Chef’s Notes: Inside Dorsia’s Seasonal Tasting Menu in Montreal
Quietness falls when the first plate arrives.
Not silence exactly, but a shared stillness, the kind that happens when everyone knows something special is about to unfold. At Dorsia, that pause marks the beginning of a journey. One that moves slowly, deliberately, through flavor, texture, and time.
The tasting menu at Dorsia is a narrative, a story told through ingredients, and each chapter shaped by the season and the chef’s instinct. The team approaches it with a kind of reverence, building a flow that feels natural and deeply considered. Every bite lingers just long enough before the next arrives.
Chef Miles Pundsack-Poe, who leads the kitchen, is known for his balance of French and Italian technique filtered through Québec’s ingredients. His cooking is generous, meticulous, and grounded. It’s the kind of food that doesn’t shout for attention but earns it, quietly and without pretense.
The Rhythm of the Season
Each season in Montreal leaves its own mark on the menu. The city’s rhythm shifts with the markets: spring brings tender greens and sweet peas, summer overflows with peaches and herbs. Autumn deepens into mushrooms and roasted root vegetables. By winter, there’s comfort: slow-braised meats, dark sauces, and the kind of warmth you crave when snow hits the window.
The seasonal tasting menu at Dorsia is built on this rhythm. It’s not dictated by trends or technique, but by what feels alive right now; what smells fresh at Jean-Talon, what’s just come off the boats in Gaspé, what the farmers from the Laurentians say will only be here for two weeks.
The kitchen moves with those ingredients, letting them guide the direction. A ripe tomato might shift the course of an entire dish. A small batch of local chanterelles might inspire a sauce that only appears for a weekend. This fluidity is part of the experience; you never quite know what form the story will take, only that it will feel of the moment.
What’s in Season Now
Right now, Dorsia’s dinner menu includes chanterelle and corn fricassée beside sweet corn; entries that hint at harvest time. There’s an apricot cake, kissed by almond and wild honey, which gently nods to summer fading into fall.
On the current menu, you might taste:
Local duck with orange and aged citrus peel.
Cavatelli with confit duck leg, nduja spice, and smoked chili.
Vivaneau, a tender red snapper, paired with cherry tomatoes and buttery potatoes.
A dessert of apricot cake with almond and wild honey that feels like sunlight in flavor form.
Each dish tells you what the city tastes like in this exact moment: crisp air and the scent of herbs drying on the counter.
Why Seasonality Matters
Cooking this way means surrendering control. Ingredients dictate the direction, not the other way around. For Dorsia, that’s the point.
Freshness is all about connection. The team works closely with Québec producers, sourcing vegetables, meats, and cheeses that reflect the landscape around them. Supporting these farms is part of the restaurant’s identity.
There’s also sustainability built into the process. Working seasonally means less waste, smarter use of resources, and creativity born out of constraint.
Dorsia, French Restaurant located in the heart of Old Montreal
Familiar, Yet Unexpected
Chef Pundsack-Poe’s food has a quiet confidence. It draws you in with something recognizable, then offers something you didn’t see coming.
A Caesar salad becomes a study in texture: crisp Baby Gem lettuce layered with boquerones or a vegan crumble made from sourdough.
A terrine of foie gras and eel surprises with ginger and five-spice, the flavors melting into something both nostalgic and new.
Even the simplest mozzarella di bufflone comes alive with grilled peach, basil, and a hint of balsamic.
Nothing feels forced. The creativity lives in the balance: the contrast of acidity and fat, softness and crunch, warmth and cool. Every course builds on what came before, like verses in a song.
Crafting the Journey
A tasting menu should be about seeing how flavors evolve when each plate is given time to breathe.
At Dorsia, the tasting menu in Montreal unfolds across eight courses. It opens with a whisper, a small amuse-bouche that sets the tone. Something delicate, maybe a bite of seafood or a chilled soup laced with olive oil. The first plates tend to be bright and clean, designed to awaken the palate.
As the menu moves forward, textures deepen. There’s a steady tempo: seafood giving way to richer meats, vegetables grounding each course in color and scent. By the time dessert arrives, you’ve tasted a complete thought.
The pacing is intentional. Plates arrive with unhurried precision. You’re never rushed, but you’re never left waiting too long.
The Wine That Carries the Story
Every great menu needs its companion, and Dorsia’s wine pairings are a story of their own.
The restaurant’s cellar reflects the same philosophy as the food: thoughtful, expressive, and global in inspiration but local in heart. You’ll find wines from Burgundy, Sicily, and the Loire Valley sitting alongside small Québec producers who are redefining what the region can offer.
The sommelier works closely with Chef Pundsack-Poe, tasting each dish and finding a wine that enhances its emotion, not just its flavor. A delicate seafood course might call for a mineral white that sharpens the edge. A slow-braised meat finds its echo in something deeper, a wine with warmth, maybe a quiet spice note that mirrors the sauce.
It’s a collaboration in the truest sense; kitchen and cellar in conversation.
A Visual Symphony
Presentation at Dorsia feels effortless but precise. Each plate arrives like part of a film frame, so it’s balanced and composed, but never stiff. Colors play against neutral ceramics, and textures are layered in ways that draw the eye before the fork even lifts.
The restaurant’s setting complements this aesthetic. Marble, mirrors, and soft light set a tone that feels cinematic. The space doesn’t compete with the food; it heightens it.
Inside the Kitchen
Behind that calm dining room is a kitchen in motion, a rhythm of knives, whispers, and glances.
Chef Pundsack-Poe and his team work together in harmony until they find something that feels right. Collaboration is constant.
Sourcing plays a central role. Relationships with local farms and suppliers go back years. Quality is tested, not assumed. The team spends time understanding where each product comes from: the soil, the water, the story behind it. That knowledge shapes how it’s used, often inspiring dishes that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
There’s no sense of competition in the kitchen, only pursuit; the desire to express a feeling through food.
FAQs About Dorsia’s Tasting Menu
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The Chef’s Carte Blanche menu includes eight seasonal courses.
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Seasonally. Some dishes stay a little longer if an ingredient remains exceptional, but the structure evolves with the market.
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Pairings are optional and highly recommended.
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Yes. Dorsia offers tailored private dining experiences upon request
Where the Evening Ends
What stays with you after Dorsia isn’t one flavor. It’s the sense of being part of something considered: a kitchen that listens to the season, a chef who builds meaning from what’s close to home, a team that serves quietly and precisely.
Each menu is a new conversation between place and time. The strawberries of summer, the chanterelles of autumn, the slow richness that settles into winter; they all find their way here, layered into something that feels alive.
There’s no grand finale, only a quiet satisfaction that lingers once the last plate is cleared.
If you’ve been waiting to experience a tasting menu in Montreal that feels personal to the city and its moment, this is where to begin.
Reserve your table at Dorsia and taste what the season is saying right now.
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396 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1T9