NO LONGER SERVES BRUNCH

La Bêtise – No lies on a solid meal

The 411

VillerayRosemont/petite Patrie is an area that has been expanding recently. It’s an old neighbourhood, which, only as of recently, has started changing – new bars, restaurants popping up, and a slew of condos. With the Jean Talon market nearby and metro access, I’m sure you can understand why people are making the move here. If you had asked me when I started this site years ago what there is to eat for brunch, I would have said almost nothing. But now, it’s a whole new scene. Betise is one of these recent additions to the brunch scene. Situated on St Hubert it, as well as other spots, breathe new life into a previously dying street.

At 1st glance

One word comes to mind when you walk in to Betise and that word is: Texas. The interior has this kind of tex-mex look to it with cow patterns and a dark wood bar setting. Even the menu is rustic, being presented to you on a piece of wood. The place itself is small with capacity at around the 30 mark. The large windows offer lots of light so it is well lit and the light colour walls work well with the bar area.

Food

The menu is a one-pager with around 12 main items ranging from $12-$13 (coffee included). Sides will run you upwards of $2 max and you get a choice of beans, sausage, bacon and fruit. There are also fruit drinks, smoothies and mimosas on the menu. The menu is by no way your classic eggs and bacon or waffles dishes; you will find some interesting items like a sushi style roll that is a clear breakfast dish while at the same time having a choice between breakfast burgers and a dish with goat cheese. While being a short menu, it is interesting and has some rather unique items you may not find at other places. The menu breakdown is as follows:

We started with coffee, which was complimentary with our main dish, and I had a smoothie at $6. The smoothie had some fruit options so I decided to go with all of them. The smoothie was fair although I would have liked it to be a little thicker. For $6 it was ok, I wasn’t moved by it but to be honest I rarely am moved by a smoothie unless it’s revolutionary. That being said, it got the job done and the fruit options were kind of nice since other places give you fixed ones. I think I simply got greedy and not all those flavours are intended to share the stage for my taste buds.

My friend had the breakfast sandwich ($13) which was comprised of onion, bacon, lettuce, scrambles eggs, tomatoes, cream cheese with a side of beans, potatoes, ad a fruit cup. The breakfast sandwich was quite tasty and the bread they used was a smart choice since it was a softer burger bread. The scrambled eggs were tasty and it was filling although not gargantuan like other breakfast sandwiches I’ve had which, depending on you’re appetite, may be a good thing. The sides of beans, potatoes and fruit helps round out the dish but it would have been nice to see a larger portion of beans. I do love how they did the fruit cup by taking a grapefruit, cutting it in half, hollowing it out and using it as a bowl. This is such a clever idea and adds to the presentation. Even though the amount of fruit is not tremendous, it adds the right amount of natural sweetness and healthy option to the dish.

I decided to go with the Smoked Salmon sushi roll ($12).This dish is a product of what would happen if brunch met sushi. You get smoked salmon, avocado capers, and cream cheese, all rolled up in a rice paper making for a sushi roll that you can drip in a sauce on the plate. There is a side salad on the side topped with pears, figs, vinaigrette and some tortilla chips. Although I am never a huge fan of putting salad on a brunch plate this idea works amazingly here. The pears are a nice touch and the sushi rolls are almost as fun to taste
as they are to look at. I only wish there were a few more but the fruit cup and side salad make sure you are full. I wonder what it would be like to use a crepe dough instead.

Service

Service was very good. The benefit of a small place is that we were sure to never be out of coffee or have trouble finding our waiter.

Vegetarian

Most dishes on the menu don’t have meat in them so it makes it a good option for vegetarians. I did not find any vegan options since eggs or dairy will find in way in many dishes but vegetarians will have many options here with over half the dishes being vegetarian friendly.

Wrap up

I really enjoyed Betise. The prices are fair and it includes a free coffee with refills. The décor is unique and the menu is quite creative. This is somewhere between a fancy reconstruction of a brunch spot and a classic value spot. It works and is well worth a trip, not to mention a much needed addition to the area.

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Price	$$-$$$	$12-$13
Overall		3.5/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	13,30,25,18,197,370	Get Directions
Metro	Beaubien	6 minutes

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