L'Express

L'Express is a popular destination for both tourists and locals. It is a quintessential French bistro located on St-Denis serving some of the tastiest classics. The food is simple and perfectly executed. This restaurant opens for breakfast until late dinner. The place is always busy but you can always manage to find a seat even without reservation.

Let's start with the appetizers. The octopus and lentil salad has been the top choice amongst diners. And there is a good reason. It's light and refreshing. The octopus is very tender not at all chewy. Lentils are properly cooked. The acidity of the vinaigrette, the saltiness of the olives and the freshness of the tomatoes makes everything blend well together. The bone marrow is another classic. Three generous portions of rich, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth bone marrow with a sprinkle of salt to elevate its flavour.

As for the mains, the duck confit salad has a generous amount of nicely tender duck. The duck paired well with the light salad. My absolute favourite is the veal kidney served with sautéed potatoes, coated with a rich mustard demi-glace sauce. The kidney was perfectly cooked, has a nice spongy texture with an addictive sauce which was wiped clean with a slice of baguette. The calf liver has also a tender and sponge-like texture served with a light brown sauce. This dish is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

The ile flottante, consists of egg white coated with a hard caramel and crème anglaise, was overly sweet due to the overwhelming amount of hard caramel. A drizzle of the hard caramel would be sufficient. At least I had the pleasure to crack the caramellized sugar, a nice sound to hear when you tap open with a spoon.

If you want a less-sugary dessert, go for the bread pudding and fruit salad. Both are light and refreshing.

Been here for breakfast and dinner, both times were not a let down. Definitely recommend it!