Le Slang Labo à Manger: A Shining Star in Monkland Village

Le Slang arrived on the Montreal restaurant scene just a year ago, and yet it’s already turning heads. The gourmet eatery opened up in the Monkland Village, in what is becoming quite the foodie go-to spot with other notable players livening up the street. If you haven’t tried Le Slang yet, you really need to go, and ASAP. It’s probably one of our favourite new restaurants, and there’s a few excellent reasons why.

Le Slang has a pretty big space with cozy tables spread around the room and comfy booths lining the walls. Some of the tables are grafitti-ed with chemical equations and molecular formulas, mirroring the theme of a food laboratory. And Le Slang does experiment with flavours, to the glee of our taste buds. Who else experiments? Brynley Leach, their expert mixologist, making incredible cocktails like their smoked Bloody Caesar with homemade candied smoked bacon. Try not to eat too much bacon before your meal. Actually, eat (and drink) up!

At the back of the restaurant lies the open-concept kitchen where you can see superhero co-head-chefs Giancarlo Martino (previously of Hostaria) and Carlo Amalfi (previously of Mercuri) working their magic. The duo gave the menu a delicious makeover this past January after having travelled across Europe to hone in their craft. With that kind of cooking experience, you can just imagine the culinary heaven that comes out of their kitchen.

Their pasta is always made in house – hello! drool-worthy! – with delightful combinations. A must-try: the agnolotti, filled with Quebec braised lamb, wild mushrooms, and spinach. The dish is earthy, meaty, and oh so delicious. You’ll want to sop up the incredible sauce with bread, your spoon, or your fingers.

Their lamb chops are out of this world, with grilled artichokes, smoked maple house mustard, celery root spicy remoulade, and mint gel. The meat is succulent and the mustard and dips complement it beautifully. Make your meal a surf ‘n turf with their expertly grilled octopus, with smoked tomato vinaigrette, capers, red onions, roasted chickpeas, and cucumber ketchup. The octopus is cooked perfectly (no chewy octopus here!) and the cucumber ketchup is ridiculous, in the best way possible.

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with their cannoli mille feuille served with espresso ice-cream (again, made in-house). Expect a lighter version of the cannoli that’s bursting with flavour. Is there anything they can’t do?

Catch the bunch at Le Slang for a huge brunch party bash once a month and on Thursdays for $1 oysters 5 à 7. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and revel in the kitchen mastery.

Photos courtesy of Le Slang (unless indicated otherwise)