Montreal brasserie Molenne is an institution in the making

Up in the Mile End, there’s a 32-year-old refrigerator that’s been newly reupholstered and ready for its second life—it’s not much to some, but it feels like a fitting metaphor for what’s going on at Molenne. Their new brasserie is taking pieces of Montreal restaurant history and rebuilding them into something that feels both timeless and completely new.

The space tells that story: Banquettes salvaged from the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde’s in-house restaurant line the walls. Old chimney plaques find new purpose. Even the building's bones speak to history—once a horse hay depot, it was part of Montreal's first racetrack, from which the Mile End neighbourhood (colloquially pronounced "Molenne") drew its name.

“…the name comes from a racetrack… The distance between this track and the Montreal city limits of the time was exactly one mile.”

But this brasserie isn't a museum piece.

Through the glass walls of its small but efficient kitchen, you can see Louis-Joseph Rochefort, fresh from a stint at Melbourne's acclaimed Attica, working at the dedicated cold station. At the round entrance bar, Gia Bach Nguyen (formerly of Gia) prepares one of twelve cocktails, four of which flow from custom taps. The 50-seat room hums with the energy of something being born, even as it feels like it's been here forever.

The analogy of a Trojan horse is used a lot here to describe what's going on in the kitchen: while Molenne may look familiar to the point it's almost nostalgic to a diner, there's much more than what it looks like.

"With Chef Louis-Joseph at the helm, familiar dishes and ingredients are transformed through meticulous attention to detail. Take, for example, the morue charbonnière in shiitake broth, or the braised cabbage with escargots en persillade and white charcutière. These dishes are imbued with a 'soigné' sensibility, transforming humble ingredients into something more while still retaining a brasserie style for a 7 day/ week operation," Hallé-Quinlan explains.

Drawn back to Montreal

The team behind Molenne represents a kind of homecoming. After years of working together at Majestique blocks away on Saint-Laurent, they had scattered across the globe: François Séguin-Letendre to Shanghai, where he founded Soif and Daily; Hallé-Quinlan to the Caribbean to launch Lacou; Rochefort to Australia. Now they're back, along with Pierre-Olivier Besner and sommelier Miro Leclair-Ramirez, ready to build something together in their hometown.

"This is the classic story that you see in every single Chef's Table," Hallé-Quinlan laughs. "You go explore the world to realize where you're from is pretty great. That's especially true for Montreal."

The team's international experience shows in the details: seafood sourced from Havre-Saint-Pierre, prepared with techniques learned in kitchens around the world; a wine cellar 5,000 bottles deep, with rare vintages acquired from private collections sitting alongside affordable options in the $50-70 range. 

The location, on a stretch that's seen its share of struggles both during and before the pandemic, feels significant. "I think Mile End right now has quite a boom," notes Hallé-Quinlan, citing the food tours that wind through the neighborhood.

With new life stirring in old spaces, there's a sense of momentum building: They’re now a part of a significant upswing in openings for the neighbourhood in recent months that includes the likes of Sushi Nishinokaze and Leila in addition to the upcoming projects from Pasta Pooks, Menu Extra, and Limbo.

Coming full circle

The space itself, designed by Séguin and Besner through their studio Atelier Séguin Besner, reinforces this idea. Modern touches blend seamlessly with historical elements. Contemporary artwork by Jeannie Riddle, featuring a girl on horseback with modern paint flourishes, bridges past and present. Even the hand-painted windows announcing table pour toutes occasions feel both classic and current, and the uniform—while freshly designed by the local Tam Khoa Vu—feel timeless.

"We don't want it to be like a time capsule," Hallé-Quinlan insists.

Instead, Molenne seems to be aiming for something more difficult: creating an instant institution, a place that feels established enough to be comfortable but fresh enough to be exciting. A place where you might stop in for Nguyen's martini on a Tuesday, bring the family for Rochefort's black cod on Friday, or celebrate with razor clam salad and vintage champagne on Saturday.

Like that reupholstered fridge, it's about finding new life in old bones, and in doing so, creating something that could only exist in Montreal, right now, in a way that feels as though it’s always been here.