Shocker as Ma'tine, Beloved Village Restaurant, Calls it Quits

The trio of Jérémy and Maxime Daniel-Six, and Sophie Duchastel de Montrouge, surprised almost everyone in 2014 when they left the still relatively new Micro Resto La Famille in the Plateau to open Ma'tine, a breakfast and lunch bistro close to Beaudry métro in the Village. Within months, if not weeks, the Daniel-Six brothers' sucré-salé formula seduced critics and diners alike. Ma'tine became a soigné fixture on the city's café and brunch circuit, and seemed poised to cater not only to Centre-Sud Montreal's upwardly mobile denizens, but to the area's profuse media workers.

Then 2015's polar vortex forced Ma'tine to pare down. "February has been rough," Jérémy Daniel-Six remarked at the time. "Unfortunately it makes no sense for us to carry a full-time pastry chef. We prefer to take care of our staff and hold on for terrasse weather. Sunday brunch and the savoury side of the menu are what propel us at the moment. This is a practical, business decision." As a result, Maxime Daniel-Six no longer rose before dawn to whip up canelés and couronnes for the restaurant's pastry display case. Still, with excellent word-of-mouth, and near-universal critical praise, Ma'tine's future seemed rosy.

Now, less than two years in, Ma'tine has decided to close. The partners made the announcement on social media this week. Translated, it states that chef and co-owner Jérémy Daniel-Six wants to spend more time with his family, and that other adventures await. The restaurant will call it quits at the end of April. Reached today for comment, Sophie Duchastel de Montrouge wrote: “Not much to say [other than] we're taking time with family. Priorities!”