Le Richmond, the Italian restaurant and market complex in Griffintown, is a far cry from what childhood friends Luc Laroche and Paul Soucie originally envisioned and created. After co-owning Misto on rue Mont-Royal est until 2015, they set out together to combine their respective talents and bring Le Richmond into the world, a first-rate place.
These two enthusiasts of travel and gastronomic getaways chose for this purpose a 3,200 sq ft industrial space dating from the late 1800s on rue Richmond, south of rue Notre-Dame, to set up a restaurant that would bring out the architectural richness of the place, all guided by the creative imagination of renowned designer Luc Laroche.
You have to see the result: after expensive and complex investments, in 2013 they opened a 230-seat dining room, with about 30 of those on the mezzanine overlooking the main dining area, and 90 seats in the inner courtyard under a retractable roof. The whole thing is a true masterpiece of good taste and daring. And we haven't even gotten to the menu yet!
Black-painted steel, brick, and hemlock wood elements, both structural and decorative, evoke the Montréal of 1886, when this building was built. They are, however, used with a modern approach and help create a friendly, warm decor. When the retractable roof opens onto the restaurant's terrace, the interior greenery echoes the large trees growing outside, and you can enjoy nature and the present moment.
In 2016, the jury of the 8th Grand prix du design in Québec was so impressed that it awarded the concept its vote. They noted the quality of this stand-out concept, which delves into history to create an inviting interior.
Success came quickly, so much so that by 2015 the management, now made up of co-owners Ertan Eren (general manager) and Luc Laroche (president), partners in life as in business (photo above), had begun extending the food offering with a new concept occupying the space next to the restaurant on rue Richmond. That's how Marché italien Richmond came about, acting as a kind of "pantry" for the Richmond, as its general manager explains.
Here you'll find a bistro-market-caterer in an open-concept space where you can enjoy a glass of wine and a plate of antipasti at the bar, savour a full meal on the bistro side, and find exclusive gourmet products as well as a selection of takeout dishes.
The items available at Marché italien Richmond are prepared by executive chef Liam Fanning and his team: gourmet recipe boxes for preparing your favourite dishes at home, gourmet boxes specially prepared for the virtual 5 à 7, or favourite desserts to satisfy a sweet tooth.
The general manager explains that the Richmond anticipates continuing its partnership with the events industry, including the Grand Prix F1 de Montréal and other major annual events. The catering business has continued to grow since the pandemic and remains popular. The Richmond has a room on the restaurant's 2nd floor for receiving groups or holding special events.
A menu that transports and surprises
We sampled a few dishes from the Richmond's menu that truly convinced us of the inspiration running through its kitchens. For starters, the Burrata (roasted eggplant purée, confit tomatoes, prosciutto chips, herb oil) and the Seared Scallops (beurre blanc, salmon roe, sea asparagus, herb oil) two dishes, flavourful and surprising for the taste buds.
For the main course, the Icelandic cod (fregola, lobster bisque, salsa verde) and the pasta flambéed with truffles, served on a cheese wheel: spectacular! For dessert, a blueberry and lime entremet (almond and citrus shortbread, lime syrup, blueberries) and a chocolate and apricot mousse (apricot coulis, caramelized pecans) completed this Italian-flavoured feast.
A resourceful team
A graduate of Collège Lasalle in 2012 at age 20, Liam Fanning began his culinary career at a very young age. What started as a culinary interest grew into a passion over the years. After his first two years working in various restaurants and high-volume catering services in the Montréal region, he continued to gain culinary experience in Ouest-de-l'Île de Montréal, on Île-du-Prince-Édouard, and across Europe.
Since the opening of restaurant le Richmond in 2013, he has been a pioneer in its kitchen. He worked his way up from chef de partie to executive sous-chef. In 2017, he went to Italy to refine his skills with renowned chefs specializing in fresh, seasonal ingredients. Back in Montréal, Liam became executive chef of Groupe Le Richmond in 2020. Since then, he has designed the menus and overseen the teams at restaurant Le Richmond, Marché Italien Le Richmond, and the dining room, a total of about 30 people.
The owner-partners, for their part, offer complementary talents and experiences that serve the company's interests well.
Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Ertan Eren continued his studies in Québec with a second bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering specializing in systems and mechatronics at Université Concordia. After graduating in 2013, he joined Le Richmond and took charge of project management for the group's first restaurants in Griffintown. His knowledge of budgeting, forecasting and finance, combined with his passion for hospitality and gastronomy, led to his promotion to general manager and to his becoming one of the owners of Groupe Le Richmond.
For his part, a true fashion enthusiast and entrepreneur at heart, Luc Laroche began his career in the early 1990s by creating Lùk by Luc Laroche, an ultra-chic men's underwear line. He led its design and marketing in Canada and the United States for over 14 years before setting off to conquer major ready-to-wear houses such as Château Lingerie, the Spanish brand Mango, and then Tommy Hilfiger in New York, where he served as vice-president of retail operations for North America. Returning to Montréal with impressive expertise in finance, business development and retail, he launched into an entirely new venture in 2011: the restaurant business, with Misto. A few months later, he began work on a major project, the restaurant Le Richmond in Griffintown, taking full charge of the interior design and overseeing the project.
In addition to all this, for the past five years he has been vice-president, operations support at LCI Éducation, the international division of the renowned Collège LaSalle, which comprises five schools and offers more than 60 programs. It is now present on five continents and has 23 higher education campuses that train over 17,000 students annually around the world.
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Le Richmond
377, rue Richmond
Montréal (Qc) H3J 1T9
514 508.8749
lerichmond.com
Le Richmond marché italien/Bistro
333, rue Richmond
Montréal (Qc) H3J 1T9
514 508.8749
lerichmond.com