LE REFUGE

Located in Saint-Henri at 5090 Notre Dame O. Montreal, Quebec H4C 1T1, this Italian restaurant is well known amongst Montrealers. It is open 7 days a week from 5pm to 11 pm. Let's start of with the menu. I would describe it as a sophisticated yet cozy Italian restaurant. We decided to share all the plates and that it was I would recommend doing also because it gives you the opportunity to try out more dishes than you would normally try.

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We started of with the suppli al telefono which is an arrancini placed on a plate which has tomato sauce in it, with parmesan cheese grated on top. For those who do not know what an arrancini is, it's a ball made out of risotto that has been fried and can be stuffed with vegetables, meat or cheese. This as always been one of my favorite dishes and this one sure did not disappoint. A must try!

Afterwards, we decided to share 2 pasta dishes: tagliatelle (ragu, rosemary and parmesan cheese) and the ravioli (smoked squash and butter sage sauce).

The tagliatelle was the best dish we had at Elena. All the ingredients blended beautifully together giving this amazing, light and refreshing meat dish. On the other hand, the ravioli was in our opinion the worst dish of the night. The smokiness from the squash overpowered all the other elements from the plate. Sage and butter being to very light flavors they are better combined with regular squash or a cheese like ricotta for example, which as a milder flavor than the smoked squash. But even in general, I am not a fan of smoked anything so it wasn't my favorite.

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Finally we decided to share two different pizzas: the Margherita and the Diavola (peperoni and peppers with mozzarella). Even though these two flavors are very classic and don't differ much from one restaurant to another, I would say these were in the top pizza napolitena we had in Montreal. Tasted just like Italy. I highly recommend sharing pizza when you go to Elena.

In conclusion, it's a must try italian spot when in Saint-Henri!