RATAFIA: DESSERTS FIRST!

—Launched in the heart of summer, the Ratafia is your next favorite place for your evening outings. When talking about dessert bar, it’s really about the word “bar” that needs to be emphasized. Because here, it is not for the children and it is rather the gastronomic version of the dessert that we will serve you with a glass of wine or a cocktail, of course. I spoke with Sandra Forcier and Jared Tuck, the co-owners, to learn more about their vision..

While what Ratafia offers is absent on the Quebec and even Canadian market, where did you get the idea to open a gourmet dessert bar?

Jared and I did the ITHQ, after our studies, we traveled, we were inspired, we knew both that we wanted to open something, but we did not know exactly what we wanted, but we knew we wanted to open something that did not exist, otherwise it would have been too difficult. Having a super sweet tooth, we decided why not make a bar, but with a dessert card and Jared knew a pastry chef interested in the adventure (Valentin Rouyé, the pastry chef of the place) and that’s this way the project started.

Bars are not what is missing in Montreal, and stand out, that’s where the challenge, I guess?

Especially since we are strangers in the bar scene. Anyone of known can open something and attract people, but we do not have that luxury.

Precisely, Jared, you say that you are strangers in this universe, but you must have a history in this field?

Yes, for my part I’m in the universe since I was 14–15, where I started in the world of fast food and then go to more prestigious addresses here in Montreal, Whistler or the Yukon by developing various skills in wine knowledge, service, diving, etc. I started to specialize in wine at La Buvette chez Simone. I always tell this story about my interview at La Buvette chez Simone. I knew nothing about wine or almost, and Simone asked me a wine question and it was the only one I knew the answer, it was on the Côtes du Rhône, and it was the only chapter that I had read and I said Grenache and Syrah, and lo and behold, I got it. Subsequently, the ITHQ really helped me become a manager and take my knowledge into service to make it a business. I also had wine experiences at Pastaga and Hoogan & Beaufort to learn the high-end wines so I can say

where there were several on the menu. I also traveled a lot, which allowed me to learn even more and enjoy different things.

And you, Sandra, is your path similar to Jared’s?

My CV is not as cool as Jared’s, but I started in Saint-hyacinthe where I come from, whether it’s a waitress or a barmaid, and I’ve always taken on responsibilities in the institutions where I worked. I had a freedom to set up processes and everything. After the ITHQ, I worked at Graziella, so I touched everything, both kitchen and dining room. Both sets, we have a solid enough experience to handle Ratafia.

And for the inspiration, Sandra, I imagine you had it right in those trips where you discovered the dessert bars?

We frequented it during our travels, but none of the bars served gourmet desserts. It was more during our search for competition that we found places like CODA in Berlin. In fact, we took all the positive aspects of each of the concepts from the places we visited and looked at, and we put everything together to do something that looked like us.

I think that basically, it was really that, Sandra loves desserts, me too, said Jared.

And what is good is that it gives a new perspective to your evening. Often, people go out, they supper, and after, nothing happens, they talk, but they do not consume any more, they do not want to go to another place because everyone goes away. So with Ratafia, people have a new wine list, a new dessert menu, said Sandra.

The inspiration also comes from Leméac where we ended our evenings. It’s a beautiful concept, it closes later, we can go there to eat a French toast which is super good, but why not offer a different offer, but also for the neighborhood. We live near the restaurant, we like the neighborhood, we see the potential here.

If you talk about the place, at the decoration level, it’s something that does not make a cheap neighborhood bar, nor is it Italian.

I’m a lot on Pinterest, said Sandra, I spend a lot of time on the platform. I had a really clear idea of the setup of the place. We have two main bars facing each other, a pastry side and a cocktail side. When we saw the front doors, we put benches facing the street, and we also wanted a group space. It really started this way and we proposed it to the LOVASI designer firm and they came back with a plan, colors and a tone that we liked. We wanted it to be elegant, it’s important to be elegant, but not wanting to be too chic for people to go out the door. In our service and in the home, this is where we come to balance the golden colors of the decor.

We also wanted, me and Sandra, a timeless place, which does not have the appearance of being too old or new, said Jared.

I am a lot more “light” in life than Jared, so it was important to have some in our decor as well.

There is also a lot of art deco, that Sandra love, is very present in our inspiration.

If we come to the concept, what are your must-try at Ratafia?

I think our strength is our dessert wine/cocktail pairing.

It is still a challenge, it is necessary to bring the presence of a sugar in the wine and in the dessert it adds a new challenge. We are working hard to find new products that will make our pairing perfect.

If you had to choose what you prefer on the menu, what would be the first choice?

I have not managed to find my favorite yet. On the visual side, I would say the choux Brest, I find it so beautiful, it makes me the same effect every time I put it on a table. And also the friends plate. We do not prepare the stuff that is there, but there are many delicious dishes of Falafel Yoni, Conserva, Automne Boulangerie. This is not a platter of charcuteries, in short, it’s really what I ordered the most up to date, said Sandra.

For me, said Jared, that would be kouign-amann. It goes into everything I love. The “chewy” side, crisp, and not only that, it works very well with the Tokaj, which is probably our best dessert wine. I could finish my life with this pairing.

Do not forget that we are going to have some small salty recipes to add to it in order to have a complete offer, but nothing too complex for the kitchen.

And who is your clientele here?

The foodies who discovered the place by an article, or people from the neighborhood. We also have a lot of regulars. We are really happy about that.