40¢. EASY MATH right? So why would getting COLD Foie-​Gras with untoasted bread cost me 30% more than the pan-​seared (and also tastier in my opinion) Foie-​Gras served on pain-​perdu? This is one of the mysteries that confounded me when visiting with Le Petit Moulinsart this week-​end.
Don’t get me wrong, the Foie-​Gras with its prune compote and fruity bread accompaniment was foodgasm inducing, though I still prefer my Foie-​Gras seared boiling hot and with a tiny crunch on its edges. But why so expensive? This plate was a joke to prepare compared to my preferred preparation where you have to prepare a pain-​perdu (French toast) and then pan sear the foie-​gras. While here all you have is plating. The price factor left me hanging.
Then I had the Duck breast with raspberry and honey sauce was delectable but not unlike many duck-​breasts I’ve eaten in so many other restaurants. The duck fat on the breast alone makes it delicious. I rarely see restaurants that serve the more diverse tasting duck thigh, and with the bone properly presented make for very elegant platting, but this is simply my opinion. The side vegetables were unimpressive, because I’ve done steamed broccoli and cauliflower fleurettes at home, an effort from the chef would have made the dish more complete. But duck is duck and when well prepared it’s always delicious.
I sweetened my palate with their famous apple pie, prepare to order and it’s was an interesting mix of different apples but the aftertaste of liqueur added was a miss in this otherwise hit of a desert. I seriously didn’t know what else to choose from the desert menu, since it was replete with clichés, cheesecake, crème brulée, etc of which I tire. These deserts are fine and delicious but there comes a time to get out of the cliché factory.
And this restaurant claims to be a Belgian restaurant yet serves Onion Soup which despite its many variations is French in origin, so is Foie Gras. The menu offers many Tartar dishes which are polish in origin and to add to the confusion it offers a VEGETARIAN tartar which is completely ignoring what a Tartar is to begin with. So just how Belgian is this restaurant? The homage to Tintin from the name of the restaurant is noted but other than the décor makes no appearances in the menu.
Speaking of décor. Dressing up cheap rattan chairs with fake red velvet does not comfortable chairs make. I had trouble standing up because my legs had become numb. The service was bad, but wasn’t particularly good either, it was ordinary.
Vaguely original menu with subpar service in a dubious décor with and expensive check. 3 outta 5