text: Montreal is oversaturated with French bistros Seemingly hidden on every side street and kittycorner they should be approached with caution I generally pause to parse over the menus and maybe glance at the laminated reviews in the window as I walk by them No more than that Most are pricey and I would say they are not worth it but I have not eaten at enough of them to make that judgment But on my modest income limited budget if I ever bothered to sort one out and meager debtridden existence if I am going to go out and spend hardearned dollars on a meal it better be worth it There is nothing worse than a disappointing and expensive meal Okay there is a lot worse than a disappointing overpriced meal like cancer but you know what I mean nnThis brings me O Thym a bistro that stands out amid this cluttered market First things off the bat it is BYOW This already makes the price of a meal that much more reasonable since wine can tack on at least a dollar sign or two to any meal and who wants to eat at a French bistro without a bottle of wine It is like eating corn on the cob without butter And it is even better when you can bring two or three bottles and feel extra extravagant without paying forty bucks a bottle But yeah there are other French bistros that are BYO specifically on the Plateau which has about six of them that I can name off the top of my head so this plus has to be backed up by the food And this unassuming bistro off of de Maisonneuve in the Village is the best BYO bistro I have been to better than Au Petit Plateau Colombe and a few others I forget The decor is minimalist and tasteful it actually does not look like much from the outside could be a fancy sandwich joint with a daily menu chalked on a large blackboard Prices are fairly reasonable considering it is French and BYO something like to for main courses I had the best ostrich I have ever had in my life there Sure that may not say too much since I have only had ostrich a handful of times in my life but this one was cooked to absolute perfection Great food good unpretentious service and the bill only worked out to forty per person with an appetizer and main course including tax and tip