Lemeac - Refinement and Style all in one

The 411

Up on Laurier, Lemeac is a place that has had some solid chatter among foodies for some time. It’s a French bistro on a part of Montreal that I am in love with; the street and restaurants have an air of refinement and reputation for good food. I have seen Lemeac’s reputation for brunch on various foodie sites and have always been curious about it. How would it be, is it all hype, what will the prices be, will it be worth it? All these questions have been swimming in my head for over a year and this time I decided to take the plunge and explore it. Lemeac had something in store for me.

(more…)

The Sparrow - A place so nice I went there twice

The 411

The sparrow has got to be one of the places with the most buzz. I have gotten emails about it as well as read various forum postings raving about this place. Unfortunately, I’m slow to getting around to places especially since the places I get to see are scheduled a month in advance. Even though I may not be the first one to write about this place I can still feel good knowing that it is still an undiscovered gem to many others. Situated on St Laurent street south of St Viateur, The sparrow stands where the old Mile End bar used to be. Its name takes inspiration from the bird which is not native to North America but rather brought over from England and that is a great way to describe this gem of a place. Originally intended to be a bar with food, the liquor license took a long time to get so upon meeting a chef from England they decided to start focusing on food, and with just a tiny kitchen, have been pumping out amazing food that draws inspiration from England pub style cuisine mixed with Montreal’s unique brunch flair.

(more…)

Restaurant Madre - Latin fusion at it’s finest

The 411

Fusion cuisine and brunch are two things that, when combined, can elevate a dish to new levels or crash and burn. Most people are quite comfortable with their eggs and bacon and making fancy brunch dishes inspired by different cooking styles does not always get the warmest reception. I’ve written before about “nouveau” brunch and in fact, I was inspired to check out some of these places by a Sarah Musgrave article that covered a couple places in the city; Madre was one of them. Now, my greatest concern with nouveau brunch is that meals tend to deviate from classic breakfast items and end up being more of a lunch dish. Don’t get me wrong! I don’t mind breaking the mold and trying something different; I may have my old school roots but I do like being surprised and seeing someone take a novel approach to brunch. With that said, Madre proved an interesting challenge: a nouveau brunch style place that combines various South American cooking styles (Nuevo Latin). This is not an easy challenge by any means, although I have had Latin themed brunches before and the options on the menu are limited. If we consider that we are looking at fusing different styles from South America we could end up with something more lunch than brunch. In the end, I called up my oldest brunch buddy who happens to be a foodie and we went on our fancy brunch adventure.

(more…)

Benedicts - An NDG Brunch Champion

The 411

In following with an attempt to give more geographically balanced brunch reviews across Montreal, I returned to NDG with a mission, to review one of the most talked about places in the western end of the Island and seeing if this NDG sensation can compare to some of the better breakfast and brunch places Montreal has to offer. Benedict’s has some good feedback both online and from people who live in the area and a while ago when I was passing through NDG I was in this area and was curious by what I saw. A visit was definitely in order..

(more…)

Le Cartet - a local secret

The 411

Le Cartet is a very interesting place as it is nestled in Old Montreal and it is one of those places that I have heard of only by a few people, and in each instance they all swear by the fact that it will be the best brunch in the city. Now, such as claim needs to be confirmed! So off I went on a lazy Saturday morning and prepared to challenge this claim and see if it lived up to the hype.

(more…)

McKiernan

The 411

Every once in a while I get recommendations for new places to check out and review. Often, they are places I have either already been to or heard of, although this time the suggestion for McKiernan was a surprise as it was entirely new to me. What was more interesting is that the person who recommended it to me claimed it served the best brunch in the city. Any declaration such as this had to be checked out. So, off we went to the Atwater market area and what we found truly amazed us.

At 1st glance

McKiernan is a tiny little spot situated right near Joe Beef; it only serves brunch on Saturdays from 10am - 4pm. The place itself is small with capacity of around 20 seats and it has this amazing cozy little nook near the window where 2 can sit, chat, and eat. The decor is a throwback to a time gone by, but under no circumstance would one think it is old or not kept up. In fact, I find the style inside adds to the authentic dishes and flavours. In this post, I made sure to show more photos than normal of the venue, many of them are courtesy of Huge from Huge-photos.com You can tell his photos from mine not only by the water mark but also by the fact that he is a professional and they look much nicer. (more…)

A truly memorable trip

The 411

Up in Outremont on Bernard Avenue you will find a truly unique place with one of the nicest terraces that any breakfast place has to offer. This nice little place is squeezed between a bunch of other terraces but Cafe Souvenirs is definitely the one you should try, and while you’re at it don’t miss out on the food.

At 1st glance

When you walk up to the Cafe Souvenirs you automatically get drawn into its warm atmosphere and attention to detail which is one the many things that makes it unique. Although I will likely mention the terrace another 2 times, I really suggest you enjoy a seat on it since there is nothing quite like it on a sunny afternoon. The attention to detail is amazing with small unique things that set it apart. The glass bottles of water on your table are each a different colour and shape (there’s even one that looks like the tower of Pisa) as are the coffee mugs. Inside the cafe the hooks for jackets are actually golf club tops; it sounds odd but it works. One should also note that there is wifi available although don’t be a camper and stay there for 4 hours because line ups form. The main criticism is the lineups; when it’s grey and snowing it’s not an issue, although when the sun is out, there is a big lineup forming for a small amount of tables and the patrons can get aggressive; you have to be on your A game to make sure you get a seat and clearly communicate with the hostess who is often overworked running from table to table. My tip is get there early or get comfy (you can use the park bench nearby). (more…)

Persian Delight on Laurier

The 411

Nestled on Laurier close to Papineau, Byblos is a trip to another place and time. Serving up some amazing Persian dishes, Byblos offers great food with an equally great decor.

At 1st glance

Although the outside is quite nice and is rather unique I keep almost missing it every time I go by, but once you walk in you will be taken aback by how amazing the inside is. It’s not a modern interior but rather a Persian style place with nice wood doors, a bookshelf with books in it that you can grab and read as well as amazingly decorated walls, banquets and pictures on the wall that take your breath away. If you require wheelchair access this is one of the few places downtown that has it; there is an entrance on the side of the building (the front has a small lip) and the washroom are wheelchair accessible as well. (more…)

Côté Solei has been renamed to Raviolution, same good food, same location, renovations indoors, different name.

Côté Soleil Shines

The 411

Previously known as Côté Soleil, Raviolution is the best kept secret in the city for breakfast/brunch. With well sized portions, great taste and service, this little St Denis Resto is guaranteed not to disappoint.

At 1st glance

Ever pass by St Denis and see that building with the yellow stair case? Well, if you’ve seen it then you’re standing in front of Raviolution. From the outside it’s quite unassuming but when you sit down you will be amazed by what they have to offer.

Food

Raviolution puts some great breakfast ideas on the table; plates such as Apricot crêpes ($7.95), chestnut cream crepe, and a solid line-up of eggs Benedict that cost anywhere between $10.95 to $12.95. The omelettes are also bursting with taste and range from $7.95 to $10.95 for the 3 choices of omelettes. It also has the most unique pieces of fresh fruit per plate; what this means is that it has many interesting varied fruits on your plate, not just the normal berry and orange slice. One of my favourites is the Eggs Benedict Scadinavian ($11.95) which comes with smoked salmon and is bursting with flavour and is quite filling. The Apricot crêpes are a sure hit, not too sweet and just the right taste. The spinach and cheese omelette ($8.95) does not disappoint and is a tasty vegetarian option. The fresh fruit and yogurt cups ($7.95) are of a nice size and refreshing. (more…)