Montreal is no complete stranger to Brutalist architecture. The iconic utopian real estate complex that neglects the St Lawrence River (Environment 67 by Moshe Safdie for Exposition 67) is just one of lots of, albeit the most popular. During the 6 years that I lived in the city, my time was marked by raw, unfinished concrete– from Concordia University’s Hall Structure to Location Bonaventure Metro station, and numerous others. In reality, much of the architectural landscape of the city bears the weight of its brutalist forefathers. It’s in this context that Montreal-based cooking studio Menu Bonus crafted a gastronomic experience rooted in brutalism, regional flavours and immersive design.
” After our activation at Environment 67, we felt forced to highlight other, maybe lesser-known gems of Montreal’s modernist built-heritage. There’s a grounding quality to brutalist architecture that creates a striking backdrop for an experience exploring fine dining as ritual. The raw materiality and huge character of these areas naturally provide themselves to a sense of consideration,” shares Creative Director Samuel de La Courtemanche.
Developed as part of Montréal en Lumière, an annual winter season festival set in the city’s downtown core, Menu Bonus changed Chapelle des Franciscains in Rosemont into a cinematic, chartreuse-tined stage for a multi-course tasting menu of Québec’s finest flavours. Produced by a multidisciplinary group of sommeliers, chefs, designers and other creatives, the soiree was called Efflorescence– a name that appropriately combines art and brutalism, referencing both the chalky powder excess that appears when water evaporates from concrete and a state of blooming.
Developed by Menu Bonus and Montréal-based design studio Martha, the graphic identity of Efflorescence is anchored in architecture, with an
elongated typography and logotype that references the geometry of its setting. Flowering from within the stark, but soaring, vaulted ceilings, a 40-foot-long, communal table draped in sultry green fabric– with a hollowed diamond motif that mirrors the ceiling– emerges as the central focal point. In its center, visitors can discover a fluted-acrylic lightbox full of live plants, developed to simulate Canada’s boreal forest. Other design touches consisted of aluminum chairs developed by LESORR to match the raw environments, steel stands displaying the menu’s core ingredients (scallops from the Magdalen Islands, among other local delicacies) and a soundscape by regional artist KROY coupled with 2 futuristic speakers designed for the event by MYCOAUDIO. Developed by Creative Director Samuel de la Courtemanche with Creative Producer Amanda Prow, the immersive set style was suggested to motivate interactions between guests and cultivate a sense of exploration and discovery.
“Our experiences are ephemeral in nature, which motivates guests to be genuinely present, knowing the moment can not be repeated,”says Co-Founder and Sommelier Alexis Demers. Illustration by Nicolas Lapierre. With the chefs cooking on complete display and a choreographed service– which included a fragrant hot towel and aromatic smoke to enhance select dishes– Menu Additional carried fine dining as event. And like a call to prayer, the noise of a bell directed visitors to their seats.< img src="https://design-milk.com/images/2026/05/MENUEXTRA_EFFLORESCENCE_FINALSFOOD_JEREMYDIONNE-9-sur-16-1280x1600-1-800x1000.jpg" alt="A little glass of orange liquid, part of the Menu Extra selection, is garnished with green herbs and rests inside a hollow ice block on a round metal tray atop a light green surface." width="800" height="1000"/ > Rooted in seasonality, the menu– created by Francis Blais, Co-Founder and Executive Chef of Menu Extra with picked white wines from Co-Founder and Sommelier Alexis Demers– included Nova Scotian lobster, scallops from the Magdalen Islands, citrus grown by Vyckie Vaillancourt in Laval, and more. Photography by Vanessa Cassar and Jeremy Dionne. Sophie Sobol is a Toronto-based author and editor with a love for art, design and style– from public art to the ideal coffee table to her long-lasting fascination with plaid. As Assistant Editor at Design Milk, she brings her interest for cheerful design to an international audience of kindred spirits. She likewise has a soft spot for ribbons and framing losing lotto tickets.