You may have heard about Hof Kelsten. In a short time, the legend has grown about the bread guy, Jeffrey Finkelstein. He is Montreal’s prodigal son, who has worked at some of the top restaurants around world. His list includes Toque, French Laundry, Per Se, and even El Bulli. Now back in Montreal he has been making bread over at Hof Kelsten and also has some other items that are a little more than just bread. Simply put Hof Kelsten does brunch. So one Saturday morning, the Montreal Food Divas were miraculously awake and not hungover so it seemed logical to do brunch. Now finding a spot that will impress the Divas is not always an easy task but we knew that Hof Kelsten would not disappoint.

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Brunch only really happens twice a week and often it is between 10 and 3. Some places say 3 but the kitchen closes earlier so you run the risk of having to really think of where you want to go when you have a late brunch. Now when doing brunch with my friend and drink reviewer Jay Pendergrast the III, the discussion always is based on, can we make it in time? Sliding in just before the kitchen closes often results in them being out of an item or 2 on the menu or feeling rushed. Salle a manger is a place that will not rush you and on Sunday’s, serves brunch right up until dinner time which is ideal for those who have issue being ready before 2pm.

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A few months after its opening, we fell upon Sel Gras. Having read about it and its rather impressive crew working the kitchen, we have had this on our short list for some time. So with a friend coming in from out of town and a need to try something totally different it felt like the logical choice to give Sel Gras over in the Mile End a shot.

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A newcomer on the brunch scene, L’gros luxe, is getting people talking. Talking about a brunch that, by early accounts, looks good, tastes good and is well priced. There’s also the fact that they are doing some fun stuff with a variety of bloody Caesars and some impressive garnishes.

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Mount Royal street is a veritable Mecca of places to have brunch in Montreal. You only need to walk down a few buildings until you find a place. When we heard that la grenouille was making waves with it’s brunch we got curious and went to check it out. (more…)

Cardinal tea room is a newcomer to the scene. Connected to Sparrow, which has been serving brunch for a few years now, this 2 floor old-style gem has that laid back feel with ample natural lighting and a more relaxed ambiance for brunching. Cardinal tea room has that British imperial style to it and, nothing says England like tea and cookies. The interior has two lovely floors flooded with natural light, bookshelves, a piano, a chalkboard, a steamer trunk and all those old style items that really make for quite the experience.

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Over on St Denis is Festin de Babette, a place that when you step into, you get transported to Paris. With items that have that oh-so-French look and feel, you think you are no longer in Montreal. (more…)

Over on Villeneuve street, just a little east of Parc, is this little café, or is it a laundromat? Or is it both… Actually Blanc de Blanc is both and a little more. One afternoon after having having spent some time on Mt Royal, we walked over and decided to try it out. (more…)

Some restaurants have such buzz around them that you wait anxiously for them to offer brunch. This isn’t easy since most restaurants focus on dinner and brunch isn’t really an option. When we found out that Barbounya was doing brunch we were excited to see not only a restaurant with a solid reputation serve brunch but also that it was an ethnic brunch since Barbounya serves Turkish food. (more…)

Back in October a new spot sprung up on Mentana. This small 26 seater has slowly been making a name for itself and gaining fans by offering some interesting dishes in a lovely environment. Now you may ask who is Lili? Well, we did and it turns out it’s the name of the little girl of the owner born at around the same time that they opened, and although I personally have no children (that I know of) I do tip my hat to anyone who opens a restaurant and has a kid at the same time. Because, each on their own is an incredible amount of work. (more…)