While sifting through the 60 restaurants taking part in the 2025 Montréal en Lumière festival, I targeted Le Boulevardier for a dining experience. Located in downtown Montreal’s popular Le Germain Hotel on Mansfield downtown, this place is a gem.
Executive chef Florimond Hannoteau was joined in the kitchen for the 26th edition of The Montréal en Lumière by international culinary stars Mallory Gabsi and Amaury Bouhours.
Originally from the Belgian border region, Hannoteau was introduced to the culinary arts in the traditional brasseries of northern France. The emphasis has always been on market menus, highlighting regional products and favoring a geographically proximate sourcing approach. In 2018, he established himself in Montreal and put down his knives at the McGill Street restaurant Ikanos, where he was executive chef for three years. He took the next step in September 2021, accepting the position of Executive Chef at Hotel Monville and Hotel Gault. He joined the Académie Culinarians de France in early 2023 and is also a culinary advisor to the Chaîne des Rotisseurs. Since January 2024, he has been Executive Chef at Le Boulevardier.
Le Boulevardier is located on the second level of the hotel. It has a brasserie-inspired menu featuring fresh, local fare, with a French-influenced wine list and reinvented retro cocktails to round out the offering. With the restaurant’s unique view of President Kennedy Avenue, diners tend to linger longer. Flâneur Bar Lounge, located in the lobby, offers three great gourmet pleasures: coffee, bubbles, and oysters. Imagined by the Atelier Zébulon Perron design firm, the restaurant and bar are all about elegance and contrasts, boasting rich materials such as velvet, leather, and marble, as well as a skillful play of mirrors.
Hannoteau says that the lunch hour is particularly busy, with some regulars coming by up to three times a week. “Downtown offices are busy again and that has been good for us,” he notes. “There are a lot of them in our area.”
Watch my interview with Hannoteau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXphRPthkns
Le Boulevardier opened in 2019 and has indeed evolved into a destination dining establishment. “We are far more than a hotel restaurant,” boasts France Savard, Public Relations and Partnerships Advisor.
With 125 seats in the dining room and an additional 45 at the bar, Le Boulevardier has complete handicapped access. There is a ramp at street level and elevators that take you to the restaurant.
There were three of us on the Saturday evening night we dined out. The hotel and restaurant offer valet parking for a fee. Every seat in the house was filled on that night.
Our server Innis provided a nice overview of the menu, which contains a variety of appetizers, mains and of course desserts. The sommelier circulates throughout the dining room to share the extensive wine list.
We started off sharing 12 oysters, accompanied by three different sauces including my favorite mignonette. That was followed by two real treats: confit duck and foie gras cromesquis, with mushrooms and truffle cream; and filet mignon tartare, with poached quail egg, shitake, and gochujang.
A confit duck and foie gras cromesquis is a luxurious dish that combines rich, deep flavors and textures. The confit duck is tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful, with the slow-cooked duck leg nicely seasoned and rendered fat until it becomes melt-in-your-mouth soft.
Delicious filet mignon tartare is a dish that embodies a perfect balance of rich, tender beef and vibrant, fresh flavors. The filet mignon, known for its supreme tenderness, is finely chopped into small pieces, creating a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It was accompanied by crispy crostini, which provided a contrast in texture. We did not wish to see this serving end.
Moving on to the main courses, I took the chef’s recommendation and opted for the rack of lamb from Kamouraska, with Vitelotte, candied tomatoes, and roasted peppers. The lamb was absolutely perfectly cooked and cut like butter. I have honestly never enjoyed more tasty tomatoes and wow, this was the first time I had Vitelotte. This is a unique variety of potato with a striking purple color. It is not just a feast for the eyes, but also packs a punch in terms of nutrition and flavor.
The two others shared their main courses: a lobster risotto and a sirloin steak with truffle jus and potato and asparagus and fois gras.
A lobster risotto is a luxurious and creamy dish that combines the delicate sweetness of lobster with the rich, velvety texture of perfectly cooked risotto. The lobster meat was tender and succulent, contrasting beautifully with the creamy risotto, creating a satisfying and indulgent experience with every bite.
A sirloin steak with truffle jus is a dish that beautifully combines the rich, savory flavors of high-quality beef with the luxurious, earthy essence of truffles. The sirloin steak, cooked medium rare, was tender and juicy with a slightly caramelized crust from the searing. Its flavor was robust, with a satisfying meaty depth, seasoned simply with salt and pepper to let the natural taste shine.
The truffle jus is a decadent, aromatic sauce made from a blend of rich beef stock, truffle oil, or finely shaved truffles, and often a hint of wine or cream. The jus has a velvety texture, with the truffle imparting a sophisticated, earthy note that complemented the steak’s umami. It enhanced the steak’s flavor profile, adding an indulgent, slightly fragrant complexity that elevated the entire dish. The combination of the savory, tender beef and the luxurious truffle just created a perfectly balanced, indulgent experience.
We did save some room for dessert: the vanilla and caramel millefeuille with vanilla ice cream and the hazelnut and maple moelleux, with chocolate cream, mushroom crumble ice cream and Coureur des Bois caramel.
Opened in 1999, the hotel used to be the former headquarters of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, constructed during one of the metropolis’ most iconic years: 1967. It is this landmark birth year, a year of excitement and optimism in Montreal, that inspired the architectural firm Lemay Michaud in its transformation of the premises. Featuring curved lines and molded plastic juxtaposed with softer accents of wood, the hotel invites guests to discover a design that is brilliantly inspired by the sixties, yet with a decidedly modern flair.
Le Boulevardier is located at 2050, Mansfield. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can call 514 985-6072 or log on to www.leboulevardierrestaurant.com