Press Reviews
Simona Rabinovitch, The Globe and Mail – March 15, 2008
Barfly: POP!'s Brazilian Bubble Tea
«Scandinavian design, specialty cocktails, great wine and delightful food are the secrets of this intimate, sophisticated wine bar.
Nestled on a residential street on the cusp of the Plateau neighbourhood (and sharing an entrance with acclaimed bistro Laloux) Pop! borrows design inspiration from Danish Modern circa 1950, a passion of owner Jean Duval.
The long walnut bar, dim lights, leather sofas and teak tables and chairs are a perfect environment for cozying up to your date.
As such, Pop!'s friendly, cool vibe reels in an upscale yet low-profile clientele: fun after-work types and bon vivants who don't need loud music and tacky schmoozing for a good time.
An extensive wine list features organic brands, while cocktails - called Poptails - include treats like High Wind in Jamaica and the Bitter Margarita. Sweet and sparkling wines and ciders complete the bar menu.
Pop!'s kitchen features a small, creative selection of exquisite desserts and classic bistro fare with a whimsical twist.
It's creatively directed by rising young Quebec pastry chef star Patrice Demers, Laloux's chef pâtissier, who describes the menu as "lighthearted and carefree."
Like the bar itself, it is.»
enRoute – October 2007
Signature Drink: Avenue des Pins
«Can a cocktail think globally but act locally?
Riffing on the universal G&T, Popl's Avenue des
Pins comes close. A drinkable double entendre,
the name references this stylish bar's address
and a special ingredient: Bertrand spruce beer
(tastes like a pine tree, only sweeter and fizzier).
"It has a real coniferous kick," says mixologist
Michelle Marek. The esthetic is evergreen, too:
"It's clear like a gin and tonic, but I freeze rosemary
sprigs in ice cubes to add colour and
three-dimensionality." To recreate this spin on a
classic Quebecois soda, pick up a bottle at Paul
Patates, the keeper Émile Bertrand's recipe.»
Marc Losier, Martiniboys.com – July 2005
“Scandinavian style melds with a sprawling selection
of wines inside bistro Laloux’s adjoining brethen
Pop! Inside, young and established professionals rest comfortably
on the black leather banquettes adorning Pop’s walls.”
Lesley Chesterman, The Gazette – Saturday, August
27, 2005
Pop!
goes the cork
“The bistro laloux, one of the city’s most serious
wine restaurants, has opened a cool wine bar. Pop! is an
edgy den of 1960s Danish teak furniture. All the action
emanates from the bar where, if you eavesdrop carefully,
you’ll hear wine lovers discussing the latest wine
agents and the merits of 2003 Beaujolais.”
Chris Johns, enRoute – novembre 2005 / November
2005
Les meilleurs
nouveaux restos Canadiens 2005 / Canada’s Best New
Restaurants 2005
« Nos nouveaux bars préférés…le
bar à vin Pop! (voisin du vénérable
Laloux) offre de petites bouchées et une longue carte
de vins biodynamiques dans un décor danois moderne. »
“ Our Favourite New Bars…The Montreal wine bar
Pop! (adjacent to venerable restaurant Laloux)
offers light bites and a list of many biodynamic wines amid
tasteful Danish Modern teak.”
Lesley Chesterman, The Gazette – November
5, 2005
Privacy is
on the menu
« Pop! This branché wine bar and little sister
to the popular Plateau bistro Laloux can be booked for 35
to 40 diners, or cocktail parties for up to 75. Revellers
can opt for chic bistro menu from Laloux or the more tapas-inspired
offerings at Pop! »
