With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air and people start being a little extra romantic. Face it, you’re mid February, the summer is still far away and to be honest, if you forget this day the weather is not the only thing that will be frigid. I always get a few people asking me questions about where to go that would make for a nice little romantic outing. To be honest, finding a spot to start your day on a Tuesday morning is not that easy to find but there are people who will want to start the romance from the weekend so, this can be of help to you. (more…)

Best Brunch Terraces 2011

With summer in full swing, winter is but a distant memory. In Montreal, when the sun comes out so do the people and they head to terraces where they can have a tasty brunch and a great view to enjoy the weather. Fortunately, Montreal offers us loads of brunch spots with terraces. We have scoured the city in search of the perfect brunch terraces and have found some you may like. The list is not exhaustive and is intended to give you a spot or two to go to in each of the respective areas. We took a look at Outremont, the Plateau, Old Montreal and NDG.

Outremont has, arguably, the most options for brunch terraces in the city. All one needs to do is walk down Bernard street and see an ocean of people all seated in a variety of terraces. The list includes spots like Café Souvenirs, Senzala and Les Enfants terribles, La Moulerie, and Bistro Le Republique. There used to be le Petit Italien but they recently stopped serving brunch. Les Enfants terribles has one of the largest terraces, while Café Souvenirs is one of my favourite on the street. The menu offering at the majority of these spots is similar with the exception of Senzala, which has a Brazilian theme and is located west of du Parc. Though they may offer similar brunch options, the taste and overall satisfaction varies from person to person. If you wish to know more, just click on each link above and read the reviews (because right now we’re only talking about the ones that look pretty). (more…)

Valentines Day – Some helpful Brunch ideas for that special day

Ahhh, Valentine’s Day; that special day when all my favourites spots get filled up with couples. Well, this year it falls on Monday, which would make a Valentine’s Day brunch technically difficult; although that being said, expect people to be keeping busy the weekend before the big day. Last year I did a piece where I compared various spots to the kinds of relationships you tend to fall into. This year I’m going to keep it simple and give you the quick and dirty of what’s a good spot to go to based on décor and food, and overall experience (yeah I know that last one is kind of vague). So, for all those who ask for nice little romantic spots, here are a couple of spots that come to mind.

Cote Soleil: I love this spot with all my heart and soul (well not exactly that much) but the food is good, the ambiance is not too fancy yet still chill and the service is good, not too mention the tasty food and not your run of the mill dishes. It’s the little things that make me love this place like how their dishes will often come with some of the most varied types of fruit, this is something you will not often find at other places. Also, just recently I discovered this lovely little spot near the window that is a table for 2 that overflows with light and is slightly tucked away from other tables which makes for a nice romantic spot.

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Welcome to the best of 2010 where we relive all our meals this past year and previous years to give you what we feel is the best of the best: the maple syrup on your French toast, the whipped cream on your pancake… you know what I mean. Keep in mind some places were reviewed a few months ago and if they have changed since, don’t hate me. I am not all-knowing and restaurants change like the seasons. This year I changed up my categories and dropped some old ones. I want to focus more on the food and creativity. The 2008 and 2009 reviews can be viewed as well by clicking on the links.

Best New place

Just when I though last year’s selection process was hard, this year’s takes place. Of the places we have been to in 2010, here are some that stuck out: Café Campagne; Chien Fumant, Brigade Volante; Birks Café; Montee de Lait, Au Ptit cochon de Sante and Chez Levesque. There are some serious heavy hitters here and each excellent in their own respective fields. Even though they are all winners on my plate, similar to the highlander movies… there can only be one, and that distinction goes to Au Ptit Cochon de Santé. Having snuck in near the end of the year, this place has flavours unlike anything I have ever had before. The portions sizes are genenrous, the taste is amazing, the menu covers most needs, and they even do a nice job on presentation.

Best Overall

This part I kind of avoided last year but I keep getting asked what my favourite place is and it’s a hard question to answer considering that each spot has its own strengths but for the sake of making everyone happy here are my favourites: Mckiernan, L’avenue, Brigade Volante, Griffintown Café, Chez Levesque and Cartet and Madre. So, after lots of soul searching and going back to some spots because they are so good, I have to go with L’avenue. Simply put, it offers a brunch option all week long, the prices are very affordable and the food is excellent everytime. If you need to pick somewhere for a great dining experience, pick L’avenue and you will not be disappointed because frankly it doesn’t screw up. I’ve been here almost a dozen times and each time when I get my bill and reflect on the meal I had, I feel like I paid too little.

Top Dishes

Au Ptit cochon de SanteThis section is for some places to get mentioned that have an awesome dish that may get missed from the reviews: The Brioche French toast ($11.25) at is a WOW. This dish looks amazing and tastes even better, so come treat your taste buds and try it out. The waffles with fruit at Café Campagne($11.95) serve for a great dish. Finally, a place that not only offers waffles but does them right with a varied option of fruits. This is a winning recipe for anyone. The French toast at Montee de Lait may not be on their menu for a while but if it ever does, you have to try it. This dish came as a thick slice of French toast, topped with mirabels and loaded with natural sweetness. Chien Fumant’s waffles with pulled pork dish ($14) may sound odd but it tastes all good. This dish is filling ,tasty and one of a kind and luckily, it is part of their regular brunch menu. Lastly the Ricotta Pancakes at Mckiernan is for those who have tried it and they know what I am talking about;so filling, so tasty and almost light while with a natural sweetness from the rubarb makes this dish is heaven on a plate.

Most unique places

Some of my favourite places do some interesting stuff with their food, stuff you would not find elsewhere. My list of favourites is as follows:

4) Brigade Volante with its team pay close attention to what you eat. You get a menu that is healthy on account of having a nutritionist on staff. You also get local produce used in your meal and organic ones at that, even down to the coffee. I find that such care in your meal is well worth the trip.

2) Grange, with its tapas style menu, is a truly unique experience. Their McGrange breakfast mini burger is precooked hours in advance and their dishes are fun for a group where you can almost sample everything on the menu and share it.

Best Buffet

I still have yet to find the perfect buffet but this year I got a chance to see a few more that are helping fill up this section. The following have done a good job:

Valentines Day – Some Montreal Brunch ideas

Hello all you hungry lovebirds. So it’s that time of year again, Valentines day and this year it falls on a Sunday as an added bonus, so now I feel more pressure to find some suggestions for some romantic and unique places to have brunch. Last year I did a review that covered quiet, cozy, hidden and impressive places but this year I feel like going freestyle and seeing what comes to mind. Basically, I don’t feel like being constrained (kind of like a relationship) – ok, ok my one cheap on Valentines day this year, I promise. Now, the hard thing with this review is that people’s tastes are so different and it’s hard to find the perfect fit for each couple and occasion. So, I will throw out some suggestions that I find kind of romantic based on all the different brunch spots I have been to (kind of comparing them to relationships but only the good ones).

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2009 A year in Brunch

Well, Ladies and Gents, it has been a busy and tasty year with many new places that have been reviewed. In fact, we almost did 50 reviews: some were great and some were awful (which I consider those to be my public service announcements/paying for transgressions in a past life). So, in keeping with last years “Best Of 2008″ posting, I feel it is fair to see what 2009 brought us. I kept most of the same categories from last year but felt that adding some new ones would be interesting. As always, if you feel that I have missed a place that you really like feel free to contact me by clicking on the contact tab up top.
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New Look Same site

So after a little more than 1 year of reviewing I felt it was time to change things up and upgrade the site. Over the last few weeks you may have noticed new functionality such as categories listed by rating as well as by location and price. I also included two maps of brunch places sorted by area (one of greater Montreal, the other for the Plateau and Mile end)

As of Sunday evening May 10 2009 I pushed the button and version 2 went online. There are some improvements that will help you navigate the site with more ease and find what you need. I listed the most popular links under the header, added a contact sheet so that people who are not on Twitter or in the Facebook group and  don’t find their question relevant to the site posts can email me their questions. You will also note a coffee cup rating section above the “post a comment” section which allows you to chime in and give your own rating as well as comment (this section will get expanded with time).

Aesthetic changes were something else I wanted to improve on. I tried to keep the nice yellow & orange “brunchy” theme from the old page yet I wanted something that looked nicer and displayed more info so people could find it more easily. New additions to this included the “quick summary overview” where you can see the last few posts. They are displayed by showing a quick snap shot of the text and image so you can click to see the (more…)

Romantic Brunch

Valentines day is a special day. It’s that special fake holiday between New Years and Easter (I say fake because unless I get a day off it’s not a real holiday). It’s that day when couples brave the frigid temperature to come out and plan that special romantic day. Now I’m going to avoid complaining on how there are 364 other days in the year (and a bonus one on leap years), nor will I complain on how all my favourite bars and restos get taken over by couples and I can’t even find a spot – I won’t even discuss the excessive PDA’s (public display of affection). Instead, I will be constructive and list some of the most romantic brunch locations in Montreal.

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The following is an explanation of coffee art, including both how to instructions and some video examples.

Steps

1. Pour enough milk for one cup into the steam pitcher. Put the steam wand at the bottom of the pitcher. Turn on the steam, and slowly raise the wand until it is near the top of the milk. Lower the pitcher as the milk rises so the steam wand stays 1 cm away from the top of the milk. The milk should not stretch too much nor should there be any big bubbles. Create a smooth, velvety milk as opposed the foam that sits atop most espresso drinks.
2. Allow the milk to reach 80 ºF (27 ºC), then place the steam wand on the side of the pitcher, deep into the milk, positioning the pitcher to spin counterclockwise. Keep doing this motion until the milk heats to 150 ºF to 160 ºF (65 ºC – 70 ºC). Shut the steam and remove the steam wand and thermometer from the milk. Clean the steam wand with a wet cloth.
3. Vigorously swirl the milk. If you see any bubbles, pound the pitcher on the counter several times and go back to swirling the milk for 20 to 30 seconds. Do this even while the espresso is pouring.
4. Start pouring the milk into the espresso. To create a flower pattern, pour the milk into the bottom part of the cup, about an inch (2 cm – 3 cm) away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, shake the pitcher back and forth while slowly moving it backwards. The flower design will move forward, filling the cup. Do this with a shaking motion originating at the wrist instead of moving your hand back and forth.
5. Once the foam reaches the top, pour the milk up the center of the pattern you created. Use a minimal amount of milk to avoid sinking the flower pattern.
6. Embellish the design using stencils, powder, and milk foam. This step is optional, as many prefer to limit their latte art to “free form” methods, but you may want to experiment with the possibilities added by “etching.”
7. To write a word, such as “love” in the picture, melt milk chocolate and using a pin as a paintbrush drag the melting chocolate over the foamed milk. More commonly this is done by dipping said pointy object into the crema of the drink being decorated, and then transfering that crema stained foam to the pure white foam to ‘draw’ a design,

Tips

• If you want to pour a heart pattern, shake as before without moving backwards as much. Form a ringed circle then slowly pour milk through the center to make a multi-layered heart.
• The espresso must be perfect.
• You must use an espresso machine with a proper brew head and boiler and enough steam power to properly froth the milk. These machines can cost at least $500.
• Before trying this with milk, try it first with water. While water doesn’t have the same consistency as milk, practicing with water will allow you to get familiar with pouring and shaking at the same time.
• Use fresh milk for every cup, even if you have milk left over from the previous cup.
• Start with very cold milk — keep the temperature right above freezing. Also, make sure you keep the steam pitchers refrigerated. Cold milk and steam pitchers will give you more time to create the smooth and velvety texture needed for latte art.
• Use a cup with a wide mouth. It will allow you to see the developing latte art design more easily.
• Instead of using a thermometer, you can keep two fingers at the bottom of the pitcher. When you can’t hold your fingers there without burning them, its usually between 120 and 125 degrees.

Warnings

• Do not let the milk heat to over 160 ºF (70 ºC), as this will limit the sweetness of the milk.
• Don’t burn yourself.

Things You’ll Need

• Whole milk
• Espresso
• Straight walled steam pitcher with a sharp spout
• Espresso machine with a powerful steam wand
• 14 ounce (400 ml) latte cup
• Thermometer

Source Wikihow.com

Making Coffee Art from rinaz on Vimeo.

2008 A year in Brunch

The arrival of 2009 marks the completion of Montreal Breakfast and Brunch Review’s exciting first year. Although I started in in the spring of 2008 I felt it would be nice to do a recap for the year end and give an overall review to Montreal’s various brunch venues. I decided to go over all the places I reviewed this year and give some of the best in their fields. So, if you have not been to any of these I strongly suggest you do.

Best New place

Although small in size (seating less than 20) Mckiernan is a heavyweight champion in the food department. The menu items were varied, tasty, fresh and really original; the portions were large and the decor was amazing. This was a big surprise to me and I am really happy I got to add this to the list of places I have eaten brunch.

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