The translation of the restaurant’s name Les Deux Singes is “Two Monkeys,” and the wall decor of the place wouldn’t let you forget it. My favorite thing about this restaurant was its charm.  I knew after picking it that it was going to be very fancy, so I assumed I would be walking into a large restaurant with white table clothes and dim lighting. What I encountered instead was a quaint European-styled cafe with wooden tables and white Christmas lights along the walls, leaving it looking much like a trattoria you might stumble upon in Florence, Italy. There was a small, L-shaped bar at the back of the room and behind it, the entire kitchen. I saw all of my ingredients being cut from their plants and cooked right in front of me. Everything was fresh and exquisitely delicious. To my liking, the menu did not contain a lot of options. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was one page, with the back dedicated to wines and cocktails. I love when nice restaurants do this because I prefer to have a few choices of dishes that compliment each other and are prepared to perfection than an overwhelming amount of meals that have nothing to do with each other and leave you disoriented, digging through 12 pages of sub-par appetizers and entrees like the Cheesecake Factory menu.

Every dish we ordered was plated really beautifully. For an appetizer, I chose the soup of the day which was a really yummy lobster soup that included black caviar and a little bit of spiciness. As my entree, I chose the Duo Duck BBQ Koreen, leg confit, and breast in a (white radish) and kimchee vinaigrette, served with a fried egg and salad. The presentation was gorgeous, and the flavor powerful and savory. I’m pretty known for being unable to finish big meat dishes, but I couldn’t help but shovel down every last bite of this one until I felt ready to pop.

My boyfriend ordered an appetizer that you won’t find online but was a scallop ceviche dish, served with kiwi, red quinoa, vegetables and a shaving of dried, smoked fish on top. He thought the acidity of the ceviche was very interesting paired with kiwi, as he had only ever had it served with more acidic fruit such as lemons and oranges, and because of that he really enjoyed it. For his entree, he got the filet of veal served with shallots, mushrooms, summer squash (my favorite), and an artichoke puree. He thought the meat was very tender and well marinated, while the veggies were cooked to perfection – for this guy, texture is everything, so he ate every last bite as well. It seemed that every table was given a complimentary chicken dumpling in a tangy red broth. We both thought it was very good and a nice touch on the service.

If you ever find yourself in Montreal and plan on spending a little extra money on a nice dinner, I definitely recommend this place. It was the perfect dinner to celebrate 5 years of love.