Happy 2012 to all. With a new year ahead of us we look back on 2011 and take a look at the state of brunch in Montreal. We look at the new spots we discovered, some dishes we remember and we look ahead to see what new discoveries await us. Before we get started, let us take a moment to remember two brunch spots that have left us this year. Sadly, we’ve lost McKiernan and Montée de Lait this year, both of which were on my list of favourite spots and had some really creative dishes that were rarely found elsewhere. Fortunately, we added some new quality places on the list this year but these two favourites will be missed.

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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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Griffintown Cafe – A little bit of country in the city

The 411

Over the last couple of years, Notre Dame street has brought us some interesting brunch spots, with its booming population, and sprawling developments. Griffintown café (not to be confused with Café Griffintown) is a place I was introduced to a little over a year ago. A group of us had dinner there and liked it. Over the last little while I had heard that they added weekend brunch to their offering. Considering I liked their dinner service, and I am a fan of the area, it did not take much to make me check out this spot and see how they handle brunch.

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