Published on June 30, 2020
Open for 16 years, O’Thym offers delicious seasonal cuisine where local products shine. However, since March 22, the bring-your-own-wine restaurant in Montréal’s Village has been — like the vast majority of restaurants across the province — in survival mode. O’Thym is gradually reinventing itself, but one thing remains unchanged: the importance of highlighting local products.
Over the phone, chef Noé Lainesse confirms that the shift his restaurant has undergone has been far from easy. “It’s like opening a new restaurant,” he summarizes. The day after the announcement that restaurants had to immediately close their dining rooms, O’Thym launched a takeout menu. Initially made up of three or four options, the offering quickly expanded and now closely resembles what the restaurant normally serves. Guests can also once again enjoy the dining room, which reopened on July 8. Joy!
At O’Thym, a member of the Aliments du Québec au menu program, local consumption and showcasing Québec producers are at the heart of the project. For Noé, it was obvious that the restaurant’s survival depended on maintaining its strong relationships with Québec producers, who were themselves in a vulnerable position. “We didn’t even question it. It’s part of our DNA.”
On the menu, available for dine-in or takeout, you’ll find lamb from Ferme Les Trouvailles Gourmandes du Canton, duck from La Canardière, and a selection of seasonal vegetable dishes sourced from partners such as Ferme de La Grive and 400 Pieds Pleurotes. An enticing lineup that highlights the richness of Québec’s terroir.
Additionally, the restaurant decided to push its support for local producers even further. Each week, O’Thym’s menu is accompanied by a short “grocery” section. Here, Noé and his team offer house-made creations such as their popular mushroom powder, as well as local products like fresh vegetables from partner farms and beautiful floral chocolate bars from Fleurs et Feuilles Gourmandes. Be sure to check their Facebook page to stay up to date with the weekly offerings!
The restaurant has also become a pickup point for a wonderful new initiative from Réseau Arrivage, Club Arrivage, which allows local producers to deliver baskets of products near your home.
In difficult times like these, we must support one another. And O’Thym understands this well. A restaurant without its producers is nothing — and vice versa. As customers, we should be inspired by initiatives like this and, in turn, support them.
Découvrez la liste complète des restaurants qui ont obtenu la reconnaissance Aliments du Québec au menu en mettant à l’honneur des produits d’ici dans leurs cuisines. Il y en a pour tous les goûts et toutes les occasions et ce, aux quatre coins de la province!
