text: as you wishnOld Montreal nnIf Hughes restaurants were women Garde would be a redlipped blonde wearing a Mackage leather jacket toting a Louis Vuitton Le Bremner would be the freshfaced brunette in skinny jeans holding a Chanel It is just how I see thingsnnIf the analogy was lost on youI will be more explicit Garde is a trendy loud and slightly chaotic hipster place while Bremner is more of a reclusive bistro with a classy but comfortable feel Both play groovy tunes Both have cute guys although Bremners staff had more personality which makes you want to stay a while and flirt a littlennIf you recall I did not LOVE Garde I liked hernnI LOVED Bremner Stop here if you wish but for you inquiring minds keep readingnnYes I saw Hughes That is right he works his line It was a nice surprise because I can count the number of times I have actually seen celebrity chefs in their restaurant working tasting and schmoozing Two Chuck was the secondnnBremner opened in July and it is still bustling Noteworthy mentions include the terrasse I took a quite peek during a bathroom break and it is gorgeous The cocktails mixology wonders not bar mixes were amazing Specifically the pampelmouse one or Ojuice if you will It was a balanced mix of vodka sake mint fresh grapefruit and some other stuff It was O good it was addictivennThe menu is divided into seven categories Chilled Items From Outside Bread Cheese From the Stovetop From the Broiler Vegetables and Dessert Order as you wish nnMy sister and I started with the kimchi snow crab because its reputation preceded our visit Now you should know that we are kimchi experts So we were both pleasantly surprised that this dish was not a wishywashy fusion concoction of pickled cabbage and spices calling itself kimchi The flavours were actually reminiscent of actual kimchi The dish was almost a perfect hit but for the rice crackercookie It was too big I think emphasis on think I know what Hughes was trying to replicate here a Korean dish called norengie Norengie is the rice crust at the bottom of a stone bowl pot If you add a little water or tea it releases the rice and you eat it My unsolicited advice to Hughes would be to make the cracker half the thickness because conceptually I agree that the delicate snow crab needs a chewycrunchy counterpart nnThe culinary adventure continued with lamb meatballs that were soft and meaty with rich flavoursnnThe spicy bass with edamame was a favourite It was delicate and deep that is the only way I can describe it There was so much going on in my mouth and it was all wonderfuln nAnother one of my favourites was grilled asparagus with poached egg There was a lot going on on this plate and I liked it Together it worked Separate not so sure It was a bit like a mishmash song on Glee unexpected harmonynnDinner however ended on a sad note Doughnuts were implicated I am aware I have a problem with doughnuts I am in the contemplation stage of seeking helpnnDue to my obsession with doughnuts you can only imagine how crushed I was to learn they sold out My poor sister I whined about it for a good ten minutes and pouted for another five Then after letting out le sigh of tout sighs I got over it and resolved to go back on my next visit nnBut listen HughesI live in Toronto If you stumble across this review and feel compelled to ship me some doughnuts why you would be the Wesley to my Buttercup