From a little to a lot: NDG’s Café Entre-Deux

Café Entre-Deux is exactly what Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood needed. A small, welcoming place with good coffee. You will find a well-thought menu, a perfect local wine list and a friendly atmosphere. Despite opening during a pandemic, they still managed to fill out tables almost every night. Below, we spoke to Alexander Quinton Brunet to learn more about the men and the ideology behind the hotspot.

I’ve heard mixed things. Some people say it’s two people behind Entre-Deux. Others say it’s three and then four. How many of you are there?

On paper, it’s three of us. Marc, Felix and myself. Felix has no prior restaurant experience, but he has an electrician degree, so when it came to the design and structure of the space, Felix took care of that. Beyond that, we have other vital people. We have a bar manager, Jonas, in charge of the cocktail programme. Then we have Chef Vincent, who worked with Marc and me at Mano Cornuto before the pandemic.

You worked there? I love that place!

Yeah, that place is a huge inspiration for what we do here. It’s a great spot with such a good vibe! It’s loud and bustling. It’s not perfect, but that’s not what they’re trying to be.

It's a super fun experience. I love that the menu is very selective. Some people do complain about that, but that's what I prefer. It's as if they're implicitly saying, 'trust us, we've got you'.

I love that. I'm glad you understand the context of what they're trying to do there. It's just old, known recipes that people would grow up with. When you see 100 things on the menu, it's decision paralysis, and nobody has time for that. You're not having fun, and you're not talking to people because you're too busy browsing the menu. F*ck that. When you have limited items on the menu, you either take it or leave it. 

That ideology is what we tried to bring here. If it was up to me, I’d choose everything for everybody. I’d dictate where they’re going to sit and what they’re going to eat. The food will come out when it comes out. And people just need to have faith that we’ll show them a great time.  

Exactly. So was Entre-Deux meant to start as a coffee shop only?

Yes and no. It was going to be coffee, and maybe things like charcuterie. Just easy items, and it was meant to be pretty basic. For instance, we didn't intend on having a chef de cuisine. Then Vince showed up and completely changed the idea of what the place was supposed to be, which was great. 

Marc, Vince and I worked at Mano Cornuto. Vince was a sous chef there, and he approached us in April for this project. We didn't have a chef at the time, nor did we have any kitchen ideas yet. We just signed the lease, thinking we'd figure everything out afterwards. But Vince was the one who built out the menu and the entire restaurant experience. We let him do whatever he wanted in that aspect. We want our staff to have creative control. I'm not a chef, so I can't tell Vince what to do. It was his kitchen, and we entrusted him. 

It was an evolution, really.

Oh yeah, a massive evolution from when it started. I think Marc had more of an idea of what he wanted to do, but I was somewhat under the mindset of playing things by ear. Our motto at the beginning was ‘as we go’.

What was the timeline like from when you guys came up with the idea to then putting it into action?

Marc and I have known each other for about eight years now, and we’ve always joked about having a restaurant. He recently moved to this neighbourhood, and one day, while he was walking his dog, he thought, “man, I can’t get a coffee anymore.” He came up to me and said, “Hey, Alex, do you want to open a restaurant?” I jumped at the idea. 

In December of 2020, we started looking at spaces. We actually had our first visit across the street from our current location, but they never got back to us. Then we landed on this spot and got the keys on February 1st 2021.

February till May was construction. This place was a mess! There was nothing in here, so we had a lot of work cut out with a tiny budget. Part of the reason everything is so minimal here is that we just didn’t have the money to put anything on the walls. From May 1st, it was a matter of trying to nail the concept, and we soon opened.

But I think a small budget can work to people’s advantage. It forces you to get creative and think harder about getting around different design elements. When I walked in here, I was pleasantly surprised!

Totally! It comes back to the ‘as we go’ concept. We did get lucky with the floor, though. Our landlord had promised epoxy concrete, and it did not come out well at all. We gave them a lot of sh*t. After, I guess he understood that we were working hard and we did have a good project going, so he decided to gift us these floors. 

The countertops came from one of Felix’s clients. He had a surplus, so we got it at a third of the price. And the chairs we paid for are discounted. These chairs were $400 each, and we got them for $150. 

That’s awesome! You guys opened right in the middle of a pandemic. Did you feel the impact at all?

Yes, but in a good way. It seemed like this neighbourhood needed something like this. And people wanted to root for us because we opened during a pandemic. I think they were excited to be out and discover something new. It was summer, and it was sort of like a rebirth of life after a rough couple of months.

There used to be nothing much here, so it’s definitely refreshing to see you guys.

Yeah, and a lot of people would tell us that! They didn’t want to have to walk all the way up to Monkland. I tried it out, and it takes about 25 minutes to get to Melk cafe from here by foot. Their coffee is seriously impressive, but maybe 25 minutes is a little far.

You were closed down a while—when exactly was that?

We opened in summer, and we had a great run until December. We were planning to close for two weeks in January for renovations that were already planned. But in the last week of December, everyone around us was starting to get sick. Luckily our staff didn’t get sick, but reservations were cut in half, and there were plenty of no shows. So there wasn’t any point in staying open during that week. We weren’t able to open again until February 1st. So we had almost two and a half weeks of pandemic mode.

How hard was that?

It was super hard. Marc just had a baby, and we didn’t have the financial resources to pay our staff, so I was working day and night. I was annoyed because I lost the ability to properly interact with our customers. But also, there wasn’t really anyone coming in. It got to the point where if the government couldn’t find a way for restaurants to open up again, we would’ve had to find some way to keep going. I think many other people in hospitality would agree with me because being closed for that long and having our financial resources cut off for thirteen months in the last two and a half years… wow, we were so sick of it. 

The pandemic has been really hard. But it’s somewhat changed people’s perspective of the hospitality industry. They have a greater appreciation for what we do. We’re very passionate, but because we work in a fun environment, sometimes people don’t take us seriously, as they would, say, a doctor or a lawyer. But now, I think we get more respect. 

When we opened, we had nothing to lose. So it seemed worth it. I couldn’t imagine working for anyone else anymore. I’m enjoying the journey. 

Do you think people should come to the restaurant and experience it here over simply getting takeout?

Takeout is fine, but we absolutely prefer that people come stay for a while. We’re not on Doordash, so if anything, people will need to pick their food up directly because we like having that interaction with them. While they wait, we’ll get them a coffee. Otherwise, everything becomes so transactional. And the point of this place is to be a social hub where you can enjoy your time here with others. That’s why the tables are so close together. Takeout f*cking sucks.

What was your combined prior experience like in the restaurant business?

Marc studied marketing at university, and I studied Art History and Photography. I went to Concordia for Art History and Dawson College for Photography. But I never finished because I knew I wanted to work in the restaurant industry. I knew Guillaume Lavallée, a graphic designer who used to run his own firm that did covers for DJs, Coeur de Pirate, and more. He helped us with all the graphic design. We consulted him when it came to the bar, and he helped us out with that, too. 

I’ve worked for almost nine years in the restaurant industry. Marc and Vince have worked for that amount of time, too. We were still young in our experience, but it was that perfect age where you know enough about your sh*t and are excited about trying to do something new. We continuously reflect on what we’ve done and what we want to do. 

It’s always been a collaborative effort. Each of us covers our own bases, but the synergy between us is incredible. We each bring something distinct to the table. With so many moving pieces in the restaurant, it would be a nightmare if just one person took sole responsibility. 

Absolutely. No matter how big or small, Restaurants are a lot of work.

100%. And we want to do everything right. We want our cocktail menu to be solid. Our wine list, solid. Food, solid. Service, and so on. When we started, we hired young people who had never really worked in restaurants before, which is great because there’s a lot to learn. Now, after almost a year, they’re so good at what they do. But it does require a lot of commitment. I take care of the bar programme and the wine list, and then there’s also a lot of work on the kitchen side. Even if it’s a small 27-seat restaurant, there’s plenty to do.

You do a brunch, lunch and night menu. Do you feel like more people come in through the day or at night?

Night, for sure. Most of our revenue comes from that. I’m not really sure why. I guess we push the night more, and Vince’s idea was more suited to a night menu. I also prefer nighttime, given all the bars I’ve worked at, so it came naturally.

Are you thinking about changing the menus?

We changed a couple things on the dinner and cocktail menus for the reopening. It’s still based on the idea of more hearty, comfort food during the winter, so I don’t think we’re going to change anything until the spring or summer.

And then the name, can you tell me a bit more about Entre-Deux?

I've always had a tough time with band names and whatnot. If someone comes up with an idea, I'd just go with it. Marc and I would try and come up with names, but nothing seemed to work. Then he thought of entre-deux, which was cool. For us, entre-deux refers to when you have your appetiser, then main. You can have your apéro or a glass of wine between the two. Entre-deux! It's sort of transitioned to mean other things, too. Some people refer to us as 'Soirée entre-deux', meaning night between two people. 

People started asking me is it was because of this or that, and I don't always have an answer. But I think that's fun because it's become a subject of interest. People are thinking and talking about it, and I love that it was never intentionally meant to be that way. It is hard to brand, to be honest. But I like it. 

In terms of the menu, how important is it for you to use local ingredients?

It’s a local ecosystem, and it’s always going to be fresher. We had this tomato and aioli salad, and it was special because of how good the tomatoes were. Unfortunately, we don’t work with the farm anymore, but all their fruit was just amazing. We also deal with Les Capteurs de Miel, who have organic honey. They ship us a gallon or two every week, and we have their little honey jars that we use in our coffees and dessert. 

There’s a certain level of dignity local producers maintain. Culturally, we look up to restaurants that use local ingredients. When it’s fresh and organic, you can just taste the difference. 

Can you tell me more about the drinks? I was impressed with the effort that went into that because I think the emphasis on the food is excellent, but accompanying beverages can be just as important.

I agree. It’s the cherry on top of what you’re eating. We come from the bar and cocktail world, so our eyes are wide open to that area. With cocktails, it’s more about the sweetness, flavours, and aromas than most conventional wines. I could be wrong. But with our wines, I like them to come from everywhere.

So you don’t necessarily only feature Quebec wines?

We do, but we’re very selective with it. For example, Lieux Communs from Quebec makes a really cool natural wine. They started making wine about three years ago, and it’s a very light one. It’s exactly what every young person that’s into wine will enjoy. If we were to feature just wines from Quebec, there wouldn’t be enough to fill an entire wine list, and we wouldn’t have enough variety.

Very true. As for the cocktails, who crafted them? And how many cocktails do you have to offer?

Jonas. Again, we gave him complete control over it. Marc and I do have experience in cocktails, but truth be told, I have so little time, and Jonas does an incredible job.

In total, we have eight house cocktails. But any classic ones that are off-menu, you can have. Or even if you just have an idea of what you like, we can come up with something for you. It’s like going to a cocktail bar. We wanted to offer that experience.

Can you tell us about the coffee? It’s so good here!

Jessie Lewin from Traffic does coffee. He provides coffee for many other places in the city, but we kind of branded our own and told him what we wanted, which is Italian coffee with a bit of a third wave edge. We developed a Brazilian and Guatemalan blend with a dark Italian roast, but not to the point where you feel like you’re drinking something burnt. It’s not too intense. It’s smooth on the palate, with dark chocolate and cherry notes. For us, our coffee must be consistent. In some places, the flavours can change, sometimes even weekly.

Are you guys thinking of opening or starting something else any time soon?

Good question. We want to make sure this place is 110% before doing anything else. Expanding is what any business owner wants to do, but we really want to be careful about how and when we do it. The effort we put into this place should never diminish if we start something new. And that’s the most important thing to me—having solid management and having a structure to the day-to-day running. Plus, your staff have to be well trained, and they need to respect you and the environment they work in. I want to be at peace knowing that our restaurant would be just fine if I had to leave, even for just a few days. As an owner, you need to trust other people, and if you can’t do that, that’s probably not a good sign.

Were you expecting Entre-Deux to take off like it did? Are you happy?

I didn’t have any expectations because I didn’t know what this project would become. I didn’t have a plan in place, but I definitely had an overarching idea of what I wanted. Obviously, you want your baby to succeed, but I didn’t anticipate it being like this. The last week was nuts. We were fully booked every night, and we have a very loyal clientele. They’re excited about us and want to support us.

Do you have any idea of what this place could be like in two or three years?

I just want to see us optimise and for everyone to get better with our food and wine knowledge. I want us to be more experienced, more mature—not that we aren’t right now, but you know, better. We also want to open later, nouvelle bar style. 

But it’s a tricky question because like I mentioned, I had no idea what we would turn into, and I still don’t have the answer for that. I will say, though, that our concept of a limited menu will never change. That decision paralysis? I f*cking hate that.