Menu Extra Stages Efflorescence Inside a Montreal Franciscan Chapel
Amy Duong — May 23, 2026 — Art & Design
References: design-milk
Menu Extra created Efflorescence as a multi-course dining experience staged inside the Chapelle des Franciscains in Montreal during the Montréal en Lumière festival. Developed by chefs, sommeliers, designers, and creatives, the event combined Québec-focused cuisine with Brutalist-inspired spatial design. The installation centered around a 40-foot communal dining table draped in green fabric featuring a hollowed diamond motif that referenced the chapel’s vaulted ceiling geometry.
The set design incorporated aluminum chairs by LESORR, steel ingredient displays, a fluted acrylic lightbox filled with live plants, and custom speakers created by MYCOAUDIO. Menu Extra collaborated with Montreal-based studio Martha on the event’s visual identity, which used elongated typography informed by architectural forms. The tasting menu by executive chef Francis Blais included Nova Scotian lobster, scallops from the Magdalen Islands, and locally grown citrus from Lava.
Image Credit: Vanessa Cassar and Jeremy Dionne
The set design incorporated aluminum chairs by LESORR, steel ingredient displays, a fluted acrylic lightbox filled with live plants, and custom speakers created by MYCOAUDIO. Menu Extra collaborated with Montreal-based studio Martha on the event’s visual identity, which used elongated typography informed by architectural forms. The tasting menu by executive chef Francis Blais included Nova Scotian lobster, scallops from the Magdalen Islands, and locally grown citrus from Lava.
Image Credit: Vanessa Cassar and Jeremy Dionne
Trend Themes
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Brutalist-design Dining — Aesthetics drawn from Brutalist architecture integrated into dining environments create new sensory contrasts between raw materiality and refined gastronomy that can redefine venue identity.
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Site-specific Multi-course Experiences — Curated, location-led tasting journeys staged in unconventional heritage or sacred spaces enable narrative-rich dining that blurs the line between restaurant service and cultural exhibition.
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Botanical-integrated Installations — Live-plant elements embedded into lighting and set pieces introduce biophilic layers to events, shifting guest expectations around atmosphere, sustainability, and ingredient storytelling.
Industry Implications
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Hospitality and Fine Dining — High-end restaurants and pop-up operators stand to rethink spatial programming and menu curation to offer immersive, architecture-driven guest experiences.
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Event Production and Experiential Design — Production studios and designers are positioned to combine set design, typography, and culinary direction into cohesive branded environments that extend beyond traditional staging.
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Audio-visual and Acoustic Fabrication — Specialized AV manufacturers and bespoke speaker artisans can develop site-adapted sound systems and integrated media furniture to enhance intimate communal dining moments.
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