Annette bar à vin, located in the heart of the Shop Angus district in Rosemont, opened in 2023. Annette is Chef Marc-Antoine Jetté’s second establishment, sitting almost directly across from his first restaurant, Hoogan & Beaufort. It’s something of a little sibling, more relaxed, less formal, but every bit as ambitious. The space occupies a modern glass building with an open kitchen overlooking a contemporary dining room. The moment you walk through the door, the intention is clear that the atmosphere is deliberately accessible and convivial, without sacrificing excellence.
The menu that evening, developed by chefs Marc-André Jetté and Paul Ruff, featured seasonal food like halibut, asparagus, and also offered a four-course tasting menu for 85 CAD. That’s roughly what I ended up spending on my four à la carte dishes, which left me thoroughly satisfied.
But Annette is certainly not a simple wine bar where you nibble just to keep your hands busy. The space offers a carefully curated wine selection by sommelier director Hugo Duchesne and a cocktail menu crafted by Olivier Quintin. Beyond the plate and glass, there are also Monday tasting evenings with Hugo Duchesne, comedy shows, DJ nights, and live jazz, events that turn a simple dinner out into a genuine experience.
Recognition also came quickly. Annette earned its Michelin Bib Gourmand as early as 2025, a distinction reserved for restaurants offering quality cooking at a reasonable price. A well-deserved title, as I was about to find out for myself.
My experience at Annette bar à vin
I settle in on the small terrace, waiting for my first dish. The Nordic shrimp rolls with cucumber and brioche arrive first. The brioche immediately wins me over, soft without being overly buttery, barely crisp on the outside, pillowy within. The shrimp nestle in a fresh mayonnaise sauce, and the lightly pickled cucumber delivers that welcome hit of acidity that brings everything to life. The only slight stumble is in the depth of the roll itself: you occasionally reach the end of the brioche with no filling left, a small imbalance that left me wanting just a little more.
The asparagus with ajo blanco sauce corrects course with surgical precision. The asparagus are fresh, barely crunchy, and cooked with exemplary restraint. The plating is careful, almost geometric, the spears laid side by side neatly. The ajo blanco sauce is subtle and unobtrusive, giving the vegetable room to shine. A touch of vinegar, fleur de sel, garlic croutons, carrots, radish, and a few young shoots come together in a gentle melody of textures and flavors. A dish that proves vegetable-forward cooking, in the right hands, needs no apology alongside anything else on the menu.
The halibut with watercress and saffron sauce confirms that the kitchen handles fish with equal confidence. The flesh pulls apart easily into clean, even layers. The hallmark of a perfectly judged cook. The watercress sauce brings the herbal note, and the grilled broccolini adds a smoky depth that anchors the dish, almost like an umami undercurrent. The saffron plays it coy, present only in the most delicate way, but the watercress sauce is generous enough to bind every bite. A well-balanced plate.
The mille-feuille closes the meal. The haskap berry purée, slightly tart, plays against the ricotta cream, airy and light as a cloud. The waffle sheets, cut into irregular shapes, ultra-thin and barely crisp, give way at the first touch of the fork, and the pistachios bring their toasted note to complete the picture. An elegant, precise dessert that you almost eat with your eyes alone.
