We arrived at the stunning Hotel Quintessence after one of the hottest days of summer. Mont Tremblant resort was booming with Blues as crowds swayed in the hot summer breeze. I will never forget feeling so hot, I could feel my heart beat through the temples of my brow. Mother hobbled behind me as we marched in the late afternoon sun bound for the regions most luxurious hotel.
Once we found the place we took a quick break under a tree to sop up our weathered faces. We had to look presentable. Good gracious, there was a Ferrari and Porsche parked in front of the lobby. We held our heads high as soon as we marched through the front doors and immediately found a bathroom to freshen up. Once we had found that perfect equilibrium of calm, cool and collected we toured around the hotel. Our jaws dropped when we leaned over the balcony. Our hearts melted as we took in the stunning patio below which overlooked Lake Mont Tremblant. Covered in white umbrellas I felt as though we had been transplanted to Monaco.
I announced my arrival downstairs and after one look at us, we were offered two cold drinks at the hotel’s wine bar. We had arrived a little early but were more than pleased to sit with a cold beverage. Mother fanned herself with the cocktail list while I scanned the room with my camera. The wine bar is directly adjacent to where we would be eating dinner, five star dinning perfection at Resto Quintessence. The two spaces are polar opposite in design and mood. The wine bar is very masculine featuring a massive dimly lit wine cellar, maroon upholstery and dark mahogany. Each seat featured a faux fur pillow. The hotel’s wine bar is perfectly suited for a a post ski slope dinner and drink. Its opulent Canadian lodge vibe forced me to crack a smile. Resto Quintessence on the other hand offers a bright and refined feminine elegance. Especially in summer when the patio spills with eager diners, the best dressed in the Laurentians.
We spent about thirty minutes cooling down, sipping on Bacardi Lemonaide and Bombay Litchi cocktails which slowly rounded off the agitation one feels from heat wave. We were seated at a window in Resto Quintessence which overlooked the patio and provided a perfect spot for people watching.
Service was impeccable throughout the evening and our dishes were each offered a perfect pairing. We had a charming chat with the hotel and restaurant GM who pulled up a chair with his adorable (and speechless) niece. He spoke passionately about Mont Tremblant, nouveau Quebecois cuisine and was clearly proud of creating a restaurant which is setting the bar for luxury dining in Quebec. Resto Quintessence certainly stands out as the best dining experience on my culinary tour and should be added to your Tremblant culinary tour itinerary. I have not one complaint. Everything was perfect, from our coy and creative Q Poutine to perfectly cooked suckling pig and milk fed veal. Don’t forget to order “The Reasonable” at the end of your meal, a perfect sweet finish of shortbread and chocolate. You deserve it, we all do.
Leek Cream
goat cheese mousse
Mini Q Burger
grilled beef fillet, seared foie gras, tomato confit with maple
Q Poutine
duck confit, Douanier cheese, creamy pepper sauce
Seared Foie Gras
rhubarb, buckwheat honey and port
Milk-fed Veal Chop
tagliatelle with chantrelle
Rack of Suckling Pig from Gaspor Farm
braised flank ragout and lentils
Tartlets and Cornet
orange-caramel wafer, lemon-honey-poppyseed shortbread, apple-maple cornet
Chevre des Neiges Cheesecake
strawberry sauce and chef’s sorbet
“The Reasonable”
3 shortbread, 3 chocolates
