text: This is an institution in Montreal in the french brasserie category in fact it is one of the oldest years The decor is great with it is high ceilings in a great french burgundy color and a long bar the front is all window which let us in a lot of natural light and provides a view onto St DenisnnThe service here is top notch very french so everything is quite smooth and attentive it does have a touch of the old school snobyness at times but generally speaking this is not a bad thing they are not condencending just quite correct and maybe too formalnnThe food is hit or miss for me I will simply tell you what I really liked on my last visitnOs a Moelle it is a little pricey but if you have never tried this do yourself a favor and start here the fish soup is also very good and has a nice balance of flavors on this last visit feb I sample the octopus which was boiled as per waiter which had me worried but I still ordered it it was very tender to the taste and served over lentils with onions and a vinegrette a big winner A goat cheese salad with endives followed and it was ok but nothing special then a steak tartare here we had a miss For me the texture seriously ground to a mash was so unappealing and the flavors were too mild barely anything other than capers at with a choice of fries or mashed this was the big let down nOn the other hand the wines are great they get all private imports which is ideal we samples a gigondas costing that was very appreciatednnI have in the past been here for breakfast which is rather limited but always good it is not for those looking for bang for you buck or to fill up but it is a very pleasant atmospherennThey have really long hours and are often opened until am so if your looking for some quality noche after hours this is a great alternative to crap food usually available at this time of night