Montréal is a city known for some of the best restaurants in the world, and on any given night, dining rooms across the city are buzzing with energy. But some of the most interesting meals in the city aren’t happening in restaurants at all. They’re unfolding in one-off spaces — lofts, galleries, iconic architectural marvels — where the lighting, music, table settings, and menu have all been designed for a single night. And they’re being created by Menu Extra, the culinary studio behind some of the city’s most sought-after reservations, with its high-concept immersive dining experiences.
“We found early on that the short-lived moment has so much strength.”Alexis Demers
Founded by hospitality veterans chef Francis Blais and sommelier Alexis Demers, Menu Extra operates partly as a catering company, but also as a multidisciplinary studio. Each event blends gastronomy, design, and narrative into a single cohesive experience, often built around long communal tables and carefully choreographed service. Some dinners are independent creations; others are collaborations with brands looking for a more imaginative way to connect with audiences.
“We’re very passionate about gastronomy and hospitality,” says creative director Samuel Courtemanche. “But what we really aim to do is create moments where people can connect — with food, with wine, and with one another.”
That emphasis on connection is central to Menu Extra’s philosophy. The events are intentionally ephemeral. Unlike restaurants that guests can return to again and again, these dinners happen once and then disappear. The idea is that the temporary nature of the experience encourages guests to be more present.
“We found early on that the short-lived moment has so much strength in it,” says Demers. “It makes people remember it more. It makes them appreciate the moment more. People are more present, rather than in a restaurant where you can go back again and again.”
Although every great restaurant contains elements of theatre, the services put on by Menu Extra take that idea to the next level, with ambitious events in both scale and imagination.
Last summer, for example, Menu Extra staged a dinner inside Montréal’s iconic Habitat 67, the legendary brutalist housing complex overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The team installed a custom-built 12-metre-long red table with matching benches, creating a dramatic communal setting against the concrete architecture of the site — opening the private residential complex to the public for one night only.
Other events have been equally theatrical. This past March, guests gathered in the nave of a Franciscan chapel, giving the evening the feeling of dining in a Bond villain’s lair.
Courtemanche, who previously worked in marketing at advertising and architecture firm Sid Lee, oversees the visual and spatial elements of the events, ensuring the experience feels cohesive from the moment guests arrive.
That multidisciplinary approach is a big part of what makes Menu Extra stand out. Instead of relying on standardized event rentals or generic catering setups, the team often designs custom elements in-house and works with collaborators to build them specifically for each occasion.
Menu Extra’s ability to translate that sensibility into branded events has also made the team a favourite collaborator for companies looking to create memorable experiences. Instead of plastering logos everywhere, the studio works closely with brands to develop a narrative that can be expressed through food, design, and atmosphere. So far, the studio has produced events for Bang & Olufsen, Dom Pérignon, and Nespresso, among others.
The menus themselves are often conceptual. A recent dinner with Evian in Toronto took diners on a journey through the French Alps, with the décor and tasting menu developed to highlight the uniqueness of natural spring water.
The chapel dinner, staged to celebrate the Montréal en Lumière festival, focused on regional ingredients: Magdalen Islands lobster, citrus grown on Île Jésus, duck from artisanal farms, and herbs and root vegetables sourced from local producers. Wines from producers such as Jean-Yves Perron and Roagna were paired throughout the meal.
“People crave real experiences more than ever. Hospitality is one of the few things in life that genuinely brings people together, and what Menu Extra has built hits on both levels.”Elise Tastet, founder and editor of Tastet.
That level of attention has quickly earned the studio a devoted following among Montréal’s creative crowd and beyond. Elise Tastet, founder and editor of Tastet, a popular food media company, describes Menu Extra as “the best curators of unique, high-end experiences,” but also sees it as representing something larger happening in Montréal right now: a new generation of hospitality entrepreneurs blending creativity, design, and culinary talent into new kinds of experiences with grit and passion.
Part of their appeal, she adds, comes from the way their events respond to a broader cultural moment. “People crave real experiences more than ever,” she says. “Hospitality is one of the few things in life that genuinely brings people together, and what Menu Extra has built hits on both levels. Their events are breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly delicious.”
While pop-ups and event-driven dining have become increasingly popular worldwide, Tastet believes Menu Extra is operating at a different level.
“When it comes to branded events, highly curated experiences and high-end hospitality, they are simply a step above everyone else doing it.”
For now, the team continues to refine its formula at home in Montréal, where the city’s vibrant food culture provides a natural testing ground. But their ambitions extend far beyond Quebec. Menu Extra has already begun exploring opportunities in Toronto and internationally, bringing its immersive approach to new audiences.
“The goal is to keep growing while maintaining the same level of creativity and hospitality,” the team says.
If the trajectory continues, Montréal’s most exciting dinner party may soon be heading to a city near you.
FEATURE IMAGE: MENU EXTRA, HABITAT 67. PHOTO © JEREMY DIONNE
