The Sparrow Kitchen Staff Take Flight

By: Bhavna Patel

It’s been a regular week-end brunch joint for many Montrealers – be it for their unique English-themed menu or the trendy ambience. As the weeks pass though, many foodies are coming to the disappointing realisation that brunch is no longer being served at The Sparrow. “I’m not happy to hear about the news,” says Sandy Branco De Sousa, a frequent visitor to the gastro-pub, “they offered a variety of great dishes you normally wouldn’t find in other brunch spots.”

Open for the past 18 months, restaurant manager Ethan Wills admits the restaurant was doing well. “Lunch-time seats would fill up with local nearby residents, but when it came time for brunch, people from all over the city were showing up,” he says. Yet, The Sparrow ended its brunch service on Sunday, November 14. The five-member kitchen team, head chef and manager are all moving on. Having become an established Mile-End brunch spot, the question on many minds is – what happened and where to go for brunch next?

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Café Local – Local secret no more

The 411

Tucked away on Saint Viateur street is Café Local. This is a nice little spot that offers a brunch menu to a street that does not have too many brunch options. With its nice large corner terrace, ample interior and narrow but plentiful windows, it makes for a nice place to escape in the summer and grab a bite and have a coffee.

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Montée de Lait – Refined brunch experience

The 411

Once upon a time I promised one of my good friends that when she came back from her 5 month European excursion we would go to this place called Bouchonné. Well, 5 months turned to 6 then to 8 then to 10 and we finally got a chance to go for brunch only to find that it had closed down. We decided to check out Montée de Lait instead sinceI had heard good stuff about their lunch and dinner service. You may be confused when looking at the map since Bouchonné used to be on 5171 boul Saint-Laurent and Montée de Lait was on 1424 Bishop but Montée de Lait moved a few months ago, and all the Google maps and various site listings are presently messed up. So, now that we have this mini mystery straightened out we can focus on solving the mystery of how the food will stack up and see if this place is worthy of all the foodie praise it has been getting as of recently.

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Fabergé – New kid on the block

The 411

Faberge is a recent arrival on the brunch scene in Montreal. Situated on Fairmount street, it adds a solid brunch option to that part of the city. The surrounding areas of Fairmount offer a few brunch spots but the coverage in the area is rather spotty. People have begun talking about Faberge; there’s online chatter as well as word of mouth which is starting to spread. Considering it opened this summer, it’s nice to see some good buzz right off the bat. I usually wait a couple of weeks once a new place opens just so they can get their footing right and make all their little mistakes early on before they get into their groove.

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Boite Gourmande – A kid friendly brunch spot

The 411

Right under the Bikram yoga studio on Laurier is this bustling little place called La Boite Gourmande. This place is similar to it’s hot yoga neighbour in that it’s always full of people, without the 45 degrees of heat. La Boite Gourmade has always perplexed me. I keep passing by it and always wanted to go and check it out. This day, it just happened as we ended up wanting do something on Laurier street and I figured I could finally check this little spot out.

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Chien Fumant – Great food, great decor, great time.

The 411

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).

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L’assommoir – A late night legend takes on brunch.

The 411

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.

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Chez Levesque – Bistro meets Brunch and a touch of class

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.

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Le Passé Composé – Grammar was never this yummy

The 411

Passé compose has been a name that people have been asking about. It’s a restaurant on Roy street that has some online buzz about being pretty decent. I have been curious about this place and the website did a good job of peaking my curiosity with tasty pictures and interesting menu items posted. In order to satisfy my curiosity and get my brunch fix, a visit to passé compose took place and what I found impressed me.

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Café Cherrier – Old style Bistro time warp

The 411

Ever pass by that nice building on St Denis on the corner of Cherrier, you know the one with the nice canapé on it, terrace on the outside and giant painting on the exterior wall? I have and in fact, I’ve been asking myself that question for years. I once almost went inside but it was snowing and I was on the side of the street and the steady flow of traffic was in conflict with my love of jaywalking. But all that aside, I finally made it to the other side of the street to check out what Café Cherrier is all about.

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