Walking into the sexy dining room tucked inside the heritage property Marriott Château Champlain, I knew I was in for something special.
The landmark hotel is home to Lloyd, a restaurant known for killer brunches, and its next-level winter terrasse Belvu Hors Piste.
Phootgraph: JF Galipeau | Le Belvu Hors Piste
As part of the Montréal en Lumière festival, Lloyd invites guests to experience a unique apéritif-style tasting. Every bite comes with a story—quirky facts and little anecdotes that turn the tasting into a narrative journey.
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Slipping into one of the plush, cushioned alcoves (a nod to the building’s iconic half-moon windows), I was handed the limited-edition menu: seven small bites that highlight both culinary artistry and the heritage of the Marriott Château Champlain—sweet and savoury dishes paired with stories and beverages (one non-alcoholic sipper included).
Photograph: Patricia Brochu | Lloyd
The restaurant’s name, Lloyd, pays homage to architect Frank Lloyd Wright, mentor to Roger D’Astous, who designed the hotel in 1967. Just as Wright was celebrated for his daring innovations in architecture, Lloyd takes a similarly bold approach to food—reimagining the tasting menu as an unforgettable, narrative-driven experience.
After sipping on Château de Maligny, Chablis Premier Cru, Montée de Tonnerre, 2024, the first five of seven courses arrived.
Photograph: Laura Osborne | Time Out
The Fish Expo-Crudo—raw fish with salicornia and sesame—captured 1960s Montreal at Expo 67, a city tasting the world for the first time with bold, adventurous flavours.
Next up was the Café Terrasse—shrimp and avocado with a punchy cocktail sauce—evoking 1976 Montreal, Olympic energy, and the elegant, daring spirit of nouvelle cuisine.
My personal favourite followed: the Escapade—an impossibly delicious smoked beef tartare on a bagel crust marking Montreal’s emerging culinary identity, and celebrating flavours from the Jewish community.
The Neufchatel, mini vol-au-vent with garlic snails, was all about French cuisine taking root in the city during the 1990s: delicate, refined, unmistakably French, yet utterly Montreal.
Le Tournebroche, a luxurious bite of foie gras on brioche with onion compote, paid homage to Quebec cuisine emerging at the turn of the 21st century—confident, inventive, and unapologetically ambitious.
A Pom-pom spritz (made with Pom! Pom! Cello, an Italian grapefruit liqueur created by Distillerie du Square with Rita Baga) arrived with the final two courses: a Saskatoon berry pie and a revisited pudding chômeur.
Photograph: Laura Osborne | Time Out
The first bite of the saskatoon berry tartlet was an immediate return to the land and nature—local produce, boreal ingredients, and the ancestral knowledge of First Nations peoples.
Last but not least, the pudding chômeur stole the spotlight. In the 2020s, Quebec classics took a daring turn—and at Lloyd this beloved, humble dessert was reinvented into a refined, unforgettable treat.
Photograph: Laura Osborne | Time Out
When is the Montréal en Lumière experience at Lloyd?
Snag a table on March 5, 6 or 7, 2026.
There are two seatings per night (5 p.m. and 6 p.m.) at $70 per person.
Reserve your spot using the link here.
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