Peter Sergakis Has a Soulless New Resto for St-Henri — and Other Openings

ST-HENRI — Ever-controversial bar magnate Peter Sergakis is back with a new restaurant for the Notre-Dame strip in St-Henri. While his last opening leaned into tacky innuendos about dicks, this one swings in the opposite direction. It’s perhaps Sergakis’ most inoffensive concept yet, while somehow being so devoid of personality that it’s offensive. Named M2 (and not to be confused with the similarly bland Bell Centre food hall by the same name), it’s a warehouse full of those far-too-common-nowadays industrial stools, accompanied by a menu that looks like it was ripped from Station des Sports (burgers and poutine), yet formatted into a more family-friendly font. It’s all served up in a space decorated in vibrant beige and grey tones.

CÔTE-DES-NEIGES — Much more soulful is this new arrival on Decarie — Razgulyaevo is now open near Queen Mary, serving Russian and Eastern European fare.

NDG — Indian staple Bombay Mahal has made a move on the west side, opening a new location on Sherbrooke near Melrose.

Haochi/Official

PLATEAU — The former Épices de Setzchouan on Papineau near Sherbrooke has now reopened under new owners as Haochi. It’s still doing partly Canadian-Chinese fare like peanut butter dumplings and kung pao chicken, but also getting into pan-East-Asian territory with Singapore noodles, spring rolls, curries, and tom yum soup, served across lunch (with a $12.50 combo) and dinner.

Magari/Official

DOWNTOWN — A new “market cuisine” restaurant has arrived on Phillips Square: Magari is now open for lunch and dinner, serving a bistro-esque menu of risotto, Cornish hen, grilled salmon, and bavette, courtesy of chef Marie-Eve Lemieux.

• Another Innuendo-Themed Bar from Bar Magnate Sergakis [EMTL]
• Bell Centre Adds Food Hall With (Hopefully) Less-Sucky Eating Options [EMTL]
• Magari, ce nouveau restaurant du centre-ville qui a tout pour plaire [Nightlife.ca]