Mtl à Table 2025: BYOB at Les Cabotins

I used to get asked a lot what the best Apportez votre vin restaurant (BYOB) in Montreal was and I’d wrinkle my nose and keep quiet, but now I have a better, less snooty answer: Les Cabotins in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is definitely a fun one with good value for money.

Les Cabotins is described on the MTL à Table restaurant as “A bold Bring-Your-Own-Wine (BYOW), relaxed atmosphere, eclectic staff…”

That pretty much sums it up. Add mismatched tables and chairs, socks for napkins and kitsch decor and not just the staff is eclectic.

The menu from chefs Alice Préfontaine, Léonard Leclerc, Loïc Salaün-Dahl for the MTL à Table event was basically the same as the regular menu, but you got a couple more dishes for the $50:

First service (1 choice)

1. Vegetable Gyozas with ginger and sesame oil, served with tamari and rice vinegar sauce
2. Country-Style Pâté
3. Avocado and Organic Salmon Gravlax Toast, seed cracker, gin-infused shrimp and pinapple

Second service (1 choice)

1. Homemade Vegetarian White Pudding, served with oyster mushrooms in oil and Cabotins spices
2. Carignan Lamb Alouette: thin lamb escalope stuffed with minced lamb, wrapped in lamb bacon, and braised in a lamb jus
3. Gaspé Lobster, Cardinale sauce, grilled artichoke heart with olive oil

Third service (1 choice)

1. Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille
2. Honey-Glazed Vegetables
3. Bell Pepper stuffed with vegetable gratin
4. Salad of the Day

Fourth service (1 choice)

1. Spaghetti squash with camelina oil, and crispy squash gnocchi topped with legume sauce
2. Marieville Wagyu Osso Buco-style Braised Beef, egg noodles (gluten), gremolata
3. Tuna Tartare, medley of vegetables, bell pepper puree and rice chips

Fifth service (1 choice)

1. Chocolate Torte, fruit coulis
2. Caramelized Pear and Carrot Cake with Orange Liqueur and Star Anise (Vegan)
3. Cinderella cheesecake

I’d called the restaurant in advance to make sure I’d have a few choices and was told I would. Even the gratin was fair game, I was told, though I remained skeptical.

When I got to the restaurant, I asked again and they checked with the kitchen on what I could have that didn’t contain gluten, dairy, oats, pork, beef, coconut or caffeine. This line of questioning slowed down getting our bottle of wine open, but with no corkage fee, we weren’t complaining.

I went for the gravlax (with GF toast), the minced lamb in lamb bacon (which I only found out would be coming without the potato puree underneath when it arrived at the table), the ratatouille (more of a side dish than a course), the tuna tartare and the carrot cake. It was amazing that I could eat so much of the menu, but that’s why I was here.

How was the food?

The best dish was the gravlax. It was a little brilliant.

The homemade gravlax was silken and perfectly seasoned. You could taste the gin on the shrimp just enough. the avocado puree underneath was creamy and vibrant. The little eggplant pickle at the top added a tiny bit of sweet-and-sourness. And the seed cracker added savouriness. Plus the herbaceous basil. One bite with all those flavours was heaven.

My partner liked his gyoza appetizer. I don’t remember what they were stuffed with, maybe cabbage and mushroom? That could be wrong. Anyway, he didn’t complain. He didn’t love the baguette pieces, spoiled as he is by Joe La Croute and Louise, but he still ate them all.

I didn’t snap a photo of the lamb, but we both ordered that one, hence why the server had to tell me that there was supposed to be a potato purée underneath. It was a lot of brown on brown, and mostly minced lamb, but the lamb jus was delicious, the bacon was mostly crispy and I wasn’t complaining. It felt pretty homestyle, something you’d fill upon at a family dinner, but got a more reserved but still generous portion of here for a second course.

We’d brought the Spanish red for the lamb, and it worked.

Then that stuffed pepper. My partner got it. I couldn’t have that in the end because there was cream, but it was rich and fine.

My ratatouille was good:

Classic French, homestyle again: Roughly chopped sweet tomatoes, fresh basil, plenty of quality olive oil. No bitterness.

My partner thought his pasta sauce was pretty good:

Rich and honest with slow-cooked meat flavour.

I liked my tuna tartare, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the gravlax with the complementary flavours that made the seafood pop.

The tuna chunks were fresh but pretty dry (maybe they’d removed mayo or a sauce in fear of my intolerances). The little pieces of red pepper and sprinkle of mujjol caviar couldn’t balance the thick fish, so I sucked up my courage and asked for Dijon on the side. Then it was great, though I was drinking a lot of water for the rest of the night to counter-act the sodium. The fried rice paper was fun to break off in pieces and eat with the tartare, but it was very oily and wasn’t seasoned, so it didn’t add much beyond texture.

And I actually got a homemade cake!

The pears were lovely and added moisture to the carrot cake. A little scoop of ice cream would have been even better, to add a little creaminess to the sweetness, but the pears did some heavy lifting and I almost managed to finish the slice before getting tired of each bite being exactly the same.

My partner got the cheesecake:

I’m still not quite sure what a Cinderella cheesecake is, but the Internet says it’s a brownie crust with a peanut butter filling. I see walnuts above, so it’s possibly brownie + walnut here. Though there was no “wow” presentation, again, the homestyle, small slice was generous for the price of the meal. I couldn’t have it, but my partner didn’t leave a crumb.

Overall, we liked it and I’d recommend it if you’ve never been. With all the glass ducks and bright artwork, modern bar and dark ambiance, it’s a scene. The owners are there, serving like the pros they are. The food is satisfying and the price is right, even when it’s not MTL à Table.