A while ago, H4C opened up in Montreal and we were fortunate enough to try out their dinner. We enjoyed dinner there, and when we heard that they would be rolling out brunch we were excited. This part of St Henri has been changing over the last couple years with new restaurants and condos popping up here and there. This takes a normally working class area and changes the landscape. I don’t particularly feel like re-living my university day discussions about gentrification so I will avoid the social commentary and get the point that there is a new good brunch spot in the area that makes some really creative dishes that you would normally see in the Plateau or Mile End. (more…)

The 411 Ham, as a single word can evoke so much passion among food lovers. Growing up I fell in love with prosciutto – its complex flavour, salty nature and ecstasy-invoking abilities. Nothing made me happier than being somewhere where I can indulge and go hog wild on it. Over the years, my preferences have changed, evolved even, but deep down inside I still yearn for taking a perfectly sliced piece and wrapping it around my finger and popping it in my mouth. When I passed by Hambar and saw cured meat hanging in the entrance, I felt like I was in heaven. Then when I found out they offered brunch, curiosity and excitement inspired me to see what was going on.

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Le vieux Vélo

The 411

Le vieux Vélo, has been on my list of spots for a while and there has been talk about it on various sites and forums. The reviews have always seemed positive. It is situated in the meeting point of little Italy and Rosemont/Petite Patrie (well technically it’s in Petite Patrie), which are two spots with a need for more quality brunch places. To date, everything I had heard had mentioned good eggs Benedict. As you may know, that is my favourite dish. I will often try other dishes and try to get as many different ones as possible but I keep coming back to eggs Benedict so when people tell me I need to check out the eggs Benedict at a new brunch locale, I get curious and hungry.

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Benedicts – An NDG Brunch Champion

The 411

In following with an attempt to give more geographically balanced brunch reviews across Montreal, I returned to NDG with a mission, to review one of the most talked about places in the western end of the Island and seeing if this NDG sensation can compare to some of the better breakfast and brunch places Montreal has to offer. Benedict’s has some good feedback both online and from people who live in the area and a while ago when I was passing through NDG I was in this area and was curious by what I saw. A visit was definitely in order..

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Simply the best

The 411

Situated in the heart of the Plateau, L’avenue serves up, arguably, one of the best breakfast/brunch meals in the city. Others may try to imitate but there is no competition, just look at the lineup outside in winter time and you will begin to understand why.

At 1st glance

The minute you walk in you get the idea that this is no ordinary place with its funky design highlighted by a suspended motorcycle hanging over a table. Even the men’s room is made unique with a portion of a fence decorating the inside and red lights illuminating the entire room, not to mention a TV screen with random videos playing. The menu is equally visually stimulating as it looks like a comic book with animation gracing the pages. You could actually spend an hour enjoying the art work of the menu if it wasn’t for the tempting food options that distract you. There are some odd food pairings in their meals, like a burger patty on eggs Benedict… but it works, and quite well at that. (more…)