Antonio Park, Kampai Garden Owners Are Prepping a Bar and Grill in Laval

Montreal chef Antonio Park and restaurant group A5 Hospitality (Kampai Garden, Flyjin) are preparing to open a new restaurant in Laval later this month.

Named Westwood, it will be located adjacent to the Place Bell hockey arena and concert venue, joining establishments like Italian restaurant Gatto Matto and Montreal Canadiens-owned sports bar Taverne Moderne 1909.

Westwood’s food offerings will centre around its grill, showcasing meat and seafood dishes, although the restaurant hasn’t yet released any further details on what the menu will look like. Early photos suggest that there will be some east Asian influence (Japanese would be most likely, given Park’s focus at his eponymous Westmount restaurant); raw options will also figure into the menu. Some kind of bar program will play a sizable role, with the venue to function as both a restaurant and bar.

A couple of experienced chefs will head up the project — Renaud Letellier, stepping over from Bouillon Bilk, and Pinou Thong from Park, while A5’s own Josianne Beaulieu will act as general manager. Prominent designer Zebulon Perron (Montréal Plaza, Un Po’ di Più) is designing the space, which appears to be taking a restrained, minimalist approach, fitting with the glassy cube building that will house Westwood.

This isn’t Park’s first time joining forces with A5 Hospitality — he invested in Kampai Garden and Jatoba, although he has generally played a hands-off role in these restaurants.

Laval’s food scene has been expanding much beyond the chains and suburban family restaurants that have characterized the city in the past, and Westwood is one more addition to those rapidly diversifying options — it joins other relatively-recent additions like wine bar Oregon, restaurant and bakery La Bête à Pain, craft brewery Les Insulaires, and clubby dim sum spot Miss Wong.

Expect it to open in mid to late September.

• Westwood [Official]