Workplace Lunch Redefined

The Pitch

Asides from longevity, one of the hardest achievements a restaurant can attain is virality.  A restaurant may have head-turning décor or Instagram-worthy food, but social media algorithms are so unpredictable, no one knows for sure what will catch.

One safe bet is to cash in early on a trending foreign food item and be one of the first to offer it locally.  Such is what happened with the supreme croissant (or New York roll), invented by the Big Apple's Lafayette Grand Café, which took the social sphere by storm in 2022.

It was not long before the croissant/bomboloni crossover – a.k.a. cromboloni – made its way to Montreal.  The phenomenon quickly exploded on the Instagram profiles of Old Montreal's La Cave à Manger as well as downtown's Améa Café, subject of today's review.

The Mood

I visited Améa for lunch ahead of a downtown hunt for white pants (don't ask).  Situated in the lobby of the historic Maison Alcan office complex, the resto/caffè was unveiled as part of the building's renovation in the fall of 2022.  One needs to be aware of Améa's existence; reaching it requires going through the building's main door on Sherbrooke Street and crossing its bright atrium.

Once there, a magical setting comprising two counters and three distinct dining areas reveals itself.  Earthy tones matching the building's iconic limestone hue are complemented with brown leather chairs and mosaic-tiled floors under dangling planters.  My wife and I showed up just shy of noon, allowing us to beat the queues which formed minutes later.

Given the "office building" setting, I was expecting a business clientele, but in fact the crowd was as diverse as can be.  Young and old, laid-back and suited-up, singles and groups… all walks of life made an appearance here.

tagged:  EYE FOR DESIGN

The Food

An offshoot of the ownership group behind Italian mainstay Beatrice, it comes as no surprise that Améa's offering follows the same lane.  The counter showcases Roman al taglio pizza as well as a wide variety of pastries of both Italian and other origins – including multiple permutations of the aforementioned supreme croissant.

Also on offer is a menu of crostini, salads, sandwiches and Italian staples such as arancini, calamari and gnocchi.  We attempted to sample a bit of everything with a pizza, salad and sandwich.

The slab margherita was tasty but uneven in the dough's thickness and cooking.  The panzanella salad was excellent; bright, fresh and full of bursting flavour.  Finally, a fried oyster mushroom sandwich also marveled thanks to a medley of sweet/spicy/sour pickled radicchio and chili jam/mayo.  The mixture went great with the lightly-battered mushrooms and the soft brioche bun.

The Service

Améa works like a crossover between a grab-and-go operation and a sit-down restaurant.  Orders are placed at the counter then brought to your table by a staffperson.  Despite the lineup that formed soon after our arrival, the queue moved quickly.

Once seated, busy-bee waiters were seen criss-crossing the room and delivered our plates within a few minutes.  All ran smoothly as expected and hoped for at a spot frequented by office workers needing to get back to their desks.

tagged:  HUSTLE & BUSTLE

The Verdict

All in all, lunch at Améa was great, especially for a quickie.  Between the intricate décor and elevated Italian fare, this is clearly not your average workplace cafeteria.

While the Beatrice group may have taken a hit with the recent loss of their famous patio to a condo development project, they seem to have made that up with Améa and Saint-Henri's red-hot Estelle more recently.  The former certainly achieved that elusive virality – at least on social media – while the latter is booked solid on most nights.

So far, I'm sold on Améa's lunch; but will need to try their brunch and those trending cromboloni before I fully make up in my mind.

tagged:  DESERVES A RETRY

Price per person:  $20.13