Reputed Old Montreal Tapas Destination Morphs Into Clubby Seafood Restaurant

Old Montreal tapas restaurant Tapas 24 is no longer — it has been made over into a Japanese-leaning seafood eatery Fish Bone, incorporating a supper club set-up on the weekends.

Tapas 24 was quite the splashy new arrival when it opened in 2014, featuring prominent Barcelona chef Carles Abellan as an owner, along with Jorge da Silva Sr. and his MTL Cuisine restaurant group. It received generally positive reviews, allowing it to keep chugging along for nearly five years until this spring, when it quietly closed its doors.

Now, the location has been fully renovated and reopened as Fish Bone — a representative for Fish Bone states that it’s run by the same people as Tapas 24 — presumably that would be MTL Cuisine only, as it appears that Abellan is no longer affiliated with the restaurant.

The Catalan and Spanish cuisines of Tapas 24 have been mostly left behind — Fish Bone’s style is “modern coastal cuisine” with a “globally influenced menu”. There’s a clear dash of Japanese influence here: sashimi, tataki, and maki rolls all make appearances on the menu.

Fish Bone/Facebook

But it’s certainly not strictly a sushi spot, with a menu that touches a lot of bases, from salmon tartare with truffle oil to gazpacho, lobster pasta, ceviche, and bao buns filled with shrimp, horseradish, and guacamole (...fusiony, to say the least).

The renovated space also means that on Thursday to Saturday evenings, Fish Bone will try out more of a supper club approach. That means cocktails, champagne, and DJs will all be on offer, as will late-night dining.

STATUS — Fish Bone is open at 420 Notre-Dame O from 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday and Wednesday and 5 p.m. to late (around 2 or 3 a.m.) Thursday to Saturday.

• Fish Bone [Facebook]
• Tapas 24 Captures Three Fat Stars From Lesley Chesterman [EMTL]