There are those restaurants that are located on the corner of a very busy street in our community, which we have crossed paths with almost every day for several years, but where we have never even set foot once. We know their name and reputation, but we never pushed our curiosity further. This is where our most recent dinner with friends finally took us: to the Antidote Foodlab.

However, this restaurant has been open for fifteen years and is located at the corner of King Street West and Belvedere, in the heart of downtown Sherbrooke. More precisely, it takes place in the Paton building, a former textile factory that employed thousands of Sherbrooke residents for more than 100 years and which aims to be imposing, sober and classic. The interior is charming thanks to its imposing wooden structure dating from the 19th century.

Although our meeting took place on a Wednesday evening at the end of November, groups of friends and colleagues were also seated there in this room of about 60 seats. The welcome is warm and professional: we are offered to take our coats before heading to our table.

A list of wines, beers and cocktails is laid out on the table and Nicolas opts from the outset for the Diplomate, a cocktail based on amber rum, crème de cassis, oléo saccharum and egg white while Julie wishes to share a bottle of white wine with our friend. After a few good questions and suggestions from the server to fully understand their tastes and expectations, their choice is made. The server however returns with two bottles after a few minutes. After checking, it seems that their initial choice does not correspond completely. He therefore offers them the second bottle, which is excellent. They greatly appreciated this demonstrated expertise and this desire to satisfy their tastes.

As far as the kitchen is concerned, as its reputation suggests, it prides itself on being a gourmet, inventive, tasty and original laboratory. This is exactly what we find on the menu: dishes that seem simple when reading the choices but which surprise us once placed on the plate in front of us.

As a starter, we stop our choice on the caesar salad Antidote way. It is heart of lettuce, with mousse of vinaigrette, fried capers, prosciutto chips, crispy parmesan and dill. Although we mentioned wanting to share this starter, our server offers us each a good portion on each a plate. A nice note. He also explains, in detail, how the cooks prepared this dish, how the sucrine heart was chosen, how the vinaigrette mousse was prepared and how the capers and prosciutto were fried.

From the first bite, our senses capture all these details. At the time of the last bite, we can better understand all the complexity behind this laboratory of flavors.

As a main meal, Julie chooses the plate of fresh pasta, the only vegan option on the menu, turnip ravioli with yeast sauce and sweet onions, marinated mustard seeds, caramelized walnuts and herb oil. Instead, Nicolas opts for the sous-vide beef shoulder tenderloin with grilled pepper purée, fresh herb cream, stuffed pepper roulade, marinated seeds and sweet pepper sauce.

When the dishes arrive, the server takes the time to explain the composition of each of them and how the cooks used each ingredient in order to exploit the slightest flavor.

Remember, we are accompanied by four other friends and there are five different dishes to explain – Nicolas having chosen the same dish as another guest. It's a lot of memory work for the server, but this exercise allows everyone to measure the extent of the work.

Once again, each bite reminds us of the waiter's explanations and we enjoy a unique taste experience. All the flavors are dosed to perfection and go wonderfully well together. We can taste all the creativity and meticulousness of the team in the kitchen.

We end this tasty evening by satisfying the sweet tooth and choose the carrot cake from Mrs. Perkins that we will share with two. It is a carrot mousse accompanied by a cheese frosting ice cream and diced candied carrots. Another round of explanations from the waiter is followed by another round of exclamations from the taste buds.

Thanks to this visit, we now know what is hidden behind the doors of this establishment that we see every day. It took a long time before we decided to go (next visit shouldn't take that long).

The challenge now is to observe more carefully all these little doors that we regularly cross and push our curiosity to enter them. Will we be pleasantly surprised each time? Chances are yes!

Rating: 9.5/10
What struck us the most about our visit: the preparation work in each dish
Do we recommend this restaurant: yes
The most expensive main meal on the menu: Beef Shoulder Tenderloin ($43)
The cheapest main meal on the menu: Fresh vegan pasta ($30)
What time of day did I visit: dinner
Pros:
The service
The flavours
The decor
Cons:
No table d'hôte
The rather high price (which is however worth it from time to time)