The 411

There is a spot in the Old Port where people willingly line up, no matter the weather or time of day, just to get a chance to sit down and eat the food at Olive & Gourmando. I had been once before just to grab some food to go, but never had an actual meal here. It is a place that has a loyal following and people know of it mainly by word of mouth since online resources for this places are scarce, which is cool, since it’s kind of like a little secret. So, when my friend took me here for my birthday treat, you can imagine how happy I was to finally get to check it out.

At 1st glance

When you walk up to Olive & Gourmando you notice this little bench outside. At first I was wondering why is this thing so randomly there and then when we went in and gave our name for a table and had to wait, I discovered how useful this bench is. Expect to wait around 20 minutes when you go. The place is often full but for good reason. The inside has lots of seating and windows make it well lit. There is a cash register and baked good counter at the entrance and then an order counter near the end. Basically, you get seated and are given a number line up then you look at the mounted menu, place your order and sit and wait for the food to arrive.

Food

Since this was a birthday treat, I was technically not “on the job” so my notes are based on memory. I may get the name wrong on a dish and I forgot the price on two drinks but I do have pictures and I do remember how it tasted. The menu is more of a simple breakfast menu with only a few items that are not your classic bacon and eggs dishes. There are many more lunch dishes but I still feel it’s worth reviewing since the food was great and it’s open almost every day of the week except Monday and Sunday so it’s useful if you find yourself in the area.

The breakfast menu has 4 items: a fresh fruit salad ($7.25); a granola dish ($7.75) with yogourt and fresh fruit salad; a poached eggs Panini sandwich ($9.25); and a fruit and yogourt dish ($7.75). They also have 3 types of salads priced between $5-$14. Lastly, they have a large selection of over 28 baked goods featuring croissants, chocolatines, apple turnovers, brioches, cookies, foccacias, and, not to mention, their famous brownies

We started off with some lemonade drinks and I don’t recall the price but it was under $5 and it was very refreshing. I had an iced tea and my fried had another one. We then went to the main dish. I ordered the breakfast sandwich “poached egg on your face” ($9.25). Apparently, they tend to run out of these so if you get there late, they may be out. The sandwich is a warm grilled Panini filled with poached eggs salad, cheese, prosciutto and roasted tomatoes. This sandwich was the last one left and I felt bad that my friend could not have it but after I took my first bite I didn’t feel bad anymore. It was honestly amazing (ok so I shared with my friend, I’m not a food monster, but really this sandwich was spectacular). The bread was not too crusty and not too soft, the eggs salad was very filling, and the prosciutto complimented the meal and did not overpower it.

My friends dish was a salad, but not just any salad; she had the Herbivore ($14.00) which is a salad comprised of soba noodles, mixed raw vegetables, toasted coconut, black sesame seeds, and a cashew dressing. This dish was very filling and the cashew dressing was quite unique and refreshing. I feel that the dish was well worth every penny and was a healthy treat to try out.

To top off our meal, we went for two desserts. One was a tart with whipped cream, honey and strawberries which was just a few dollars. The presentation was breathtaking. In fact, the lady next to me kept staring at it and, to be honest, I was almost feeling uncomfortable. A few minutes later she ordered the same thing. This dish was very refreshing as the whipped cream was delectable, the strawberries were bursting with flavour and the dough of the tart was not too crispy, yet chewy, when you bit into it. This was an ideal desert and the only thing that could have beaten it was the brownie.

Ahhh, sweet delicious brownie ($3.75), how I love you. Your taste is so rich and your presence is so dark and beautiful. Honestly, the brownie alone is outstanding and it’s worth the trip. They use real Valhrona chocolate, the real stuff they use in Europe. The taste has a touch of tart and is so rich that your senses are overloaded, in a good way. If you do not like this brownie there is something wrong with you, or you have a nut allergy.

Service

Service is really nice here and they are incredibly efficient considering how jammed packed they get. The greeter was fun and cool and the people we ordered from were nice and explained the items well. In fact, even before we got in, my friend requested the breakfast sandwich be put aside and they did that. Now, that is service!

Vegetarian

There are vegetarian and vegan options which makes Olive and Gourmando that much more impressive. The salads have vegan choices and most items on the menu are vegetarian friendly. Overall, meat is not a prominent theme at all. So, for once, vegetarians and vegans have more than one option.

Wrap up

This place is a gem and well worth the wait . Do not expect your classic, bacon and eggs dish as they won’t have it. What they do have is small, lovely, healthy and tasty menu. The sandwich was great, the deserts amazing and even the drinks are good. The fact you can get vegetarian and some vegan options makes it even more amazing. I LOVE the fact its open weekdays; although, sadly, closed Sundays and Mondays.

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Price	$$	$10-$12
Overall		4/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter	Medium
BUS	61,75,55	Get Directions
Metro	Square Victoria	9 minutes

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Kaza Maza is a place I would never have gone to; I was told about it via a fellow blogger who, by the way, runs an amazing site which you should check out and bookmark. Kaza Maza made a name for itself as being the Mirror’s Best of Montreal listing for one of the best new restaurants. It’s situated on Park and offers a Syrian cuisine in a nice environment.

At 1st glance

When you walk in, there is a nice mix of wooden floors with tables and chairs spread out allowing for a good amount of seating. They also have this lovely brick wall with art hanging on that changes every once and a while depending on which artist is featured. They have a TV at the back along with a kitchen counter on the left hand side. Washrooms are downstairs and are a little hidden so keep your eyes peeled. The cuisine is Syrian meaning you will expect lots of Mediterranean/middle eastern dishes. This is not your typical brunch; it’s an experience.

Food

The menu is based on Syrian food and has many traditional dishes. One may not associate Syrian food with waffles and pancakes, but they do have a variety of egg based dishes that are similar to omelettes which is similar to some other ethnic themed brunches I have been to. Most of the dishes are in the $10-$12 price range with one or two items being a little more expensive. Each plate on the brunch menu comes with pita bread, olives, pickles coffee or juice. The free coffee even covered a latté which was pretty awesome since no one does that.

We mixed it up a little bit as we ordered from the brunch menu as well as from the entree section so as to sample as much as possible. Since the cuisine is more traditional than fusion, this approach works. Also, the fact that the entrees are in the $5 range helps in having some variety at a decent price. The brunch menu itself has items priced between $11-$15. The breakdown is as follows:

Now, you may be wondering if this menu is more lunch than brunch, and to be honest I had the same question but after asking our waiter for some suggestions and plate descriptions, we narrowed our choice to one main dish each and one entrée per dish. The zucchini dish ($7) was really good and filling. It took a while to discover that it was zucchini since it was accompanied by various delicious spices.Normally, I prefer food to have it’s natural flavour be the pronounced taste but in this case, I was glad that the spices did such a good job since the taste was something I had not experienced before. Next, the Okra dish was also tasty and had a nice topping on it. I don’t have Okra often so this is new to me but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Overall, the zucchini dish was my personal favourite..

For the main dishes, we looked for some that would be as “breakfasty” as possible. We ended up with two dishes that can be best described as deep omelettes. The first was the Syrian sausage eggs and pine nuts ($12) which had pieces of sausage in it as well as this amazing spice that we still cannot figure out. The dish was rather deep, nice and hot. It was very filling and the taste delivered without fail.

The traditional omelette had zucchini, parsley and onions, was deep as well as nice and hot but actually lighter than I anticipated which is in contrast to how it looks. This dish really stood out and by the end I was pleasantly full yet not bloated on account of the lightness of the dish. This dish is hard to describe other than it was like a nice summer or spring dish that is simple tasty and not overdone.

Service

Our waiter was nice and explained the dishes well especially since it was our first time experiencing Syrian-themed breakfast. The waiter, however, was a touch difficult to flag down and when we wanted water and coffee he was not always there. He was pretty chill though and we were chatting at the end so I kind of almost forgot about waiting for stuff; kind of.

Vegetarian

There are a fair bit of vegetarian dishes they make up almost half of the menu but subbing a dish that has meat with a vegetarian item may be difficult since it would ruin the dish. My recommendation is to stick to the menu. There may even be some vegan options but not as the primary dishes, likely just the entrées.

Wrap up

Kaza Maza is a nice experience: the food is good; the décor is nice and it’s good for groups especially if you want to share dishes. The menu is more lunch than brunch but that is the case with many ethnic brunches. There are omelette dishes which are traditional, ethnic and “breakfasty”.

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Price	$$	$10-$12
Overall		3.5/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter	Easy
BUS	80,365,368,535,11,97	Get Directions
Metro	Mont Royal	9 minutes

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On Fairmount west of St Laurent you will find an interesting bar with an amazing theme: James Bond. Who would have thought that everyone’s favourite man of mystery has a home in Montreal. This bar has made a name for itself with its James bond inspired décor and more importantly, it also does brunch. We tried coming here early 2 months ago and it was closed. This time we tried again but a little earlier and got lucky; that and a special world cup schedule worked to our favour. They change their hours frequently so you should probably call before you go or you can swing by and hope that they are open.

At 1st glance

Bond lounge grill has a terrace on the side you can soak up some rays on a nice summer day. Should you decide to go inside and avoid the sun you will be amazed by the interior with some interesting tables and sofas showcasing a combination of 70’s and 80’s décor that really reminds you of all those James Bond movies. It’s the little details like the ceiling with its dark detailed tiles, sofas with their funky orange upholstery and, not to mention, a large well stocked bar.

Food

The menu is small and wasn’t even on paper. It’s basically a one egg dish with option of meat, two eggs dish with meat option, Croque Monsieur and an omelette; That’s it, that’s all. Oh, and you get coffee with free refills with your order as well. I have read other items on their site since I last went so this may have changed.

My friend started off with the Croque Monsieur ($11.95) which is a dish I rarely have. A croque monsieur is two pieces of bread with cheese and ham inside and topped with more cheese. My friend is a huge fan of this and after trying a bite I can see why. The cheese and meat worked perfectly with the bread, the dish was nice and warm as well as very filling. The dish also came with some potatoes and a fruit bowl. The potatoes were good, and the fruit was very fresh and tasty. There was also coffee and free refills which is something we made use of frequently since the coffee was very tasty and good until the last drop.

The vegetarian omelette ($9.95) came served with a side of fruit, potatoes and a dark bread. The potatoes and fruit were similar to the previous dish ordered and the dark bread was nice to see on the menu since it offered some variety. The omelette had asparagus inside it as a whole. Normally, asparagus on a plate worries me since it can be tough to chew but this was not the case. Chalked full of veggies, this omelette was tasty.

Lastly, my dish was the two eggs, bacon and sausage ($10.95). This is a kind of normal dish on paper as it has your eggs, bacon, fruit, bread, potatoes and sausage. I felt that 10 dollars was a little much for it but they do distinguish it by having some small touches like the dark bread and a European sausage which is not your normal breakfast sausage. The sausage was larger than normal and it also had a smokey taste to it. I felt they did a good job to distinguish the dish from the norm.

The service was really friendly and refills were frequent. Our waiter did a good job of explaining the menu and what Bond Grill offered even outside of brunch.

Vegetarian

With a limited menu you pretty much have the omelette option or the one/two egg dish with no meat. In theory, it’s 50% of the menu but, in reality, there is not much choice. There is no health menu nor are there vegan options so keep that in mind if you’re looking for that.

Wrap up

I enjoyed Bond lounge grill; I loved the décor; the food was good; the price was normal; the coffee was amazing and the little extras helped make the dishes special. The menu is still small and the schedule is likely to change from season to season or month to month based on what the owner told us but if it’s open and you want a spot that isn’t overcrowded and kind of laid back and funky, Bond Grill is the place for you.

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Price	$$	$10-$12
Overall		3.5/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	46,55,363,	Get Directions
Metro	Station Laurier	11 minute

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In Little Italy, right nearby Jean Talon market is an area that lacks in brunch spots. There used to be one that I loved years ago but sadly it closed down. The area is so nice and in the summer it’s the perfect way to spend the afternoon; grabbing a bite then going in to peruse the goods of the Jean Talon market. To my knowledge there is only one spot that serves brunch in the area and that is Deli Joe with its breakfast/brunch service everyday from 6 am to 3pm. You can go there any time and fill your stomach for a day of adventure in the Jean Talon market.

At 1st glance

Deli Joe is conveniently situated off Jean Talon and Saint Dominique. Parking in the area is difficult but if you go one or two blocks north or west you will be safe. Avoid going into the Jean Talon market area as it is impossible for parking. I used to love waiting and watching people trying to park and others arguing over parking spots. When you get into Deli Joe you notice there is lots of space to get comfy so don’t worry about giant lineups. They even have a small terrace although, when we went we did not see anyone on it.

Food

Deli Joe is open 7 days a week from 6 am to 3pm so you can get your breakfast fix any day of the week. The menu offers lots of options and specials. Now, when I say lots of options I mean LOTS. There has to be about 10 pages jammed with items. There’s a mix of $5 simple dishes and some more substantial dishes around $10. The breakdown of the menu is as follows:

We started off with a fruit cocktail (two for $4.00) which was fruit berries in an iced format. I was not impressed by this; it was not a smoothie nor was it was a fruit drink. The taste was more ice than fruit. That drink was accompanied by a two egg plate ($3.95) and an extra egg ($1.00). The dish came with a side of potatoes and some fruit. The potatoes were OK, nothing out of this world, and the fruit was not varied nor was it tasty. The trio crepe ($9.95) came with 3 crepes stuffed with fruit and my friend added some bacon to it as well. The crepe was decent and filling, but overall it was uninspiring and did not stand out. It’s not that it was bad or anything, it just lacked that “wow” factor that would make it stand out from the menu.

Lastly the Eggs Benedict Maritime ($13.95) was two poached eggs with smoked salmon, a side of potatoes and a mountain of fruit. The fruit was varied with even some less common fruit like star fruits, the potatoes were home-style and were a generous portion. My one issue was the that the hollandaise sauce was mediocre at best.

Service

The service was adequate, nothing good and nothing bad. My coffee refills were frequent so I was happy about that. We did come near the end of the day so they weren’t in their rush, but I was satisfied.

Vegetarian

There are a few vegetarian dishes and there is also a health section with a half dozen items in it. While most of the menu items come with meat in them, I’m sure you could ask them to sub it something else. For a vegan option, you can chose the fruit plate but there’s nothing else vegan other than that.

Wrap up

I was disappointed with Deli Joe. I felt the food was mediocre at best with some items being a little pricey; although, there are a few very well priced ones. The fruit drink was not impressive at all. I was hoping that with it being right next to the Jean Talon market it would have fresh produce from the market like some nice fruit, breads, eggs. But, I did not notice that and was let down.

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Price	$$	$7-$10
Overall		3/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Difficult
BUS	92,93,372,55,363,	Get Directions
Metro	De Castelenau	1 minute

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Hidden in the plateau is an absolute gem of a spot that has only been open since December of 2009. I heard of it recently from a friend who told me that this place has been turning heads with its great décor, unbelievable food, and friendly service. Brunches are served on Sundays and it’s not an ordinary brunch. In fact, they tend to change up the menu so that each time you go it is a different culinary experience. I ended up going on two separate occasions to get a fair sample of their offering. Their brunches get various inspirations such as Brazilian themes, dim sum, Spanish themes and classic to name a few. You can find out what theme it will be by going on their Facebook page, (a website is up but it is still in development).

At 1st glance

When you walk up to Le Chien Fumant you notice a building on the corner of the street with a herb garden on the side as well as a bench and picnic table. While the garden is not large enough to be fully sustainable it is a wonderful thing to see considering you are in the plateau and green spaces are not very prevalent. Once inside, there is a wonderful distressed theme with lots of wood, a truly unique wallpaper with fire hydrants, a large bar in the end and tables spread out. The capacity is somewhere around 30-ish so it has a really cozy feel.

Food

The first time I went I had the dim sum and the more recent time I had their classic brunch. It is quite likely that when you go you may experience a different culinary influence on the brunch, but if these two meals are any example of the quality of the other meals, then you will be on an amazing adventure. Some of the previous brunch themes have been Dim sum, Spanish, Brazilian to name a few, and you can find the announcement of the current weeks brunch on their Facebook page.

For the Dim sum day we had a variety of options all on a chalkboard. The prices ranged from some items starting at $2 dollars and some going up to $15 for the more elaborate ones. There were different types of dumplings ($8), jellyfish salad, duck dishes, pot stickers, chicken, bok choy to name a few. Each dish had an amazing presentation and if you showed up too late you ran a risk of them being out of that dish and they would mark it off the menu.

We went nuts and ordered 6 dishes such as clams, steamed buns, duck pancakes and black bean chicken. We were 3 people and our bill came out to around $20 a head before coffee, taxes and tips. This is a pretty good deal considering that there were 6 dishes ordered and duck, as rule of thumb, is not cheap. The presentation was great and there is nothing more amazing than getting your dumplings and seeing the steam rising from them.

Each dish was unbelievable in taste and offered something truly unique to the experience. The steamed clams had chunks of meat in them along with an unbelievable broth that we kept using to dunk our dumplings in. We were actually very shocked by how tasty it was since clams don’t seem like a popular item. The dumplings were $8 each set and had 3 different styles each tastier than the previous, and quite filling. At one point, we even opened some of them up and poured some sauce into them from some other dishes we got. The duck pancake was lots of fun to build and we got a large serving of duck on our plate as well.

The “classic Brunch” that I had the second time is your run-of-the-mill brunch. The menu options are less but equally delicious. You can chose from the following:

My friend had the English breakfast ($16) with a twist; since she doesn’t eat pork they had to drop some of the pork items so I cannot give an exact review of it but I did try the other items. An English breakfast dish usually comes with sausage blood pudding, eggs, beans, and potatoes. I have had a couple in the past and the prices tend to be in the similar range. The potatoes were out of this world and bursting with flavour, the beans were to die for. They had mushrooms which were wonderfully seasoned and the tomatoes were large and not overcooked like other places tend to do.

My dish was the waffle with pulled pork and salad ($14). I was curious to see how pulled pork and waffles would mix together and boy, was I impressed. I think I even zoned out as a I ate this and was transported to the land of happy. Everything was perfect with this dish; t he waffles were the perfect mix of firm and fluffy; the eggs was perfectly cooked; the salad topping worked with the dish as opposed to filling up space; and the pulled pork which was topped by a type of BBQ sauce was unbelievable. The portion was large and the taste was outstanding. This dish really hit the spot.

Service

On both times the service was great. The waitstaff was friendly, punctual and always checked up on us. They helped a lot to explain the menu items since we were not familiar with some of the items. We chatted with the owners at the end to hear their story on how they began and their plans. I could tell they love what they do and take pride in it.

Vegetarian

Although the menu is quite meaty, there are vegetarian options and if you are Pescetarian then you have one or two more options. You will not find any vegan options unless they decide to do a vegan theme at some point.

Wrap up

I have not been so excited about a brunch place in a while. This place is amazing; the food is incredible; the portion sizes are generous; the presentation and décor are truly impressive and the service is awesome. This place is now up there in my list of favourite places and you really should consider checking it out. Eating here is an awesome adventure and add to that the constantly changing menu makes for a great spot that should not be missed.

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Price	$$-$$$	$10-$15
Overall		4.5/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	27,427,14,97,368,	Get Directions
Metro	Station Laurier	10 minute

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Over the last year and a bit there have been more and more places serving up English breakfasts. If you have ever had one then you know that it’s basically a hearty meal which often tends to have lots of meat and includes items like blood pudding, potatoes, and anything that would pass as a morning pub food.

At 1st glance

A large terrace in the summer greets you, and once you walk in, you see a large bar to your right, two floors of seating and another terrace in the middle of the place. We went straight to the middle terrace which was very well lit and quite cozy with a capacity of just under 20 seats. The place itself is very nice with lots of dark wood and that pub vibe to it while still being clean and proper. There was plenty of space early on but began to fill up later on. You do not need to worry about lineups here since the capacity is quite large and the kitchen still gets things moving at a brisk pace.

Food

The menu is a short 1 page with a definite English breakfast inspired theme. The food is very hearty and is fairly priced (mostly between $5-$15) with some items being a little pricier but they tend to be much larger in size. Do not expect to find eggs Benedict or waffles here but rather, some interesting pub inspired brunch ideas with a full service bar. Some of the selections are:

We started off with some morning coffee and white & red eye ($8) which is a beer, tomato juice and vodka with an egg in it. All I have to say is that it has an interesting taste and by interesting I mean, I was not a fan unfortunately. I have a tough stomach and having eggs in a drink is not foreign to me, it’s just the tomato juice and beer with vodka that did not work. Thankfully the waitress checked up on us and when she saw that we did not like it she swapped it for another drink free of charge which was really nice of them. I ended up having a bloody Caesar which was quite good and oddly enough, a decent morning drink.

For the food, we started off with a porridge ($5) which, although does not seem like a brunch dish, it was actually quite interesting. The portion was large and it had raisins, syrup and English cream in it. I did not notice the English cream taste which is a good thing since I am not a fan. For $5 you cannot go wrong with this. You get a good sized plate of filling porridge and the best part is that it’s not too cold, not too hot, but just right (sorry I couldn’t help using that line).

My dish was the full English breakfast ($11) which is your classic, eggs, ham, bean, sausage, blood pudding, bacon, tomato, potatoes and mushrooms. This dish was very filling and well priced to boot. The bacon was a short piece but it was really thick and the taste was spectacular. I wish the piece was bigger so I could have had more. The potatoes were some of the best I have had in a while and I was very impressed. The sausage they had was not a classic sausage you would get at most places serving English breakfast but it was somewhat spiced and 100% tasty.

Service

Our waitress and hostess were both really nice; they were very thorough and helpful in explaining the menu, our coffee refills came quickly and I loved the fact that they took my drink, which I had almost drank half of, and replaced it with another at no extra charge. Good job on the customer service!

Vegetarian

There are a few vegetarian options, like the omelette, muffins & marmalade and porridge. The menu itself is not very large so you don’t get tons of options and English breakfasts are not usually associated with vegetarianism or veganism.

Wrap up

Burgundy lion does a good job offering an English breakfast option at a good price with some twists to it. I enjoyed the food very much. Even though the menu is somewhat limited, it works if you want a pub style brunch. In the end, don’t except vegan tofu scrambles or fancy eggs benedict because you will not find it here. What you will find is hearty tasty food at a decent price.

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Price	$$-$$$	$10-$15
Overall		3.5/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	36,108,350,	Get Directions
Metro	Lionel Groulx	6 minute

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Bernard street is like my first love when it comes to brunch; it’s where some of my earliest reviews come from and it’s a street that offers a high concentration of restaurants in only a couple blocks. Many of these restaurants have been doing brunch for years and as of recently other have begun to offer brunch menus to their offerings. L’assomoir has been putting out great and fun meals for years and they are one of my favourite dinner places on Bernard. When my friend decided to do his birthday brunch here, I was excited.

At 1st glance

L’assomoir has a great décor with nice wood tables, bars and flooring. The bar has got to be one of the nicest in the city. The décor can best be defined as refined rustic chic, if such a things exists. The capacity is quite large with seating room for well over 70 by my estimate. Once you walk in you see nice tables , then at the halfway mark it gets more cavernous where the tables are larger and good for a group (we were 8 people)

Food

The food menu is a one-pager but still gives you lots of options. There is also a one-pager of drinks but in reality, there is much more than that. Coffee is not included with the meals and they do not have drip coffee so keep that in mind. With L’assomoir boasting over 350 drink cocktails you can pretty much drink anything you want and get your morning off to a nice start. The choices are as follows:

The benefit of being a large group is that you get to sample various dishes and I was up to this challenge. We were feeling quite adventurous and took some interesting options, one of which was the Eggs Benedict crab and avocado dish ($15.00). This dish was very interesting in that it paired two ingredients I would consider somewhat exotic and not usually seen together. The gamble paid off as the dish was very tasty. I could taste the crab and the avocado individually and the portion size was quite generous. Although, I did feel that the price was a little high even though crab is expensive, but I have had lobster eggs Benedict before and it cost less (I am probably just being cheap).

The Ham Bacon Cheddar Crepe ($12.00) was very tasty and it was nice to see a stuffed crepe that was salty since most stuffed crepes are sweet. The plate had some fruit and potatoes and I should note almost all the dishes come this way. The taste was flavourful and the portion size was generous. I also sampled the Steak and Eggs ($16.00) which is your classic steak and eggs dish with an egg placed on top of a nice juicy steak. The steak tasted good, and the egg was, well, an egg. My friend was really happy since he is a steak and eggs fan and it;s not something you find often.

Next came my friend’s Fois gras omelette ($19.00) which I did not get to sample. However, he was very happy with it. I’m sure it tasted great since you cannot usually go wrong with fois gras but at $19 that is rather pricey. Lastly, my dish was the Poutine dejeuner (10.00) which is potatoes, aged cheddar, hollandaise sauce and an egg on top. I also had a Mango Tango smoothie which did not have a pronounced mango taste but rather more like banana. The dish was tasty and the sauce was extremely good; so good,I kept mopping it up. One issue is that the egg was supposed to be served on top but it was nowhere to be found. It was actually broken up and infused in the meal. I would have preferred to have the whole egg on top. While it was tasty, I was not sold 100% since I basically paid for potatoes and hollandaise sauce.

Service

Service was not stellar. We were the only ones there and simple things like cutlery not being on the table, we weren’t overly impressed. We had to flag down our waitress more than once we had to request napkins and milk a second time. I understand that delays can occur when you are short staffed or when it’s jam packed but we were literally the only people there for a good 45 minutes.

Vegetarian

A good number of dishes are vegetarian friendly but do not expect vegan options.

Wrap up

Overall, I felt it was a little expensive and the dishes did not deliver enough to merit the price hike. The service was not awesome, and the fact coffee was not included made the bill even more. There were some creative dishes but the menu as a whole was not refined enough to make me feel like it was worth every penny. I think the menu will change since they opened recently for brunch and are going through growing pains .

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Price	$$-$$$	$15-$20
Overall		3/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Medium
BUS	46,55,160,363	Get Directions
Metro	Rosemont	15 minute

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Healthy; organic; biological; these are words you generally would not associate with brunch, but considering that the first meal of the day may be your last if you keep eating those giant mounds of bacon, then maybe looking a little closer at what you eat may be a good idea. This is why La Brigade Volante is an interesting choice. They are a catering company who, after demand from locals, opened up service to the public and have an interesting take on brunch. Not only is it healthy, it’s tasty too. With a nutritionist on staff all the meals are made with your health in mind. They use fresh fruit, lean cuts of meat and all products are biological and deal with eco-responsible suppliers and support local farmers. They also use recycled materials in their packaging and exceed the city of Montreal’s recycling quota.

At 1st glance

With its large terrace on the side and colourful sign La Brigade Volante welcomes you with a smile -in the literal sense. The owners face is on the sign and he has this nice big smile on his face. And why wouldn’t he, he is doing something truly unique. The main area has well spaced seating and a washroom downstairs. There is a cash and counter where you can buy a bunch of pre-made food for home. The terrace upstairs is pretty large and is nice on a sunny day. There is also an awning which you can adjust in various sections so you can control the amount of sun and shade you want.

Food

The menu is a short two-pager chalked full of tasty, healthy and local organic food. The menu breakdown is as follows:

I started off with a mango smoothie ($3.75) which was actually mango with orange but I mostly just tasted the mango. This is a welcome change since the last few places I have ordered mango smoothies I was disappointed. This time, I ordered mango and I got mango and it was SPECTACULAR. I also had a coffee which was really good… but the smoothie once again spectacular.

My friend ordered the Croque Madame ($9.95) which was bread, Swiss cheese, ham, béchamel sauce and an egg sunny side up. This dish tasted really good and it even had a hint of mustard which I did not expect. It came with a side of potatoes and fruit. The potatoes were good and the fruit was fresh but I would have liked some more varied fruit as well as a little more of it. The cheese taste was also well balanced and paired nicely with the egg on top.

The Bagel version brigade ($11.95) is a bagel, poached egg, smoked salmon, hollandaise sauce, fresh cream, herbs and onions. The smoked salmon was generous and the hollandaise sauce was a stand out star. The sauce had a nice consistency and was not too thick or overpowering. The dish came with a side of potatoes and fruit similar to the previous one.

Lastly came the Crème Brulée French toast ($9.95) which literally is a french toast in a kind of crème brulée type batter topped with fried bananas. Although this dish may seem odd, it was great. Whoever thought that you could combine crème brulée and French toast? This dish was sweet, filling and out of this world. I was worried it would be a gamble and would be too sweet but it satisfied my curiosity and it was really filling. The fried bananas was a really nice touch. This dish came as two thick slices and it was well coated. I really suggest this dish, more so if you like a little something sweet in your brunch.

Service

Our service was OK. The waiter forgot to get the baby seat and had to be reminded and at some point was difficult to get. I think he was in the moon that day or they were short staffed. The kitchen service was speedy and we chatted with the owner who was really nice and informative on what they do.

Vegetarian

The menu is well balanced with almost half of it vegetarian friendly as well as a healthy fruit section which could be a viable vegan option.

Wrap up

I fell in love with La Brigade Volante. From the food, the terrace, the coffee and the smoothies right down to the food/cooking philosophy, I enjoyed this experience. Responsible healthy cooking while still supporting local and organic producers and a commitment to recycling and the environment is not something easily accomplished. I think the city can use more places like this. If you want to try something different and healthy, La Brigade Volante should be your next stop.

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Price	$$	$8-$10
Overall		4/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	36,57	Get Directions
Metro	Georges Vanier	9 minute

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The 411

Old Montreal has its fair share of fancier brunch places; McGill street alone is home to a good concentration of them and one that I have been curious about for some time is Otto. Situated inside the W hotel this restaurant serves up a weekday early morning breakfast starting at 7 am and going until 11:30 am, as well as a longer weekend schedule of 7 am to 2pm. I have been to Otto for dinner and enjoyed it. Otto is a fancy restaurant; the décor is exquisite; the outside terrace is vey nice and covered by umbrellas. With this rather positive dinner experience I wondered how it would convert to brunch.

At 1st glance

Otto is connected to the hotel so expect lots of early morning service as well as a few locals. The view on a sunny day is quite nice and if you like that whole hotel service then this may be a nice fit for you. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible and parking in the area is decent on a weekend especially with its early breakfast service. When we got there we found only a few people with lots of room to choose from making this an ideal spot for a large group early morning event

Food

The menu is broken up into a couple of sections covering the basics like granola, yogourt, fruit, eggs Benedict, breakfast dishes, omelettes, waffles, crepes, as well as some lunch options for those who want to start lunch early. Prices are in the $12-$20 area and are a touch on the pricey side. The menu consists of:

My friend started off with the Continental Breakfast ($19) which allowed her the options to choose from various breads, croissants and other similar morning pastries, homemade muesli, granola, fresh and dried fruits, yogourt and freshly squeeze juice. These items were laid out along the bar and I felt that although it was somewhat convenient it would have been nicer to have an area with more space. In the end, the food was ok and my friend liked the fact she could make her own cereal but for $19 it was a touch expensive considering that not everyone will eat even half of what is available.

The American Breakfast ($17) was two eggs any style, with choice of sausage, ham or bacon, roasted potatoes, choice of pastry, freshly squeezed fruit juice, and coffee. This plate was disappointing. If you look at the picture you see lots of white space. I did not include the choice of pastry but honestly, a croissant with eggs, potatoes and some meat should not be $17. I would have liked this plate to have had a tons of fruit, some of the exotic kind, or an extra egg and more meat - even the potatoes were limited.

Having ran 15km earlier that morning I was starving so I went for my favourite thing and some side options. Since I’m an eggs Benedict fanatic I went with the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict ($16) and added a mango smoothie ($9) along with some strawberry yogourt. The eggs Benedict came before the yogourt and smoothie which I felt was very odd. I like the portion size of the yogourt and considering it was only $2 it came out to a pretty good deal. The mango smoothie was somewhat disappointing since I did not really taste the mango and I really love mangos. One again, my main dish was simply OK. The eggs Benedict were decent, the fruit was limited and uninspiring, the potatoes were tasty although I did not get a ton of them. I did feel the dish was a little expensive and my lack of mango taste in my mango smoothie still bothers me now.

Service

The service was very professional so I did enjoy that. It is a classy kind of place so it’s nice to get that once and a while. I did have an issue with my yogourt and smoothie coming after my meal, especially since I ordered it prior. I don’t know why that was backwards, but at least it came.

Vegetarian

Most dishes are vegetarian and you have choice with healthy options like fruit, breads, pastries, granola and cereal. You can even get some vegan options if you pick form the starter section.

Wrap up

The place is nice, large, has great service, and is perfect for events or a large group as well as being open all week long. That being said the food was mediocre and the price was a little too expensive; the portions are not enormous and I am still bummed about my less-than-mango tasting smoothie.

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Price	$$$-$$$$	$15-$20
Overall		3/5
Wheelchair Access		3/3
Parking	Parking Meter	Easy
BUS	61,1,28,75	Get Directions
Metro	Square Victoria	1 minute

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The 411

Brunch at Chez Levesque is something I have been wanting to try since I started this site. I have read various peer reviews of this place and all of them very positive; although, I do not know anyone that has tried it. For one reason or another I rarely end up in this area for brunch, so one day after trying out a yoga class in the area myself and two friends decided to try it out and see what it’s like and if the reputation is merited.

At 1st glance

Chez Levesque can best be described as a classy bar bistro with an old school French influence, impeccable service and impressive presentation. The crowd is not your typical plateau mid 20’s crowd but rather small groups and families some of which are 40 years plus; there were some younger people but for once I felt in the minority (and young). The interior has this religious theme to it with posters of cartoon priests, kneelers and a washroom with Gregorian chants on a cd playing. Did you know that the religious theme is a play on the restaurant’s name, in French: Levesque = l’évêque = bishop (Thank you Adrien for this is tidbit of info). They have a large bar on the main floor, a street side terrace outside in the summer, and a second floor for extra seating. The décor is rich in wood and detail; it is an ideal spot for a special event and they do reservations although, they are not really required for brunch.

Food

The menu is a single page with prices ranging from $12-$15, coffee ($2.25) is not included but does come with free refills. The menu is has a few items and depending when you go you may run out of some items, like when I ordered a smoothie and they were out of yogourt. Normally, this would bother me but we did show up near the end of the service and their yogourt is apparently fresh so it is likely to run out. The menu is broken down as follows:

My friend started with the vegetarian eggs Benedict ($14.00) which came as two perfectly poached eggs on English muffins with zucchini and asparagus topped with the perfect amount of hollandaise sauce. There was also a side of potatoes and a fruit cup. I felt the potatoes were a touch salty and not too many; although, the fruit cup was great and the grapefruit was particularly fresh and tasty and I don’t even like grapefruit in general. Given a choice between potatoes and the fruit cup I would go for the fruit cup and I am very pleased that this was very fresh. In fact, the entire dish was fresh and bursting with taste as I really liked the use of these two vegetables in this dish.

The Brioche French toast ($14.50) was next which was two very thick slices of brioche bread topped with apple compote and fruit, as well as a caramel sauce. The French toast was spectacular and the generous thick slices were much appreciated; topping it with a compote and some fruit really adds that natural sweetness that is not too overpowering. The caramel was not too sweet which really complements the dish and does not take away from it.

Lastly, my friend ordered the Eggs Benedict classic ($12.50) which came with white ham on two poached eggs perfectly topped with that tasty hollandaise sauce and laid to rest on two perfectly toasted English muffins. Keep note that I used perfect many times here because, well, this egg Benedict WAS perfect. I have rarely had an eggs benedict so well executed; so tasty; and so well presented - it was perfection.

Service

The service was impeccable as our waiter was very helpful, very prompt, polite, and courteous. He came to check up on our refills and made sure we were satisfied and always around to make sure we were being served. I have rarely experienced such excellent service and it helped to explain one of the many reasons why people love this place.

Vegetarian

Most dishes here are vegetarian friendly. You should not be too worried and the vegetarian eggs Benedict is a true delight so you can get tasty dishes made with a vegetarian diet in mind. As for vegan options then you are out of luck since many dishes have eggs in them.

Wrap up

I loved Chez Levesque. Everything was great from the food to the service to the décor. This is an excellent spot for groups, anniversaries or anything that is a little special and different. The menu may be only one page and not really fall in the classic Canadian breakfast theme but the food is great and everything here is amazing. Overall, I strongly consider checking it out; it may cost a little extra but well worth it if you want a fancier experience.

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Price	$$-$$$	$12-$15
Overall		4/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Easy
BUS	51,80,365,368,535	Get Directions
Metro	Laurier	15 minute

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