I was recently invited to discover the newly opened Le 409 which is the result of a joint venture between the Holder brothers and the Anan family. Both parties are well known figures in the Montreal restaurant industry and they both have very successful establishments — Holder & Restaurant Atma. The restaurant opened back in September and I’ve been meaning to try it since then but didn’t have the chance until now. Needless to say this was the perfect meal to have on a very cold Monday night — way to kickstart the week ahead!
Disclaimer: I was invited to try the restaurant as part of a media dinner. All opinions remain my own and weren’t influenced because the dinner was paid for.
The space
at Le 409
As soon as you step foot into the the tucked away door on busy McGill street of Old Montreal, you’re in for a direct flight to India. Even if it was about -30ºC when I visited the restaurant, I immediately felt very warm and welcomed into their unique universe.
I’m a fierce believer that a huge part of a restaurant experience goes through a good decor and at Le 409 they really nailed it.
All the tables are around this huge bar right at the middle of the restaurant. It really creates little nooks where you’ll feel almost alone — even on a busy night.
You know a restaurateur has thought about everything when even the washroom follows the same interior decoration as the rest of the place.
The food
at Le 409
Now is the part most people are interested in: the food — and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
We started off the night with an addictive pappadum — who knew a chickpea cracker could be so good, right?
Then, we pursued onto chana samosa — a well executed classic — which might have been my favourite of the entire meal.
Along with chana samosa, we sampled some Poulet 65 — well seasoned crispy chicken beignets — so good I would’ve ordered another plate.
At this very moment, everyone was pretty full but they brought out classics such at butter chicken, tarka dahl and korma lamb — three scrumptious classic dishes in every Indian restaurant that certainly didn’t disappoint.
Not pictured: Butter chicken poutine — the perfect fusion between Indian and Quebecer cultures.
The drinks
at Le 409
I tried three drinks over the meal: one with alcohol and two without. I got a matcha cocktail to begin with but it wasn’t my favourite, it was really heavy on matcha but the different tastes were there.
After that, I hopped onto the mocktail wagon and I got Bollywood — some kind of mango lassi drink — along with a rose water lemonade. Both were far superior to the first alcoholic cocktail I got.
Verdict
For those who know the Restaurant Atma, which is considered one of the best Indian restaurants in Montreal, you will already be on familiar ground and it is definitely worth going if you want to Indian in a more modern and chic than other Indian restaurants elsewhere. Being one of the only Indian options in the Old Montreal area, it’s worth the trip and I always like to spend a nice evening in this neighborhood, it’s so beautiful!
How to get to Le 409
