Verses Restaurant, Montreal, Canada

One of the biggest issues with travel famils is the amount of food one eats. This is admittedly mostly self inflicted and could be stopped of course by judicious meal choices. And please do understand I'm not looking for any sympathy here, it's hard to complain when you're offered all of this fantastic food. But it doest mean that at times, you need to put the brakes on and eat like a socialite. That is me today.

We head downstairs to Versus restaurant in the Hotel Nelligan. I have a look at the menu and ask Mr NQN "Do you mind having foie gras again?" He's agreeable but as for me, I'm headed towards the salads and a glass of champagne.

_Foie gras au torchon $16

_

Mr NQN is  happy to see foie gras au torchon on the menu as he enjoyed it only the other night. Foe gras au torchon is when foie gras has been soaked in milk and then rolled in salt and sugar and then wrapped in cheesecloth and you do this very tightly (the "au torchon") and refrigerated for a few days. it is then sliced up and served with toast.

It is served with a  late harvest sticky and the waiter suggests that we take a bite of the foie gras with the candied fruit and then a sip of the wine. It's wonderful and the foie gras just melts away on the tongue.

The tomato, bocconcini and artichoke heart tart sits on a base of buttery pastry. It is light and full of lovely flavours.

I know, I know, $18 for a beef tartar, fries and salad in a top hotel restaurant! The thing we learn about Montreal is that the average wage is about $30,000 and they pay high rates of tax but a lot of services are included and people seem to live pretty good lives for the most part. So restaurant prices reflect the average wage here and are incredibly reasonable for the standard of food.

We both love the beef tartare which comes with a lovely kick of chilli, hand cut chips and a balsamic and olive oil salad of mixed greens. It comes with a tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Grilled salmon salad with marinated peppers with goats cheese vinagirette _ (part of $24 3 course menu)_

The large fillet of grilled salmon sits on an enormous bed of salad liberally dressed with a goat's cheese creamy dressing. The serving is huge, I can only finish about half of it but I don't know if the goat's cheese dressing really complements the salmon.

I know, I know, but I was on this damned socialite's diet wasn't I? It's very similar to the fruit salad that Mr NQN had that morning for breakfast.

They seem to like serving panna cotta in containers here  in Montreal rather that free standing wobbling and jiggly ones. This is a chocolate and coconut panna cotta topped with buttery sable crumbs. It's good although this is more coconut cream than toasted coconut which goes so well with chocolate.

I like to think I ate sensibly and like a socialite. Although I wonder if socialites also demolish half of their husband's dishes too?

So tell me Dear Reader, how often do you eat or live like a socialite?

Verses Restaurant

Hotel Nelligan

106, Saint-Paul Street West, Old Montreal (Quebec) Canada H2Y 1Z3

T. 514.788.2040