Opening Alert: Grannyssima Pairs Juices With Modern Grandma Comfort Food

Julien Aboucaya quietly opened a restaurant in Mile End yesterday. Grannyssima, a Thermomix-equipped juice bar with sweets, lunches and, soon, set menu dinners with juice pairings, is a reboot of a restaurant Aboucaya operated for a short time in Provence. The description of the original Grannyssima, now closed, offers some perspective on the Montreal redux: "Grannyssima, on ne fait pas à manger, on concocte les petits plats, les jus, les gourmandises… avec passion. Comme nos grand-mères."

Aboucaya spoke today about the concept: "Grannyssima is a play on words with grandmother and Granny Smith apples, which I like to use a lot. I started this project in Provence. It was a seasonal place, driven by tourism and not profitable year round. I thought it would work better in Montreal. We decided to import the concept with some adaptations for Quebec culture. For now we have juices, stews and soups. As summer approaches we'll have more sandwiches."

Grannyssima has two sides, explains the proprietor: "Lunch, grand-mère cuisine, old fashioned with a modern touch. At night, as of April, reservation-only set menus with juice pairings. Not just fruit juices but made with different herbs too. Each plate will be constructed and thought out like a landscape." Aboucaya adds that his plats mijotés, available as of this Thursday, will not be exclusively French; plates may accent "different, exotic ingredients."

Status: Certified open. 12 rue Maguire. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday (set menu dinners start in April).