Sacré Bleu New Mile End Japanese Restaurant Thazard Will Have French-Style Cart Service

Thazard, the Japanese restaurant from Edward Zaki, Dave Schmidt, chef Hachiro Fujise and others, will soon replace Cielo at 5329 Saint-Laurent.

Zaki described the new restaurant this week as "French bistro feel with a Japanese menu. Fish, charcuterie, bubbly, cocktails and most important the kitchen will be open until 2:00 a.m."

The bombshell news, however, comes today from Schmidt. The man who gave Montreal tacos and cocktails (Maïs), a Chinatown tiki bar (Le Mal Nécessaire) and Russian-esque boîtes (Datcha, Kabinet), reports that Thazard will resuscitate classic, French-style guéridon service. Rather than tableside Sole Meunière or Crêpe Suzette, however, the servers at Thazard will, say, torch a mackerel in front of customers, sauce a dish or snip sprouts on a seaweed salad.

"Hachi told me he always wanted to open a French restaurant," says Schmidt. "Thazard will capture that essence but with Japanese food. The cart service will be less dim sum trolley and more French old school."

Schmidt adds that the restaurant will take the cart service to another level for groups that order a set, omakase menu.

· Thazard [Official Page]
· Cielo Tapas Reboots as Thazard in Mile End [-EMTL-]