Did you know there's a place on Plaza Saint-Hubert where you can toast next to a photo of Jacques Chirac, play pétanque with a Ricard in hand, and savor a cordon bleu or other delicious French dish? Double Menton & Saucisson embodies a festive atmosphere, perfect for "gathering with friends."

The restaurant-bar, open for 6 months, aims to be a neighborhood bar, but more specifically "a friends' bar with a strong French identity [meaning] pétanque, Ricard, pike quenelle on the menu," summarizes Constance Remy, co-owner of the establishment with Renaud Marchal and Justine Chevalier-Martineau. Moreover, these latter two also run the curiosity shop Chez Ernest a little further down the street.

"All the feedback we get is that it's the village square. It's super flattering because that's really what we wanted."

"Everything started with the pétanque court [...] we wanted to open a second establishment here, with this pétanque concept that didn't exist indoors in Montreal [editor's note: yes yes, you read that right, there's a pétanque court inside]. And then, around that, there was everything else: darts, foosball, pinball," lists the co-owner.

Around that, French references are displayed throughout Double Menton & Saucisson. On the walls, black and white photos follow one another, showing among others French President Jacques Chirac with a glass in hand, singer-songwriter Georges Brassens, and even a character from the series Les Guignols de l'info.

Opposite is the "double chin wall," a wall covered with photos of... double chins!

"I used to go to a bar in Nice and it was super cool, there was a little area where you had four photos of regulars and I thought 'But we should have a camera, a kodak to take photos of customers, regulars, staff,'" recalls Constance.

Double Menton & Saucisson is a place to meet with friends, but not only! It's a haven for expatriates a bit nostalgic for France, and an ideal place to host birthdays or corporate parties. "There are already many Christmas parties booked for December," she adds.

This "gathering with friends" aspect plays a large part in the restaurant-bar's festive atmosphere. "While you're eating, people are playing darts, foosball, so it really creates an energy unique to Double."

The co-owner also recounts witnessing a giant conga line that went all around the bar.

Regarding the cuisine, the goal was to serve homemade French dishes that are simple but effective according to Constance Remy.

Customers can choose between a slice of quiche, a croque-monsieur, a Lyon salad, a cordon bleu, or charcuterie boards, which are partly homemade.

The chef, Pierre-Antoine, also concocted a recipe for homemade blood sausage croquettes with mustard sauce, a successful dish. "It was out of the question that we make onion rings or chicken wings. [...] Even if it's good, it doesn't work," she states.

Moreover, the kitchen stays open throughout the evening and, depending on traffic, switches to a reduced menu starting at 11 p.m., or even 11:30 p.m.

At the bar, several references not found in Quebec are highlighted, such as diabolo violette, for example.

Le Double also offers Pago fruit juices and all the variations of Ricard with La Mauresque, Le Perroquet, and La Tomate. For the anecdote, the bar has a Ricard counter that in 6 months has already reached 10,300.

"We make Monaco, shandy, and everything on the menu is written in centiliters," details Constance Remy before adding that all products on the menu already include taxes.

The restaurant-bar also offers events: "[we have] Thursday steak-frites & shenanigans and costume karaoke. The food theme is bound to evolve, at the very beginning we started with moules-frites karaoke and it worked really well," she recounts.

Once a month, Double Menton bingo takes place with prizes to win. "The first test phase was a few weeks ago and it went really well, the bar was full and everyone played along with their little tokens."

To check the restaurant's opening hours, go here.