The 411 While Montreal is known for some stand-out restaurants, often there are places that will do a diner service but not be open for brunch. I often wondered how they would approach a brunch menu, and am glad to see Restaurant Les Cavistes has taken up the challenge. Best described as a French bistro placing an importance on wine, I have been following Les Cavistes for years. They even temporarily tried out brunch during the Festival en Lumière and I was quite pleased. So when I heard that they were bringing it back I felt it would be interesting to see how a French bistro handles brunch.

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The 411 For some time now I’ve hear about Maamm Bolduc, the buzz about it has been positive, a breakfast spot where you can get your classic breakfast favourites at a decent price, generous portions and with little or no fuss. These spots are a staple feature of the Montreal brunch scene. Not every spot needs to reinvent breakfast; if you do it well for a fair price and make delicious meals then you have a winner. So now it is time to see if M Bolduc comes into this formula.

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The 411 Foodies…we come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, all with different preferences. Our preferences differ from person to person, but at the end of the day we all love good food. A while ago I contacted a fellow blogger from The Butter Melts out of habbit, whose site I have been following as of recently. We spoke of doing a brunch rendezvous and managed to meet two other bloggers, Gluttoners and the sassy foodophile . Now we have four foodies and need to find a new brunch spot that no one has been to… so, no pressure whatsoever… So, when all else fails I go to my handy list of spots and go over every one and see if it’s foodie enough. Now, the risk of having a foodie brunch is that you may end up with something that resembles lunch, so after some research Le Comptoir made its way to the top of the suggestion pile.

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Bistro Lustucru – A rare treat

The 411

Over the years, I have reviewed 175 brunches and I have likely eaten at over 200 different spots. In fact, my blood hollandaise levels would likely put fear in the hearts of any doctor. I find that, at some point, my pace of reviews will exceed the available amount of decent brunches. So, in a hope of offering you something a little newer and fun, I will try to review some pop up brunches. Pop up brunches are brunches that are not offered regularly that can be special events or rarely occurring events. The hope is to offer you something very new and interesting that you may want to try. I initially had something like this when I did the brunches at festival de lumieres back in 2011. I realized that there are some spots that I was curious to see how they handle brunch. When one of my friends told me about Caroussel events , I looked into it and saw that there was a brunch at Lustucru, which is a spot that I had eaten dinner at a while ago and was curious on what sort of brunch would appear on their menu.

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Sain Bol – A new favourite spot

The 411

Healthy, market fresh, vegetarian friendly, gluten free options, constantly changing… These are words you would never associate with brunch. In a world of bacon and eggs, healthy tasty options seem to be foreign. Often times, if you want something healthy and tasty, you will need to look really hard among a sea of options which tend to be one or the other : places that are healthy and good for you often do not come off as tasty, while places that come off as tasty tend to not focus on health. Sain Bol, on the other hand, is a gift; a rare gem where chef Frederic Houtin serves up some amazing dishes inspired by market fresh and in-season ingredients.

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The Sparrow – Back from the grave

The 411

If the Sparrow seems familiar to you, then you must remember our previous posting on the Sparrow back in 2009. A little background is in order here because initially, the Sparrow served brunch and it was an English pub style brunch which kind of shook up the city’s brunch scene. The kitchen staff stopped serving brunch and opened their own spot (you can read the full article with more details here). Now time has passed and just recently, the sparrow brought back brunch and this time, it’s with a twist. What makes this visit extra special is that I got to do it with my favourite French language blogger Laure who runs Une Parisienne à Montreal, a great fashion, food and brunch site. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet you should absolutely do so.

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Voro – Fairmount sprouts a brunch option

The 411

Nestled on Fairmount street, you will find a lovely spot called Voro: a café where locals like to come have a coffee, soak up some sun and grab some brunch. Situated on Fairmount (corner Jeanne Mance), Voro is ideally situated for locals who want to duck in and grab a bite. You will find there is a mix of people; families with small children, older people, and people in the 20’s. In fact, the day we were there, there some strollers parked outside. Why they were outside I don’t know, since people had some inside with them – maybe to save space?

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Cafe Falco – Bento Brunch Experience

The 411

Bento Brunch: ever heard of it? Well to say that we have would be a little bit of lie. In reality, I have heard about some places that started offering it but, as soon as they would start they would close down or cease offering it. The word Bento has its roots in Japanese slang for “convenient”. Bento is associated with a single packed meal, kind of like brown-bagging for lunch but in Japanese-style. I know what you’re thinking and it’s true, one would not normally associate brunch with Japanese cuisine but that’s the beauty of brunch; it has the possibility to change and be adapted by multiple cultures. Bento brunch has recently made its appearance in town and seems to have finally stuck.

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Araucaria – Mile end day long brunch

The 411

One day we decided to get creative and try out an ethnic brunch. There were variables we had to keep in mind though: it needed to be a place I had not already been to; it had to have an ethnic influence and, it needed to be in or near the plateau-mile end. After some searching, I found Auracia which is a Chilean restaurant. To my surprise, 2 friends decided to come join us and both are Peruvian which prompted the line of never “bring a Peruvian to a Chilean resto”.

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Cafe Eldorado – The return to Mt Royal

The 411

On Mount-Royal, there lies a spot I have been passing by for years but have never eaten brunch there. I’m not really sure why. I don’t go eat on Mount Royal as often as I used to since I now explore new areas; although the street is jammed with some decent spots to feed your morning appetite. Eldorado is a place you notice as you walk down Mount Royal, especially in the summer when the street comes alive with terraces and restaurants open up those large front windows.

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