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The moment our Uber pulled up in front, it was clear that Montreal’s Mon Lapin in Petite Italie (Piccola Italia, if you prefer) was buzzing, evident from the lively patio activity on a warm September evening. Inside was the same energy and character, all carried off with a certain sprezzatura, I would say.

Mon Lapin might be referred to as a neighbourhood wine bar — and it absolutely has some interesting wines — but it’s more. The dining room, elegant and yet casual with suffused lighting, art work on the walls and an open kitchen with bar seating, was full: from tables of six or seven millennials (including an infant) to assorted two-tops of a wide age-range (one youthful pair, sadly, rarely looked up from their phones the entire night). Beside us were members of a small tech company from Toronto visiting Montreal for a conference; they spent much of the evening on their phones engaged in some sort of global multiplayer game, though they did have have some awareness of the quality of Mon Lapin. On the other side of us, a retired and well-heeled couple from Colorado who were passing through from Canada’s east coast: they told me that they absolutely loved their evening. I was happy to hear that.

A “Michelin-Recommended” restaurant, Mon Lapin, open since 2018, holds that distinction by virtue of high-quality ingredients and proper cookery, according to the inspectors who work for Mr. Bibendum. Their judgment when it comes to such a recommendation is, given the category, a kitchen that serves a “good meal” and food that is “above average” but not quite at the Michelin star level.

I beg to differ: I will say that, with the exception of a slightly underwhelming tuna crudo and Concord grape dish, the food on this night was star-worthy. (Having been to a starred restaurant in downtown Toronto, I can say — with certainty — Mon Lapin was superior.)

That level of execution is the work of co-chefs Jessica Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier, and team, along with the alumni history the restaurant shares with the inimitable Joe Beef. Importantly, Mon Lapin also ranks No. 2 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants.

The menu is one for not merely grazing and sharing but demands thoughtful and reflective savouring: a number of courses are what make the experience special. The simplicity of the marinated leeks, the lovely halibut, for example. A beef dish.

While the kitchen continuously changes these dishes, as a restaurant of this quality should, there is at least one consistent star of the menu that from all reports is something of a permanent fixture. And deservedly so: imagine the “Mr. Crunchy” sandwich called croque Monsieur but with a bivalve mollusk at its heart and you have Mon Lapin’s croque-pétoncle.

It’s inventive and delicious and seems unlikely — and at the same time it exudes a comfort-food grilled-sammie homey-ness, but elevated. A sort of compressed “cutlet” of minced and succulent scallop is nestled between gorgeous pain de mie slices grilled with beurre noisette, the morsel captures just about perfectly the blending of scallop flavour and soft and creamy texture against gentle crispiness.

While we finished the evening with a highlight of a small tasting of amaro and after-dinner sips, somehow, it was the little paper wrappers enveloping the perfectly tidy rectangular scallop sandwiches so casually, yet artfully, that made the most impact. They revealed the sprezzatura character that helps make Mon Lapin, as their cool t-shirt proclaims, “absolutely beautiful.”

Banner image/Dominique Lafond