If you’re a well-prepared traveller, I’m sure you went out bought your Berlitz or Lonely Planet French Phrase book before coming to Montreal. But there are still a few important words and phrases to know that will help you enjoy your dining experience. Even when we order in English, we still often use some French terms like
table d’hôte or
plat du jour.
Here’s my list of handy restaurant vocabulary.
On the menu:
• You can choose to order what you like right off the menu which is
à la carte.
• Or you can order a special deal called the
table d’hôte, which usually includes a main dish with either soup or salad and dessert. Some places even offer the full deal: appetizer, main dish, and dessert with tea or coffee. Check with your server.
•
Plat du jour is the special of the day, but is usually only a main dish and doesn’t come with the extras like the
table d’hôte. Most places feature some kind of pasta or fish dish.
• Many people who don’t know French usually know the terms
canapé or
hors d’oeuvres; however, there are a couple of other terms more commonly used here in Quebec for a small snack or appetizer in a bite-size serving:
amuse-bouche or
amuse-gueule.
• Beware of the term
entrée. It is not a main dish!! In French an entrée is an appetizer and not a main course like in English. A main dish is a
plat principal.
• Un
apéritif is a pre-dinner drink that is supposed to ‘open’ your appetite.
• Un
digestif is an after-dinner drink that is supposed to help you digest your food (if you’ve ever had a good Calvados, you can actually ‘feel’ it pushing down your food!).
• For ordering coffee, you need to know something else besides café au lait and latté. For example, in Montreal, we use the term
allongé, check out my previous post on
how to order a coffee in Montreal.
•
Produits du terroir: refers to high quality produce, meats or cheeses, grown or made locally, usually served according to the season.
Some other details you may need to know:
• In France they often say
l’addition for the bill or the check, but in Montreal you can also say
la facture.
• For the
pourboire (or tip), people generally leave 15%. Some places will include the tip for a group of six people or more.
• Note that restaurant prices generally do NOT include the
taxes and it adds up to 13.5% to the bill. (Handy tip for calculating the tip: round up the amount you pay in taxes as it gives you almost the right amount for the tip.)
•
Reservations. You can usually find a table on a weekday, but on the weekends, you have to make a reservation in most popular restaurants.
•
Dress code: Montreal is pretty casual in terms of dress codes, but people are into fashion. You can usually get away with normal pants (or nice jeans), but some nightclubs don’t accept running shoes or baseball caps. Not too many places require a jacket and tie, but if you want to dress up, go for it!
And if you want to try two typical dishes from Quebec while you’re here:
•
Poutine is a famous dish, perfect for hangovers after a night of indulgence. Not for those on a diet though. It’s basically french fries and gravy with cheese curds, although, a really high-end version made with foie gras is available at one of Montreal’s most famous restaurants,
Pied de cochon.
•
Pouding chômeur is not really a pudding but more of a cake served with caramel sauce that became popular during the Great Depression because it’s made with ingredients that were easy to find during scarce times.
If you want some more info and handy phrases on ordering a meal, check out
about.com If you think I missed something, please make a comment!
