La Table des Jardins Sauvages

We had an incredible dining experience last night, on par with Michelin-starred restaurants in New York. Our expectations were high after meeting master forager François Brouillard at the Jean-Talon market in Montreal five years ago, and this meal exceeded them. The five and seven course tasting menus were inventive, beautifully presented, and delicious. The ingredients, sourced locally in Quebec, highlighted the region's flavors, with some grown on site or foraged nearby. Chef Nancy Hinton's originality and technique showcased wild horseradish, edible flowers, local game, and extraordinary mushrooms. Service was impeccable, with both Nancy and François explaining each dish. This treasure of a restaurant, located about 50 minutes outside Montreal, is a must-visit for foodies. Reservations are required and you can bring your own wine. The menu changes frequently, so check the website before visiting. Don't miss out on this amazing dining experience.

Wow! The best culinary experience of our lives. Francois was such a great host, he takes the time to talk to you and explain what he does makes the entire night that much more interesting. The setting is great, right by the river so you hear the river running and Francois made a fire once it got dark so it was very relaxing.The food was out of this world.From the fried tomato and salad, to the mussel soup, and the pork and ham the best I’ve ever had).Discovering new and different local ingredients with all the delicious mushrooms they incorporate throughout the service makes this my new favorite restaurant. My wife and I will definitely go back, I am already looking forward to it. Thank you Francois for the evening and thank you chef for an impeccable and impressive menu.

I had been wanting to go to A La Table des Jardins Sauvages since hearing about it from a group who went there a few years ago and raved about it. You need to know what to expect. The setting of this country restaurant is rustic and simple. It attracts people who are interested in a five-course meal based on foraging. The excellent chef, Nancy Hinton, and her partner François Brouillard,a famous forager, clearly have integrity, skill, a love of nature, and a great knowledge of wild foods. There is only one seating, at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. (Some months it's open Fridays and Saturdays. And Les Jardins Sauvages offers only one fixed menu, a menu that changes according to what's in season. The variations are five courses or seven courses, regular or vegetarian. Our group included both vegetarians and non. We all enjoyed and admired every course and were intrigued by learning about the different wild ingredients from François who came to our table to offer explanations. It is worth the trouble to find this place, and people go there from far away. You can buy some of their products (derived from wild foods and made with artisanal methods before leaving; they make great gifts.

We visited this restaurant once again for one of their special themed 7-course dinners, this time featuring duck. Four different breeds of duck were showcased, with even the lemon meringue pie being made using duck eggs. Since we were a group of 8, we requested to be seated in a square setup so that everyone could easily converse with each other, and our request was happily accommodated. This showed their commitment to providing excellent service. The dishes were flavored with wild plants and herbs, adding a unique touch to the meal. Although it is a bit of a drive to get there, it is worth it for the delicious food. An added bonus is that the chef is willing to come to your table if asked, although it would be nice if she made the rounds to all tables. I am looking forward to visiting in the summer, as they have a lovely garden with a small stream and footbridge where guests can take a leisurely stroll and work up an appetite. Another perk is that it is a BYOB restaurant, making the dining experience even better.

This is a restaurant in a small village about 45 minutes drive from Montreal. Menus are changed monthly to suit what is growing wild in the area. The chef produces incredible flavours with leaves, berries, such as crinkleroot, sea asparagus, cattail spears, sweet grass. She uses these to produce a fixed 6 course menu which is outstanding. Each course is explained by the waitress using samples and or pictures of the things being used to season the dish. The restaurant is a BYOB which is even better. I particularly enjoyed the mussel and lobster mushroom soup which had sea parsley, bee balm, all flavours new to me for sure. I also liked the half quail which had a sauce of cloudberry and ginger. We were 6, and we all enjoyed the dinner immensely. I was particularly impressed because when I made the reservation I mentioned two items we did not want (due to allergies) and the waitress double checked these items with us before continuing with the order. It is a bit of a drive but totally worth it. I can’t wait for the November menu which will be featuring wild mushrooms all picked in the area. The rooms in the house are rustic but bright and cheerful, decorated with posters of herbs, mushrooms, etc. There is a garden and a small bridge over a brook, which I imagine will be nice in the summer. It is easy to find using a GPS.