Le Fou Fou Food Hall at Royalmount opens on September 5
If you live in the Greater Montréal area, you’ve probably heard about the Royalmount project, which will be located west of the intersection of highways 15 and 40. When it opens on September 5, it will be a luxury destination like no other in the metropolis (we told you all about it here). What’s more, it will be home to the Le Fou Fou Food hall, an incredible and innovative project we spoke about with gourmet hall expert Jay Coldren, who is heading up the project implemented by David Hass, owner of MTB Collective in collaboration with Carbonleo.
What will Le Fou Fou Food Hall be?
It will be a 30,000+ square foot luxury dining space, bringing a whole new way of looking at food halls to Montréal, and perhaps to the rest of the planet. Here, it’s a space filled with life that they wanted to create. The team wanted to emphasize gastronomic exploration and creativity. The team behind this concept is Carbonleo, the group behind the Four Seasons Hotel Montréal, in collaboration with the renowned architectural and interior design geniuses at LemayMichaud.
Will there be enough for everyone?
Le Fou Fou Food Hall will offer a variety of 12 culinary offerings, 4 bars, and indoor/outdoor space for over 900 guests. The restaurants and designers behind the projects include James Beard Award-winner Tony Messina (Uni Boston), Hanhak Kim (of Bar Otto fame), Lenny Lighter of Moishes will be behind PRIME Bar à Bœuf, the Torres brothers (Hogar Steakhouse) and more to be revealed soon.
Read our interview with Jay Coldren, director of Le FouFou Food hall
How exactly did the idea for the concept come about?
Le Fou Fou was conceived by the development team at CarbonLeo to serve as a vibrant dining and entertainment hub for guests visiting the all-new Royalmount development. Anchoring the primary retail corridor on the metro level, this day-and-night venue, designed by local architects Lemay-Michaud, offers guests a variety of communal and intimate dining experiences for guests to discover. With an all-day dining zone, a late-night cocktail area, two sit-down restaurants, and a beautiful al fresco garden terrace, it will take several visits to get to know Le Fou Fou.
How will it differ from Time Out Market or Central?
Le Fou Fou combines an upscale, restaurant-style interior with a unique combination of walk-up kiosks and sit-down restaurants that give our guests the freedom to explore our wide range of cuisines or book a table for a full-service dining experience. On the culinary side, we have combined Montréal’s top chefs and restaurateurs, local favourites and award-winning culinary talent from outside of the region to create a one-of-a-kind dining destination. In addition, our proprietary technology platform allows guests to order from any of the culinary offerings within the hall and have their food delivered directly to their table—without waiting in line. This will make Le Fou Fou an experience like no other in the market.
We see a real resemblance with what’s present at Harrods or La Grande Épicerie de Paris, for example. Will the concept also feature takeaways and a grocery concept (pastry, bakery, etc.), as this is at the centre of a community that’s set to grow over the next few years?
From a design perspective, we believe that the quality and sophistication of the Le Fou Fou interiors will be on par with venues like La Grande Epicerie, Amsterdam’s Foodhallen, or the Harrod’s Food Hall, however, we did not feel that raw foods and groceries were the best fit with Royalmount’s luxury shopping experience. Nonetheless, guests at Le Fou Fou may take home some of the city’s finest pastries and viennoiserie, enjoy seasonal retail pop-ups, and sample artisanal food products from Montreal’s top food retail purveyors.There’s a great deal of diversity in the food offerings.
A festive offer at Le Fou Fou Food Hall!
How will the bars that make up the more festive offering look like?
In addition to the concept-specific beverage offerings provided by each kiosk, Le Fou Fou will also feature five individually themed bars that provide guests with the perfect complement for any evening. The offerings include two full-service restaurant bars, a Wine and Tapas bar (with wine flights and a full bottle menu), a dramatic horseshoe-shaped cocktail and raw bar, and our Bar Sucre featuring specialty martinis and dessert cocktails perfect for an after-dinner nightcap.
Why should people visit Le Fou Fou, apart from Royalmount?
In addition to great cuisine and delicious cocktails, Le Fou Fou will offer our guests a full roster of cultural, gastronomic, and artistic experiences to create fun and unexpected activities throughout the year. Our cultural calendar includes top-tiered live music acts, cultural partnerships, viewing parties, art events, holiday celebrations and retail pop-ups. The team is also developing a weekend Punch Brunch combining decadent brunch offerings with a unique menu punch bowls for couples and small groups. When the sun goes down, Le Fou Fou heats up with a concert-quality sound system, live music and happy hour offers throughout the hall.
From September 5, 2024
Opening hours
Sunday to Friday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. – midnight
Address
5050 Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse (In Royalmount)
Town of Mount Royal, QC
H4P 0C9
Métro de la Savanne (a footbridge has been installed just for pedestrians)