Pole Position Dining (Newtown)

Member Name: sarajackson

Product:	Newtown
Date:	03/11/03 (279 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cool trendy surroundings, Fantastic Food, Great Bar

Disadvantages: Need to book early for Grand Prix weekend!, Nothing, Nothing

Think of the concept of restaurants being owned by celebrities and it hardly conjures up an image of fine dining. Thoughts of Planet Hollywood spring to mind, with token celebrity figureheads who've probably never dined in any of their restaurants (apart from for the photo opportunities)! So it was intriguing what Jacques Villeneuve's restaurant in Montreal, Newtown, would be like and the signs were very promising. Maybe when Formula One stars branch out into the hospitality industry, they have more insight - Nigel Mansell has a quite well respected hotel and golf club in Devon, and David Coulthard's Columbus Hotel in Monaco seems to avoid being overly and prohibitively expensive, but still has those luxury touches that you imagine Formula One racing drivers would choose for themselves.

So, would Jacques Villeneuve's restaurant and bar concept in Montreal hit all the right buttons too? Our first impressions in 2002 certainly make us think so. Newtown is actually more than a restaurant - it is four different concepts on four different floors. The nightclub is in the basement, the lounge serving snacks and drinks is at street level, the main restaurant is on the first floor and on the top floor is a terrace serving drinks and snacks. Last year, about a year after it opened, we visited for a drink, and were totally blown away by the place. On Grand Prix Sunday the bar was heaving, intoxicatingly noisy with music and good times. The whole place was fashionable and popular, the place to be - in true North American style though this was an inclusive type of trendiness, not dependant on the right bank balance, status or appearance. Think Met Bar without the morons!!!! I tore myself away that night and we made a point of promising ourselves that next time (whenever that would be) we would go back to the restaurant this time.

Newtown is on Crescent Street, a busy street full of restaurants and bars. The rather traditional stone
façade of the building contrasts with the modern themes going on inside. A large central bar dominates the lounge, with seats near the large windows looking out over the street (if it's not too busy that you can get a seat that is!). Many of the restaurants on Crescent Street are on the casual side and some like the Hard Rock Café can hardly be described as challenging or upmarket dining options. Here Newtown is a breath of fresh air and just what the area needed. On Grand Prix weekend the whole street is pedestrianised with loads of Grand Prix related events going on and so it really is the place to be.

When we decided at the last minute to go to Canada this year, partly for the Grand Prix, we telephoned Newtown to make a reservation. This was only a month beforehand, so on Friday and Saturday nights, there weren't any tables available between 6 and 10pm. We contacted the Queen Elizabeth Hotel's Concierge, but they couldn't get us a table either, so they booked us a table for 8pm Sunday night instead. The restaurant told our Concierge that Jacques was dining there at 8pm too - we took this with a very large pinch of salt.

Newtown has a website (at www.newtown.ca) and although it's a pretty slow site, once you get onto the pages, it does set the scene and the menus certainly whetted our appetite.

The décor is very modern and up to date, with clean lines and subtle lighting and colours. A partition in the centre of the room contains displays of wine bottles, and gives an effective dividing line. The space is reminiscent of any high-end fashionable restaurant and perhaps reminded me more of fine dining in cosmopolitan restaurants in Europe. Despite its obvious trendy tendencies, the clientele was pleasantly mixed, ranging from well-dressed couples and businesspeople to corporate groups and race fans. Although the restaurant is owned partly by Jacques Villeneuve, there are (happily) no references to it in the
restaurant. I think some friends of ours last year expected (and were perhaps disappointed) that it would be a themed bar and restaurant (perhaps with racing memorabilia adorning the walls. Happily not!). The whole restaurant breathes style and quality.

As is most often the case, the waiting staff appeared a little stuffy to begin with, but as the evening went on the professionalism took over and we forgot that we ever found them aloof. Service was polite and discreet. After being seated we were politely told that the table would be needed by 10pm. This is the first time this has happened to us, but I felt glad that the restaurant was being up front about it. So many restaurants only allow you an hour and a half and then you only realise this when you're rushed to order or your courses follow on quickly. I appreciated them putting their cards on the table, and allowing us to be in control by deciding whether we wanted to order quickly and pace ourselves through the evening. Whichever way you looked at it, two hours for a meal in a popular and trendy restaurant such as this was atypically generous.

We ordered two cocktails. Although there wasn't a specific cocktail menu, we had decided what we would like so ordered a Gin Martini and a Cosmopolitan. The bar downstairs is a cool cocktail venue and so we were determined to try a couple while we were dining in the restaurant. Both cocktails were of normal size, and very good. The Cosmopolitan?s mix of flavours did not disappoint as it often does in less good cocktail venues, and the Martini was also superb. When we got the bill later on we would realise that the cocktails were less than $8 each - wow. This is probably the least we have ever paid for a cocktail anywhere - and for that quality - amazing. We perhaps rushed to order more than was absolutely necessary, but we did notice that people who ordered after us were served around the same time, so we didn't feel like w
e had hurried things on too much and compromised our enjoyment.

The menu is not particularly large but contains a very good mix of apparently well constructed dishes. There are modern as well as Oriental/Eastern twists to the menu, but it resists the temptation of trying to be all things to all people, and ends up being a very good high-class restaurant selection. For starter I ordered the Shrimp and Avocado Salad ($16) which sounded an extremely simple and attractive option, and knowing the high quality of Canadian seafood, one which I was looking forward to. My Husband opted for the Warm Goats Cheese and Fingerling Potatoes with Olive Oil and Sunflower Sprouts ($15). For main course I decided to try the intriguing Rock Cornish Hen with Herb Risotto ($29) and my husband was tempted by the Rack of Lamb with Spinach Cheddar Gratin Parmentier ($38). It is apparent from these prices that the costs were fairly representative of a good restaurant, and substantially better value than most modern restaurants of this type in the UK.

Having ordered quite promptly, I was a little worried that our starters would arrive before we had made much of an impression on our cocktails. Although our wine (a bottle of Robert Mondavi Californian Chardonnay costing $48) came quite quickly, and was poured before we had finished our drinks, you can't blame the waitress for assuming we were in a bit of a hurry! We waited probably an ideal amount of time before our starters arrived.

My starter was everything I had hoped. Its simplicity was its strongest quality combined with fresh good quality ingredients. The shrimps were plump and perfectly cooked, the avocado ripe and flavoursome. The accompanying dressing was a twist on the traditional Marie Rose, but of a thinner consistency. The creaminess with a slight tart quality was exactly what the dish needed, and I totally enjoyed the whole dish. Any reservations I may have had about the restaur
ant being more style than substance had evaporated.
My husband's baked goats cheese surprisingly came in breadcrumbs, but this in no way detracted from the dish or was a disappointment in the slightest. The fingerling potatoes that crop up on lots of Canadian menus were a pleasant and delicious accompaniment. At this point we were both pretty pleased we had made the effort to visit Newtown, and impressed by the atmosphere, surroundings and especially the food.

During our starters our cynicism was disproved, when Jacques Villeneuve and his party arrived at the restaurant. We were impressed and surprised that someone like Jacques would make such a low-key entrance, and a celebrity of less integrity would have insisted on some type of private dining instead of just sitting with everyone else in the restaurant. A few people obviously had noticed he was there, but everyone was mature and respectful enough that he was able to just be like anyone else. Also a restaurant of a lower quality may have been concentrating so much on its famous owner that the other diners could go jump, but at Newtown we felt that there was no difference in the service, and that we certainly weren't being ignored or neglected in the slightest.

We were left for another very well timed interval before our main courses arrived. It surely is the sign of the best restaurants that the timing is immaculate. My Rock Cornish Hen was a very pleasant experience, with the quality of the meat and the cooking spot-on. I wasn?t sure what to expect, not knowing exactly what 'Rock Cornish Hen' was, but it turned out to be a whole small bird, similar to a poussin. Not usually keen on the dark meat of poultry, I was bowled over by this dish. The highlight of the dish however, (not to detract from the poultry in any way) was the herb risotto. A good risotto cannot be beaten, and a fantastic one leaves you yearning for it weeks after. This risotto came into the
second category - perfectly moist, moreishly cheesy and delicious in every way. I wish I could get some flown over right now! The main course just served to reinforce my feelings about the restaurant getting things just right, as not only were the portions well-judged, not too big or too small, but the presentation was modern and uncluttered without being overly artistic. My husband's main course was similarly impressive, and he was more than a little surprised by the overall quality of the dish. He commented that this was more like the kind of dish you would expect from a top European restaurant, and I would agree that only the very best of Canadian restaurants (Canoe etc) come close to this quality.

Having enjoyed our starters and main courses immensely we could not find room for a dessert, which all appeared on the rich and substantial side. With food of this quality we didn't want to risk leaving feeling uncomfortably full. The total cost for the meal including a cocktail each, a bottle of wine, water, a starter and main course each plus tip totalled about $220 (just less than £100). This whichever way you look at it is amazing value. A similar standard of meal in Europe would cost up to double that, and so all in all there is nothing I can say to criticise the whole experience.

In the past we have had some difficulty finding a really good place to eat in Montreal. This year we did find a lovely (and amazingly well priced) restaurant in the Old Port (Restaurant du Vieux Port), but Newtown was the answer to all our prayers. It is definitely the best meal we have had in Montreal, and we would go back as a matter of course whenever we are in Montreal. Even compared to other fantastic meals we have had all over Canada, of which there have been plenty, Newtown holds its own. It has managed to pull off the seemingly impossible, a trendy popular venue, inclusive with a feeling of exclusivity, modern attractive surroundings and c
rucially the quality, presentation and style of food that doesn?t disappoint. Before we visited we read a few less than complimentary comments left on a website - this puzzled us then and baffles us now! I know the opening of the restaurant caused a bit of controversy amongst the francophones in Montreal (due to the anglicised name), and I guess there are a lot of people who want to think a restaurant owned by someone famous is rubbish. Comments were made saying that the prices were steep, but they were far from it, and again I think this is sour grapes among people who like to assume a rich person owning a restaurant must be ripping off all the customers.

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The future of the Canadian Grand Prix is still a little dubious, and so I feel really happy that we did make the last minute decision to go again this year. It would have been a real shame to have missed out on going to Newtown at that time of year and the whole weekend was memorable in lots of ways ( in particular see the review for the Queen Elizabeth Hotel!). However, regardless of your reasons for being in Montreal, Grand Prix or no Grand Prix, a visit to Newtown is a must and although I can?t guarantee you'll rub shoulders with its most famous owner, I'm pretty sure everything else will be well worth the visit. Not only has Jacques Villeneuve proved his talent on the track, where he will be sadly missed next year, he has shown that as a businessman and restaurant owner he has pulled off something pretty spectacular. All I can say is that if Jacques concentrates on his business venture, perhaps Formula One's loss may be the restaurant goers gain!

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