Located in the prestigious Place d’Armes Hotel in Old Montreal, this avant-garde restaurant offers up regional Quebec fare with innovative twists. Chef Éric Kopp creates magic with mostly locally grown ingredients and serves his masterpieces against the Aix backdrop of contemporary elegance. With its soothing earth tones, butter coloured half-moon banquettes, sleek tables, fresh flowers, and flickering gas lamps providing subtle lighting, it is the perfect place to discreetly impress colleagues, guests, or a special date.  

The cuisine is imaginative and earthy, with unusual flavour pairings that have won Aix wide acclaim. It is a true gastronomic experience from start to finish, as is evidenced from such entrées as the home smoked salmon and salicorne served with arctic char gravlax with fennel and smoked scallop with mango salsa starter or the quinoa with pan fried arugula, wild mushrooms, and goat cheese served with a red pepper coulis and balsamic reduction. Maritime main course offerings such as a pan-seared pickerel fillet with vegetables and cranberry sauce, or pan-seared cod served on red cabbage that features a parsnip puree together with a horseradish and lemongrass emulsion are just two more examples of the ingenious blending of ingredients for which Aix is renowned. If you want to stay on culinary dry land, Quebec’s Lower St-Lawrence region provides wild boar ribs, which Aix serves roasted with caramelized apple with bacon, chervil root puree and seasonal vegetables, while the Rimouski area supplies a bison filet mignon and osso bucco duo on a bed of honey roasted vegetables. The extensive menu features many other items showcasing the diverse bounty the province of Quebec has to offer, all stamped with Aix’s signature culinary creativity. 

While the establishment is definitely high-end, it is not inaccessible. Aix offers a daily lunch table d’hôte for $25—valet parking included! “Lunching in Old Montreal” and “affordable” are words not often seen in the same sentence, but it’s just one more of the unique pairings that Aix is proud to offer its clientele. A example of a table d’hôte combination might be: soup of the day; either a pineapple and rum ceviche with shrimp and scallops or a pear and blue cheese strudel with pear-mint salad as an appetizer; a main course of pan-seared red snapper served with parmesan risotto with vegetables, red wine sauce and artichokes, or butternut ravioli with cranberries and hazelnuts in a white sage butter sauce; followed by the dessert if the day or a cheese plate. It’s easy to see why Aix is the lunchtime restaurant of choice for Old Montreal locals, businesspeople, and visitors alike. 

The weekend brunch menu is as varied as the evening and lunch menus. From homemade muesli with yogurt and dried fruit to the eggs Romanoff on a brioche bun with smoked salmon, spinach, and hollandaise sauce, and from rustic French toast with Canadian maple syrup to the Aix platter featuring oysters, home-smoked salmon, shrimp, half-rock lobsters, and King Crab legs…there is something for everyone. 

Also exceptional for such a highbrow establishment—Aix gives back to the community from which it draws its menus: 5% of the revenue the restaurant receives from its brunch service goes to the Quebec Breakfast Club fund, which provides breakfast to thousands of underprivileged schoolchildren throughout Quebec daily.  

For a truly memorable dining experience, Aix is a solid choice. Oh…and in case you were wondering: it’s pronounced “eks”! As in Aix-ellent. 

711 Côte de la Place d’Armes

Old Montreal, QC

H2Y 2X6

Reservations recommended: 514.904.1201

www.aixcuisine.com 

Highlights:

Dinner menu “create your own table d’hôte”: For $48, all items marked with a star * on the menu can be used to create your own 3-course table d’hôte.

Brunch: Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

*The following package is only valid until April 30th so I would not mention it. Thanks!

Dinner / Overnight stay at Place d’Armes Hotel / Breakfast package: Package includes

• Accommodations for one night in one of Place d’Armes’ hotel rooms or suites
• Elaborate Continental breakfast
• Wine and Cheese Cocktail from 5pm to 7pm
• 3-course gastronomic dinner for two at Aix Cuisine du Terroir (service included)