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When names like David McMillan (co-founder of Joe Beef, Liverpool House and Vin Papillon) and Derek Dammann (Maison Publique and Restaurant Île de France) join forces, the spotlight is inevitable.
Curiosity? Even more so. And so I was among one of the first to make the drive.
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You’ll need to leave Montreal behind and head to Dollard-des-Ormeaux, where a suburban shopping centre parking lot sets the scene.
Upon arrival I spotted a red, green and blue sign reading “Grille-Nature — Grillades – Fruits de mer”, which feels more 1970s Canadian-Chinese dining room than buzzy new hotspot.
That, of course, is precisely the point.
High ceilings. Red-and-white checkered tablecloths. A trace of old carpeting underfoot. The room was spacious, almost shockingly so, with servers weaving between tables and rolling carts laden with cheeses, mortadella platters, towering salads, burgers and steakhouse fries and an epic cubanito pepper — not to mention seared scallops, in particularly high demand that night.
I walked past wall-mounted televisions, disco lights glowing in the meat cellar, tropical fruit on display. And in the back, near the kitchen, I found a serene David McMillan in a crisp white shirt and blue apron, surveying the room.
Dammann, meanwhile, hasn’t left the stove since Maison Publique closed. He adjusts, tastes, checks doneness, fine-tunes each plate before it leaves the pass.
The dynamic between the two titans is clear.
After scanning the menu and reading the room, another thing became obvious pretty quickly: Grille-Nature is moving deliberately against the tide of Montreal’s trend-chasing dining scene. It feels like a rebuttal — a return to what hospitality once was, stripped of artifice and Instagram bait.
You won't find any performative design flourishes here. Or gimmicks. As if to say: “Welcome. But we’re in charge.”
Arrogant?
Perhaps. But with more than 60 years of combined experience shaping Montreal’s culinary scene, McMillan and Dammann have earned the right. And so I handed over the reins for the evening without question.
First up: a country-style mortadella crafted by a German artisan. “More textured than mechanically ground mortadella,” McMillan noted. He was right — it had character. A shaving of firm cheese, maybe a touch of honey. Simple. To the point.
Then came a standout: whole smoked herring, served warm and spread over thick slices of white loaf from Boulangerie Furley, lavishly buttered and finished with a cloud of whipped horseradish cream.
The balance — fatty deliciousness, smoke and heat — is masterful. The kind of quiet powerhouse dish you might not instinctively order, yet never forget.
The wild salmon was up next, barely cooked, its flesh melting beneath crisped skin. A generous beurre blanc, pine nut salsa and a touch of caviar made it luxurious without tipping the scales. A serious showstopper.
The much-anticipated cheeseburger, made with a house blend of hanger steak and USDA Prime ribeye, arrived past medium and on the well-done side — the meat slightly dry. The seasoning was restrained, allowing the beef’s flavour to shine alongside classic garnishes: onion rings, yellow cheese, mustard, pickles. But it was a shame about the degree of doneness.
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Seared foie gras appeared in a vintage tureen: plush slices atop spit-roasted shredded chicken, bathed in sauce suprême and punctuated by fried quince. This is where the Joe Beef nostalgia creeps in with unapologetic decadence.
The veal shank, a nod to chef Nicolas Jongleux, arrived thickly sliced and crowned with a bright chimichurri. The jus was deeply complex, while the side of tomato-braised tripe (with three anchovy fillets for a saline bite) was all freshness.
And then, what I can only describe as a sundae was placed in front of me. Picture lobster layered with canary melon and papaya in a coupe glass. Eating this in February can only be described as both absurd and exhilarating.
Dessert of vanilla ice cream crushed with a whole passion fruit, its pulp sharp and electric, and hazelnut panna cotta—silky and refined—charmed even the most full.
Grille-Nature provokes. It falls short at times — that overcooked burger, for instance — yet its boldest move is its very stance: two chefs cooking with conviction, experience, and complete freedom, entirely unbothered by trends.
In a city where so many restaurants blend into one another, that fearlessness is reason alone to make the trip.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: Unpretentious and confident, Grille-Nature welcomes you however you like: sip a drink solo at the bar beneath flickering sports screens, or dive into lively conversation with a full table. Early service draws families, while evenings settle into a more relaxed, grown-up rhythm
What to Drink: A thoughtfully curated wine list where natural and local bottles mingle with classic international selections, all at approachable price points. Our server’s pick, L’Espérance from Les Pervenches, impressed with its vibrant energy and lively tension.
What to Eat: Generous, ingredient-driven dishes that are both approachable and deeply satisfying. The restaurant caters as easily to seasoned diners as it does to families. I’m already dreaming of summer, when the bounty from nearby farms will infuse the menu with seasonal freshness.
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