Dupond and Dupont - At TMR Brunch experience

The 411

The town of Mount Royal is not an usually associated with brunch In fact, it’s seen as a suburb with limited shops and a mall nearby; one would assume that if you lived in TMR and wanted a decent breakfast/brunch you would have do go to the Plateau to get some food. Although just recently two of my friends told me they had lunch at this amazing place called Dupond & Dupont and they saw that there was a weekend brunch menu. So armed with the fact that lunch was a success in addition to the fact that I always wanted to find a brunch place in TMR, we planned to take a trip and check it out.

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Laika - More than just a bar

The 411

Over time I get emails telling me of people’s favourite places and I make it a point to eventually check them out. Laika was one of those places. I had heard some good stuff from a few people and what I had read online was rather positive as well but for the life of me I could not figure out where this places was, and I have been up and down almost every inch of St Laurent for years without having seen it. It wasn’t until I was reviewing another place in the area that I actually looked across the street and had an “Ah Ha” moment. Now that I knew what it looked like I was even more curious to check it out.

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Le Vieux St-Laurent - Some pretty good moves for an old man

The 411

I consider myself well versed in most places that serve brunch in Montreal, but when I went to brunch with a friend of mine this past Saturday, I was educated about a couple places I had never seen before. So once my head stopped spinning, we walked through the St Laurent street fest and made it to Le Vieux St Laurent and a wonderful experience followed (and I don’t mean the shopping at the street - I’m talking about the food)

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Chocola - More than just cupcakes

The 411

With my friend having recently moved to NDG I realized that I had neglected the west end of the city in regards to the various places I have reviewed, so we decided to take a nice sunny Saturday and walk around Monkland village in NDG. The advantage of getting out of you car and exploring is that you can find those little gems you would not find driving around and focusing mainly on finding a parking spot. So with our minds set on a brunch adventure, we walked around looking for something well priced, tasty, different and preferably with a terrace. Then that’s where we found it - kind of like the last cookie in the cookie box when you are really hungry - Cho Cola called out to us.

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Café les Entretiens - and all that jazz

The 411

Laurier street is an amazing street, with small shops, local bakeries, and great little restaurants. I often find myself going here and a few weeks ago was no exception when I was having brunch at Byblos with some friends. After which I went around walking on Laurier and saw some interesting brunch places that looked quite tasty. One spot in particular caught my eye and ear; and that was Café les Entretiens it had an amazing interior with tall ceilings and had a piano inside and jazz music pouring out.

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L’orignal - The Moose is Loose

The 411

L’Orignal is popular restaurant in the old Montreal and on weekends the party goes on right until 3 AM. So, when I found out that in the early Fall they began to offer brunch on Sundays I was curious to see how a supper club would handle brunch especially since I feel that most dinners I have eaten at supper clubs are usually fancy, overpriced and leave me hungry. However, what I found was a pleasant surprise and made my Sunday.

At 1st glance

“Orignal” in French means “moose” and the decor for some reason works with this. From the moment you see the front door you notice a moose shaped metal statuette mounted to it and when you walk in you will find a rich usage of wood in the floor and walls. The walls also keep the original stone look of the building which adds some charm to it. There is plenty of seating and no lineup. In fact, since it is so recent and is situated in the old port its likely you will never have to wait in line unless a lot of people discover it - not to mention the fact that its on a small street randomly placed along Notre Dame street. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for my Google map.

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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.

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Shaking the dust off an old classic

The 411

Since 1949 Dusty’s has been serving some filling breakfast food, and although the decor may not have changed much over the last 50 plus years, neither have the prices, making Dusty’s a wallet friendly place to go. The venue can be missed if you don’t know where it is, which is mainly due to the fact that there is no sign. I don’t know if there ever was one to begin with, and if there was, I have no idea where it disappeared to.

At 1st glance

When you first walk up to Dusty’s you can’t help but notice this giant wood acorn; I have no clue why it’s there or what it is supposed to represent but it does the job of acting as a landmark to tell you that you have arrived at your desired destination. The interior has vinyl banquets, drawings on the wall, and a couple short order seats. This adds a certain old school charm to the venue, although the washrooms could do without it.

Disappointment on Bernard Street

The 411

Situated on Bernard, Enfants Terrible is a relatively new addition to the Bernard Street family, often full with people for dinner and drinks, it has created some buzz with various patrons taking in the ambiance, food and terrace. Now the question is: Can this resto handle brunch?

At 1st glance

You can’t miss this place. There is a large outdoor terrace and the decor is really nice, which the windows do a great job of showcasing. As soon as you walk in, you notice the decor is a nice mix of modern and classic, working well with the metal and wood. There is usually a healthy amount of people and it is highly recommended to make reservations for brunch. (more…)

Want some beer with those eggs?

The 411

Always known as a popular place for late night drinks, Reservoir recently began to add food options and a brunch menu on weekends. You can still order beer with breakfast, something I’ve always wanted to do, but all drinking jokes aside Reservoir serves up some very original plates and is a place you should check out.

At 1st glance

Reservoir has always been a hit for a good pint and a good time, and now that it offers brunch it takes its somewhat laid back feel and applies it to a nice weekend morning. To begin with it is wheelchair accessible with a ramp to get in, and although the slope is steep and the washrooms are not wheelchair accessible, they get points for at least trying which is more than other places do. The decor is nice, not too fancy, but comfortable with classic wood chairs, tables and a big bar with a micro brew behind glass. There are big windows that in the summer open up and let you see and hear what’s happening on Duluth. There is a 2nd floor with an open air terrace, although it was closed when we went. We got there at 11:00 and found a nice spot by the widow, although not even 30 minutes later an increasingly long line started to form, so make sure you don’t show up too late or you are likely to wait.

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