La Gargamelle: Reveling in food and drink at an Old Montreal reverse speakeasy

Located behind the interactive, gossip-themed bar Tittle Tattle, Loyd Von Rose (née Loïc Fortin)’s first solo foray into the Montreal bar scene, La Gargamelle is—much like the local, self-styled cocktail artist and now chef—an unconventional project.

In a town that normally places speakeasy-style bars behind restaurants, La Gargamelle is what Von Rose calls a ‘reverse-speakeasy’: Walk to the back of Tittle Tattle’s starkly modern interior, and a door leads into a 25-seat dining room wrapped in heritage stone. Tables orbit a long galley kitchen where Von Rose cooks solo throughout the night.

It’s a cocktail lab turned kitchen: “I started this project on New Year’s Eve (in 2023), cooking for family and friends and I fell in love with cooking again. I looked to my partner during that night, and I knew what I wanted to do,” Von Rose says.