Café Parvis: a little gem opens on Mayor St.

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The eight partners behind Furco are at it again. A few days ago, they opened a café and pizzeria called Café Parvis in the large space next door to their popular bar. Mayor Street’s latest addition is already winning Montrealers’ hearts by day, and come spring they should be able to drop in at night, too.

We spoke with Éric Bélanger, the supervising chef and a partner in Café Parvis, Furco and Buvette Chez Simone.

How did Café Parvis come into being?

When we opened Furco in October 2012, we planned it as an afternoon-and-evening place. We started by opening in the evening only, to work out the kinks. After a week, the bar was packed every night. It quickly became a place to go and party. So we never wound up opening at lunchtime. Then we were offered the space next door. At first we were lukewarm about the offer because we were happy with how Furco was working out. But the idea of opening a café had been on my mind for a whole. The space was perfect, and it worked well for the Furco partners, so we decided to go ahead and do it.

So will Café Parvis only be open at lunchtime?

Our plan is to have it open morning, noon and night. Parvis opens at 7 in the morning. We serve high-end coffee – our barista even went to Oregon for training – and homemade pastries. We’re getting ready to open in the evenings, which we’re planning for the spring, when I’m satisfied with everything. So for now we’re open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and soon we’ll be open evenings and weekends.

What’s on the menu?

There are six different pizzas, six salads, and a soup. You can eat in or order for takeout. The concept is somewhat like that of Buvette chez Simone [where Éric is also a partner], meaning that you circle what you want on the menu and we serve it on trays for everyone at the table to share. It’s perfect for lunch. The system allows us to provide fast service, less than 45 minutes. We serve Roman-style pizzas, which have a thicker and crispier crust than the Neapolitan style. The recipes are creative. For example, there is a pizza with homemade boudin and caramelized onions, and another with house-smoked salmon, fresh greens and lemon-infused oil.

Do you have a liquor licence?

Yes. It’s a restaurant licence, so you have to order food if you want to order drinks. We have six draft beers from a Quebec microbrewery. The wine list is short but carefully chosen, with twelve options by the bottle. By the glass, we have two private imports created especially for us. But the real bar is next door, Furco. We wanted Café Parvis to be a casual, affordable pizzeria.

What’s the atmosphere like at Parvis?

We wanted a bit of a 70s feel. We wanted to bring some Mile-End spirit to downtown, because that kind of place didn’t really exist here. One of our partners, designer Zébulon Perron, and I created the décor, which has retro references and plenty of plants.

What other plans do you have for Parvis?

We want to have a patio on the sidewalk starting in the spring. We’ve already filed our application. The patio would have service from the morning until 9 or 10 p.m. It could stay open until 11 p.m. but we want to stay on good terms with our neighbours. I’d also like to add a rooftop greenhouse where we can grow our own peppers. We will probably start work on that in May.

What comes to mind when you think of Quartier des Spectacles?

St. James United Church. I love architecture and I would often go for walks in the area when they were restoring the church. And that’s how I happened to find the Mayor Street space, behind the church, where we eventually opened.

Café Parvis 433 Mayor Street

^{Published on February 7}