How 2 Francophone’s voyages to India made them prominent restaurateurs of Montreal?

Everywhere I travel, my heart or shall I say my stomach for some reason would always long for Indian Cuisine. Perhaps, it is that amazing blend of spices served in a dish, which doesn’t really allow me to love any other cuisine as much. My transition from India to Canada just fueled up that urge and added to the longings. So, on the day we commenced our journey to the second-largest Francophone in the world after Paris, I prepared my mind to stay strong and buckle up for some croissants and fries. Not even in my sub-conscious head did it occur to me, that, I was about to discover, what clearly to me is one of the finest places to have Indian Food in entire North America.

Guillaume Lozeau, holding two plates of South Indian Masala Dosa,  during one of his voyages to India

Le Super Qualité, in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Montreal has a very limited range of Indian food menu to offer you, but standing true to its name, the quality of the food would surely make you crave for it more. The interior of the restaurant is subtly decorated with traditional tiffin containers, adding a perfect Indian vibe to the ambience. Sign boards peculiar to various Indian streets and highway restaurants are well placed over the walls. We ordered Vada Pao, a Maharashtrian thali, Chat, Pavbhaji and Masala Dosa, Masala Chai (Tea).

Dahi-Papdi-chat at Le Super Qualite

Masala Dosa, served with traditional lentil soup (Sambaar) and curd at Le Super Qualite

Traditional Indian Containers (Tiffins) at Le Super Qualite

Traditional Maharashtrian cuisine, Pavbhaji served with Pao (braed) and chopped onions

These dishes created a mix of South Indian and Western Indian delicacies on our table and to say that the food was lip-smacking would be an absolute understatement. We knew we had to stop by and have a chat over food with the owner-Guillaume Lozeau, who was busy chopping fresh coriander, a spice typical of Indian food and a sight typical of restaurants with open concept kitchens.

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“My girlfriend Jennifer and I first travelled in 2009-2010 and we have been there for six times ever since” says chef Guillaume Lozeau who runs this place along with his partners Jennifer Zachanowich and Étienne Clémen. It is said that food is a universal language that can not only connect people without borders, but also has the potential to solve most of the unrest in the world. “Our trip to India was definitely well planned. At that time in our lives, Jennifer (my girlfriend and business partner) and I really wanted to travel a lot. In the year prior to that, we had spent quite some time in South East Asia, but I remember the first place we landed in India was New Delhi. The first dish that we had that really blew my mind was Chole Bhatura. I never had anything like it at the time and it really made left a forever lasting impression on me. The whole place also added a lot to the experience, being very crowded, on the street, super atmospheric” he adds, and the sparkle in his eyes was clearly visible when he spoke to us about famous North Indian Dish-Chole Bhatura. The best part of Indian cuisine is, that every state (province) has completely different to offer you in food and there are like 30 such states. It’s a true sight to see how Guillaume and his partners, have cleverly taken best of some of these dishes in the menu and have not cluttered it with a long range of dishes while focusing on providing the authentic Indian taste every time. In their six months of initial journey, they covered quite much of the length and breadth of India including New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and ensured that they also visited kitchens of the locals from these regions. There is not an iota of doubt that the food they served smelled of perfect curation through their travels to India. It was not till we finished our food and satiated our hunger, till we realized that the restaurant is completely occupied by the locals and tourists at Montreal and several others were queuing up.

“I really fell in love with cooking Indian food. It just amazed me (and still does) that you can get all this range of flavors from just a few choices of spices and simple cooking techniques (example: tempering). I never really gave it much thought that the restaurant would be in a French area of Montreal. I knew that people like the food that we were cooking since we had run a successful catering service prior to opening the restaurant. I was confident that there were enough people in Montreal to make our project successful”. The Food business however, because of its dynamics, remains one of the most difficult businesses to embark on, especially if you haven’t inherited the brand name. It is interesting how these restaurateurs took up the challenge like a pro. “As far as hiccups, well we had to learn the entire business of owning a restaurant from scratch. It’s been a long learning process. The largest obstacle we faced was our restaurant getting flooded last winter. We had to close for 3 months and we nearly lost everything. We cope with all the obstacles as best we can. We try not to sweat the small stuff too much. In the restaurant business, there is always something unexpected happening. Everyday brings something new. It’s not always easy but we do our best to stay level-headed and deal with every situation as best as we can”, he continues.

We are sure this piece has already tempted you to book a trip either to India or to Montreal, but, in-case you are taking up the former one Guillaume Lozeau has some advice to offer you from his extensive travels:

1. Don’t try to see too much. Pick a few places and spend more time there.

2. Talk with as many strangers as you can. Very easy thing in India.

3. Try to get invited to someone’s home for dinner.

4. Get off the backpacker tourist trail. Very easy to do, India is huge.

5. Ride the train as much as you can

6. Don’t bargain too much with rickshaw drivers. Waste of your time and energy.

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