Alex Besnard has gained notice as one of the most established and respected experts on restaurant development in Montreal. Back in 2021, he co-founded A5 Hospitality (https://www.a5hospitality.com/en/about/) in 2001 alongside partner Patrick Hétu.
Besnard had a few careers before founding A5 Hospitality, from going around with the hat at the age of three to collecting money after his parents did their street bustling acts as jugglers and acrobats to trading commodities for seven years and working the bars and restaurants to pay for university somewhere in the middle. This eclectic background laid the foundation for becoming a serial entrepreneur and today creator and operator of some of Montreal’s best-recognized brands in the food and beverage industry.
With 20 years of experience behind him, Besnard strives to innovate, always pushing forward. With his inscrutable creative eye and a dedication to collective and collaborative work, he and his team are leading the way in building immersive, story-telling brands—with no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
After studying criminology for two years at Université de Montréal, Hetu worked in various fields, including security, operations, and high-volume restaurant & bar management. In 2005, he invested all his savings to open a bar and create A5 Hospitality with Besnard. Always highly disciplined, Hetu was among Canada’s top 10 swimmers in 1992-93, and sports continue to be a major part of his life. He trains regularly for various triathlons, has so far completed two half-Ironman races, and is pursuing his goal of competing at an international level. Highly gifted in interpersonal relations, Hetu is directly involved in staff management. This intense and passionate businessman is proud of the efforts he’s invested in building a major food and beverage success story.
A5 Hospitality owns 15 restaurants, one of which is Jatoba on Frère-André Street, which is just a small extension of Blvd. Robert Bourassa. As Besnard told me, they had another place called Nomi next door. The decision to revamp the locale in terms and look and taste resulted in the recent debut of Phillips Bar.
Offering a casual chic ambiance and a Japanese menu featuring maki and hand rolls, prepared before the guests’ eyes. Chefs Antonio Park, Olivier Vigneault and S’Arto Chartier-Otis have combined their expertise and talent to create a menu inspired by the traditions of Japanese tableware. It includes dishes that they love to eat, such as melt-in-the-mouth baby back ribs, marinated and grilled chicken thighs, tartars, chicken skin and salmon chips & dips, not to mention a wide selection of maki and hand rolls. The hot dishes are served as Teishoku, consisting of a variety of refined and carefully matched preparations. Each item is designed to be enjoyed with Japanese rice, offering a harmonious balance of flavors and textures.
“It was essential for us to offer an affordable menu, without compromising on quality and the taste experience,” Vigneault said, emphasizing how it is less than $25 for maki and less than $40 for main courses.
The drinks menu is equally well-curated, with a selection of sakes, cocktails and privately imported wines.
A warm and friendly space
The mid-century decor features terracotta tones and a warm atmosphere. A large bookcase adorned with colorful decorative elements separates the mezzanine, which can accommodate 20 guests. On the ground floor, there are 80 seats and a bar with 22 seats.
The lower floor is reserved for private rooms, designed to accommodate groups and private events (10 to 24 people seated and up to 50 people for a cocktail dinner).
“The hand roll bar will be a sight to behold for customers, who will be able to watch the chefs in action as they prepare the hand rolls before their very eyes,” says General Manager Yuri Koshiyama-Chia, formerly of Ryu Griffintown.
Park, whose Westmount sushi restaurant carrying his name is a runaway success, was already part of Jatoba. He told me how thrilled he was to be part of the brand-new Phillips Bar. “I am so pleased with the reaction,” he said. “I have received hundreds of messages from people who have already tried it out. It is a fun spot.”
My dining partner and I had a delicious meal, starting off with some drinks and getting things started with two superb tartars – beef and bluefin tuna. The former came with some crispy rice chips, black garlic sauce, bitter baby peach with truffle, pickle, crispy shallot and grated egg yolk; the latter was accompanied by a bowl of chips for dipping, soy, wasabi, green apple, cucumber and kinome.
Next came a couple of handrolls, the sake aburi and the abi. The sake aburi features charmed salmon sweet soy, sesame seeds and mizuna; the ebi contains Nordic shrimp, spicy mayo, myoga and menegi.
Turning to the maki, we opted for the Hamachi and the red tuna kamikaze. The Hamachi has yellowtail, jalapeño, wasabi tobiko, green onion and tempura while the kamikaze includes bluefin tuna, spicy mayo, green onion and gold flakes.
Finally, we sampled from the hot menu. The Gindara is a perfectly prepared piece of black cod, marinated in miso, pickled ginger blossom and garlic snow pea leaves. It literally melts in your mouth. The Kinpaku is a seared AAA Angus striploin, with black cucumber pickled with cherry blossom, sesame salsify, black garlic jus, garlic chips and fresh wasabi.
Phillips Bar is a great place to satisfy a craving for fresh maki and hand rolls while enjoying a relaxed and accessible culinary experience. Here, people come to eat well, share and leave with a light heart and a full stomach. Opening hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 pm to 10 pm; and Thursday to Saturday, 5 pm to 11 pm. The address is: 1170 Pl. du Frère-André. Log on to www.phillipsbar.ca or call (514) 419-2650. There is valet parking for a fee.