Montreal has a new restaurant to make a big impression. Hiatus sits on the 45th and 46th floors of Place Ville Marie, where the observatory used to be. From July 27, normally, it is by tasting Japanese-inspired cuisine in a chic space that we can look down on the metropolis.
Yoann Therer has a good track record. The Quebecer was chef at the famous L’Abattoir restaurant in Vancouver, after working at Araxi (Whistler). Back in Montreal for a year and a half, he made a brief stint at Mousso. His right-hand man, Iari Prassi, spent time on Floating Island. Olivier Vigneault, from Jatoba, will take care of the raw fish. In the dining room, we reconnect with a few former employees of the defunct Pastel, including Alexandre Plourde as executive director and sommelier Olivier Butcher. To the well-crafted cocktails: Tim Robertson.
Hiatus is part of the A5 Group portfolio and will arguably be the most upscale offering from owners of Jatoba, Nomi, HÀ Vieux-Montréal and many other establishments.
Initially, Alexandre Besnard, Stéphane Pilon and the other members of the A5 team had thought of making a sushi restaurant, but the menu took another turn, still very inspired by the land of the Rising Sun, but without the rice. The plates are worked with an almost maniacal meticulousness, to delight the pupils as much as the taste buds.
The Sid Lee Architecture-designed room also celebrates that clean aesthetic that one might associate with Japan, but is actually inspired by the Public Hotel in New York. Light wood is everywhere. The walls and furniture of the Montreal studio Vaste are made of it. The dishes are the work of an excellent local ceramist, Makiko Hicher.
On one side of the 46th floor is the dining room. On the other, private rooms that can be used for professional meetings or groups wishing more privacy. The bar which overlooks the south is also of a certain splendor.
Hiatus is also on the 45th floor, which will be open at lunchtime for a quick experience, with an offer of bento boxes. The space, whose atmosphere is completely different, with its low ceilings and more subdued atmosphere, will be open for 5 to 7.
