Manitoba (the restaurant, not the province), located somewhere between Little Italy and Park Extension, which some people have begun referring to as Mile Ex, has been on people’s lips for a little over a year. Now we had been to restaurant Manitoba before for their dinner service and we left very impressed after an incredible meal and really good service which left us curious about their brunch. I had high hopes for their dishes ,which if their dinner service was an indication, I was in for a treat with tasty and well-priced options.

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Eating healthy can sometimes be a complicated headache inducing mess, with so many options, ingredients, cooking styles, allergies, and views on what is deemed healthy, we often get lost in what healthy really is. Most recently the emphasis has focused on local, organic and responsible food. Supporting local farms, sourcing organic food produce and making responsible choices in what items used has many people talking and looking for places that do this. Many Montreal restaurants are doing this in some part with sourcing local produce, focusing on organic produce instead of some that may be genetically modified and even going as far as using certain fish so as to not contribute to overfishing. Food has an ethical component and having grown up in a family that focused on organic and healthy, this is something that is always in the back of my mind every time I take a bite. The tricky part is finding a spot that sources local organic food items and encourages eco responsibility. You have to go with word of mouth since there is no overarching organization that clearly hands out certification and you can do your research and see if the place you are eating at meets your criteria.

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Jean Talon market in the summer is one of our favourite weekend destinations. You can get lost in the countless fruit stands, meat and cheese shops, all the while, discovering a variety of new foods that will make you smile and fill your stomach. Sitting in Little Italy, you can explore the surrounding areas finding various cafes and shops all walking distance from the Jean Talon Market.
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Often we get asked for suggestions in certain areas; Where is the best French toast in Montreal? What’s the best spot in the plateau? Sometimes, the answers are easy, other times they are trickier, like when people ask where should they go in little Italy? Now, lets be clear, little Italy is a very small area, In fact, it’s not even a real borough so it floats between Villeray, and Rosemont/Petite Patrie. So, we use the metric of: can I make it to the Jean Talon marker in under 10 minutes? Sadly, with that metric it’s only a handful. But, when Salmigondis opened up in walking distance, we were curious to see what kind of addition this brunch place would make to the Little Italy area. (more…)

The 411 The East End has traditionally been an issue for me. Brunch places tend to be only your standard eggs and bacon spot; nothing fancy or healthy just the usual spots with menus that don’t inspire. But now, there is a bright light in the East and that beacon comes from Masson street. Here, you will find new brunch spots popping up that aren’t your everyday standard fare. (more…)

The 411 I have wanted to go to Santa Barbara for some time now. Something about it made me curious. Situated walking distance from the Jean Talon market, Santa Barbara is in an area that, a few years ago, no one would consider going, but now people have begun exploring and moving there. One day after a morning race, exhausted, dirty and hungry, we made it to Santa Barbara.

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The 411 Brama is a recent addition to the Brunch scene; a new restaurant in Little Italy whose name means “longing for” or “yearning”. Considering I am always yearning for brunch, I thought it was quite fitting to check it out. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the surrounding area has had some interesting restaurants popping up so the possibility of a foodie adventure is quickly rising.

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The 411 Over the almost 5 years that I have been blogging, I have been surprised by a few things in terms of brunch and one is how well South American cuisine can be adapted to brunch. More so than simply my recent love for huevos rancheros but rather the discovery that chefs can creatively marry the South American cooking style with brunch.

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The 411It’s been a while since we have done a vegan brunch review – the main reason being that there aren’t too many vegan brunches available in Montreal. In essence, brunch menus can be vegetarian friendly but to go one step further and make it vegan friendly is more difficult. Vegans need to avoid dairy and eggs, not to mention all meat. You can drop meat from a dish but eggs and dairy become much more difficult to substitute especially for brunch, so if you are a vegan and love brunch then you do not have many options available to you. Making brunch vegan is also tricky because you must be creative. Putting fruit on a plate and some granola on the side is technically vegan but it isn’t creative and over the years I have discovered that you can do many things to brunch to substitute non-vegan items. I have had some amazing dishes using substitutes like almond milk or tofu for bacon. When I heard that crudessence was offering brunch I felt it was a much needed addition to add to our not-so-long vegan brunch list.

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The 411I have recently tried to make more of push to showcase some of the more Foodie brunch spots. In our search for the best brunches of Montreal, we have eaten our way though almost 200 brunches. We have seen many ranging from your classic eggs and bacon greasy spoon to those fancy ones that are a little more lunch than brunch. Pastaga come on our radar because of a blogger I follow who has written a few posts on it. If you haven’t had a chance to check out willtravelforfood.com then please do so and you will find some really interesting write ups on stuff that makes foodies drool. With that said, Pastaga is a foodie spot, no doubt about it. I have my preconceived notions on these in that I know I can expect something different; usually, a menu that will never really be the same, interesting ingredients and something creative. So with that in mind, I called one of my most adventurous foodie friends and we went to put our two cents on it.

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