Ãle de la Reunion! If you have any clue as to the whereabouts of this obscure island, then you are probably a Geography major because it seems only a handful of people in this city have even heard of it. J. Pierre Charpentier, the manager of Le Piton de Fournaise, decided that he was sick of the Montreal cold and went abroad and spent six years on this minute southern African island located in the Indian ocean off the east coast of Madagascar. From his tropical experience as a travel guide, he brought back the island atmosphere to the cold winter in Canada, and together with Chantel Matte (in a relationship that is “better than a wife or a husband” according to the two) began the legacy of the only restaurant in Montreal that serves traditional Creole cuisine in a combination of Indian, African and French flavors. Big enough to accommodate little more than 20 people at one time, this tiny hub has been sitting quietly on the corner of Ste. Hubert and Duluth since 1997. Upon entering this gem, one is instantly captivated by all the African artwork adorning the interior – masks, paintings, and postcards brought back by Charpentier that paint a portrait of a distant and colourful world. He has a predilection towards straw hats, which he thinks reflect a unique island culture; the walls are dazzling with various styles of straw hats. A few can even be seen modelled by some happy customers who have had a bit too much to drink. This African atmosphere is further intensified by the background chant of local African music.The menu, a mock-up of a travel pamphlet, introduces some information about the island, so that diners can entertain themselves with facts about the volcanic island while waiting for their food to arrive. Fact gleaned from the menu: Le Piton de Fournaise is in fact the tallest and most active volcano on the island with an altitude of 263 metres. Just last year, the volcano erupted five times and has been labelled the “one that never sleeps.” As the rest of my party slowly arrived with more vin to this BYOW establishment, we dined and drank to an opener of lima beans soaked in basil and olive oil. Most of us chose the testing menu, which includes two entrées, one main course, a dessert and coffee or tea. Each time one of us had a question about the item we were consuming, Charpentier came around and showed us the exotic vegetable. “I’ll let you smell something,” he muttered and came around five minutes later with a Kafir lime, which is used in the chicken, swordfish and red snapper dishes. While some of us were eating the tropical salad, he displayed the main ingredient, the crispy-textured chayotte, which is in the squash family. Although many dishes tasted and seemed rather ordinary, such as the water cress soup (it resembles a regular spinach soup) and the vegetarian dish (a mixed vegetable plate that you can easily reproduce in your own kitchen), their specialty seafood (octopus and shark) is not to be missed. I tasted all the platters around the table. The shrimp, pork, red snapper – with a dash of lemon grass aroma – and shark cari, despite being slightly too salty, were indeed true to the local’s exotic claim. The food certainly does have a discernable Indian/African touch, notably in the soft texture of the meat and rice and the eggplant/tomato/lemon dips that resemble those found in Indian restaurants. Unlike the traditional Réunion cuisine, the restaurant food, influenced by other cultures such as Indian, is more soft and slightly spicierAs for dessert, the chocolate cake with whipped cream on top, chocolate syrup and fruit on the side is appropriately named le Piton des Neiges, another volcanic peak on the island. When asked how this particular island sets itself apart from other Creole cultures, Charpentier replied, “in terms of food, it resembles that of Martinique very much, but each island culture is always unique. The people are different in the way they act. I used to have a Réunion chef, who acted very differently than the Martinique chef we have right now.”Charpentier and Matte haven’t returned to the island since Charpentier’s six-year sojourn, because airline tickets price out around $2,000, with itineraries hopping through various cities in the most circumlocuted way. In case you don’t have that kind of travel cash at your disposal, you can always experience a piece of the island right in the Plateau and even bring your own wine.
Scale of 10Food: 7Interior decor: 8Bathroom: 8Service: 8.5
www.restolepiton.com 835 rue Duluth EstMontreal, QC H2L 1B2514-526-3936
