The warm vintage vibe of Gibby's is the perfect place for reminiscing - with heavy stone walls, unpainted wooden beams running across the ceilings, and crisp white tablecloths. My boss invites all of his employees to dine there for the annual Christmas party at my office. It's always a joyous affair, and this year was no exception.
While most of my colleagues started their meals with the shrimp cocktail, I opted for the shrimp bisque. Quite delicious, I must say. A buttery velvety shrimpy delight that was topped with a flaky biscuit, which was equally buttery. Critiquing the soup, I would say that it lacked an element, which is interchangeable: it needed either some heat, like a shake of cayenne, or something fresh to cut the richness, like a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Yes, it seems as though some fresh dill was provided in the dish, but what use is it if it's still mostly on the sprig? Nothing irks me more than wasting ingredients with garnishes that *could* be useful but are rendered obsolete due to their presentation. It is a waste of a usable ingredient, takes up precious and limited space on my plate which could otherwise be filled with more delectable delights, and when I am eating it just gets in the way of things. In my ridiculously critical eyes, a garnish earns the chef 2 demerit points. And I have to add: if I'm being served a shrimp bisque that's already buttery and heavy, it would make sense to me to provide a whole shrimp somewhere in the centre of the plate, rather than a doughy thing.
After my soup, a salad came. Meh. Tomatoes tasted farmed and some spinach leaves were hastily thrown in. The salad dressing was actually quite nice - garlicky and oniony. It's not something I would crave or work to recreate at home, but it's very flavourful for what it is, and I can see why it's developed its own little cult following.
For my main course I had ordered the swordfish with Cajun seasoning. Um... okay, I accept partial responsibility for the meal malfunction. I mean, as someone who professes to love food as much as I do, I should know that while the dense meat of swordfish is able to sustain a spicy blackened Cajun seasoning, its flavour is still too delicate for it. It's just a poor match... kind of like a golfer's outfit, minus the perplexing finesse. A hot mess, if you will... a hot, blackened Cajun, spicy mess. It came with what I think was a sweet plum sauce, which I guess I can see the point, but I didn't use it, and a baked potato and asparagus which I didn't touch. And that damned dill sprig again!!
Swordfish with Cajun seasoning
Anyways, for some reason this meal was ridiculously expensive (I'm going to guess around $75). Would I go again? Yeah, why not. The ambience is appealing, the service is attentive, and the food is alright. Would I want to pay for it? You bet chur ass I wouldn't! Not worth the price.
ADDRESS: 298, Place d'Youville, Montreal, QC
agree on Gibby's! it's not necessarily worth all the hype it gets.
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