Montreal Food Journey - Day 3: La Banquise

Day 3, last day in Montreal! After lunch we would be heading back to Toronto. Before leaving the hotel, I asked my boyfriend whether he wanted to have burgers or poutine, he chose poutine. I was fine with either one because I had in mind a place for both options, and I know neither will disappoint. For burgers, I wouldv'e went to La Paryse, a place with rave reviews on almost every food review / blog that I've come across, it seems to be "the place for best burgers in Montreal". Likewise, La Banquise is supposedly the place for poutine in Montreal (thanks to Vinman15, a Montreal local, for this great recommendation)! According to www.montrealfood.com, "it is a well-known fact that the title of the best poutine in Montreal belongs to La Banquise", and from www.montrealpoutine.com, "La Banquise is now the best, all around poutine joint in Montreal. They offer the greatest variety...it is a must-stop for anyone eating poutine in Quebec". You will see similar comments from Urbanspoon, Yelp, and various other food review sites. 

La Banquise is open 24 hours, making it another reason why it is so popular besides the awesome poutine it serves. I can just imagine how popular this place would be in Toronto downtown's clubbing district at 3 am - Burrito Boyz can move out of the way!

Montreal Food Journey - Day 2: La Marée

After having such a wonderful lunch at Jardin Nelson, my boyfriend and I wanted to come back to Old Montreal for dinner so that we can take full advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery.  Specifically, we wanted to dine at the same area where Jardin Nelson is located. If you've been to Old Montreal, you would know which area I'm talking about - the wide stone road where caricaturists set up shop, street performers entertain, with wooden benches for people to sit on and relax, and the restaurants are lined up on both sides (Jardin Nelson being one of them). So that same night, we ditched my excel spreadsheet and checked out the restaurants along there (not too many, 6 at most), and decided on La Marée. 

La Maree - we sat along the edge of the patio

Montreal Food Journey - Day 2: Jardin Nelson

I looove crepes. I have crepes in Toronto all the time for dessert, and every so often I would go to Apricot Tree in 'sauga for some savoury crepes, and I have also been to Le Papillon in downtown. However, I knew I wanted to go to a crepe place in Montreal (i.e. one that is known for their crepes), and preferably located in Old Montreal, and preferably with a patio with a nice / romantic atmosphere haha. And just my luck, I found all my requirements at Jardin Nelson. It has a lovely courtyard, with trees and plants surrounding the place, and has jazz music playing in the background at all times. Like its website says, it is "a small and comfortable oasis where the summer breeze is always present", and I cannot agree more.


According to Jardin Nelson's website:

• Their courtyard's plant design was purposely matched with the restaurant's architecture, which dates back to 1812. 
• Different kinds of jazz music is played depending on whether its noon time, afternoon, or evening, and also changes depending on whether its a weekday or a weekend.
• Their huge parasols are unique to in Quebec; they allow customers to finish their meals if it starts to rain.

There are two of these parasols in the rear courtyard

Montreal Food Journey - Day 1: Rockaberry

After our dinner at Le P'tit Plateau, my boyfriend and I walked over to Rockaberry for dessert. Mind you, I was a bit weary about having pies for dessert because I'm usually a waffle / crepe / ice cream person, but I was determined to try Rockaberry because it's a local Montreal chain. Here are some facts: 1) Rockaberry was first opened in 1989, 2) it now has 5 locations in and around Montreal, and 3) It's been ranked #1 five times as "Best dessert/sweets" category for Montreal Mirror's annual "Best of Montreal" issue. So although pies are not my "thing", I thought Rockaberry deserves a visit.

The pies are showcased immediately once you walk in.

Montreal Food Journey - Day 1: Le P'tit Plateau

Before leaving Toronto, a friend highly recommended Au Pied du Cochon, supposedly one of Montreal's best restaurants. I looked on their website and fell in love - bison tongue, guinea hen liver mousse, head cheese croquette, and duck carpaccio are just a few of the appetizers they had, along with a full array of foie gras, pig, lamb, and other meats for their main courses. I was so excited to try this place! Unfortunately, when my boyfriend and I went around 6pm on Friday, they said nothing was available till 10:30pm, and they were also fully booked for the next night...and added in the extra info that some people make reservations one month in advance (kinda like "*hint hint* make reservations next time!" ). Bummerrrrrr. So it was back to the drawing board (a.k.a my Excel sheet). With the help of the GPS, we found out Le P'tit Plateau, a restaurant that I was planning to go to the following night,  was 10 minutes away from where we were (it's one of the BYOW restaurants too!). I remember seeing some good reviews for this restaurant, and knew I wanted to go for sure after reading this blog.

Le P'tit Plateau is a tiny little restaurant, no big signs or anything in front of it, tucked inside two small streets right at the corner. When I saw it, I thought this is the perfect place (I'm anti big, franchise restaurants). Inside, the restaurant was cozy with small tables and chairs, and because the place was surrounded by huge glass windows, it captured the sun setting and created a lovely ambiance with the light shining in. Better yet, they had an open kitchen! My favorite! I love this place already. 

Love the contrast between the wood and the aluminum looking ceiling.

Montreal Food Journey - Day 1: yeh!

After my delicious lunch at Schwartz's, my boyfriend and I walked up and down Saint-Laurent Boulevard because we needed to do some serious digesting. But then I came across yeh! and I decided that our digesting can wait. I absolutely had to go in this place and try some of their frozen yogurt. So what's so special about yeh!? Well what makes yeh! different than your normal Yogen Fruz or other yogurt / ice cream place is that it is all "self-serve" - meaning that you get to fill your own cup with whatever flavor of yogurt you desire, and then you get to add in as many different kinds of toppings you want for your yogurt (more than 40 to choose from). The price of your creation would be based on the weight of your cup when you're all done.

I've had frozen yogurt at Yogurtland before in Las Vegas which has the exact same concept as yeh!, but I haven't come across anything like this in Toronto yet.  I remembered I really enjoyed the whole process because it was just plain fun! Also, I really liked the decor of this place; from the brown and pink (same colors as this blog!!!) to its simple lines, the neatness and the cleanliness, the white chairs and tables at the back and bean bag chairs at the front...I loved everything about this place =)

yeh! I'm ready for you!

Montreal Food Journey - Day 1: Schwartz's

My favourite word: CHARCUTERIE

A trip to Montreal is not complete without going to Schwartz's. It is a fact that Schwartz's is the best place for smoked meat in Montreal. According to its website, Schwartz's has been around since 1928 (founded by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania) - it's the oldest deli in Canada and has been at the same location ever since. Schwartz's has been visited by many famous people including Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Angelina Jolie, Halle Barry, and also by our ex prime minister Jean Chretien. 

I've been to Schwartz's once, but that was a few years back. I remember going with a few friends for dinner there, and we had to line up for more than an hour for a table. This time, I wanted to go for lunch, so a twitter friend of mine from Montreal (vinman15) suggested that I go either at 11:30am or 1:30pm to avoid noon hour rush. So taking full advantage of this tip, my boyfriend and I were there by 11:30am on the dot. We didn't have to line up at all, and found street parking too =)

This picture was taken after our meal. Lineup was out the door by then!

Montreal Food Journey - Day 0: Swiss Chalet

Founded in 1954 - in Toronto. I should be proud, no?

You read right. My boyfriend and I went to Swiss Chalet. I need to clarify first that Swiss Chalet was not a PLANNED destination, okay? This was really just a stop over for dinner somewhere between Kingston and Montreal - we passed Kingston and realized shortly after that we need to eat ASAP (my boyfriend was about to pass out since it was around 9:30pm already) so we got off the highway once we spotted signs for food, so that's why I had no idea where this Swiss Chalet was.

I know I didn't have to include this meal as part of my Montreal Food Journey, especially because there's tons of Swiss Chalets in Toronto, and also, we weren't even in Montreal yet at the time. But still, we technically began our road trip by then so it should be included. And most importantly, this post gives me a chance to rant about how much I hate Swiss Chalet.

Don't know if you've read my post about Pizzeria Libretto, and how I said that if you know me in person, you should know that I love that place and that it's one of my all-time favorite restaurant. Well, I guess if you know me really really well in person, you should also know that I hate Swiss Chalet. I think less people know this because more often, I talk more about the good restaurants that I've been to, and the food I like, not the food or places I hate. And let me tell you, I'm really not a picky eater. I can eat at McDonald's, oily food at food courts, five dollar Vietnamese pho, to other casual dining franchise chains like Milestones, Moxie's, Kelsey's. I just adjust my standards and expectations accordingly, I'm totally fine with that. But for some reason, I really, really, cannot stand Swiss Chalet - I simply cannot adjust to this place no matter how hard I try. And really, I've tried - it's not like I rejected it before even trying it, I've been there four times (none  of them my idea or my choice) and I hate it every time.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Montreal Bound!!!

My boyfriend and I are heading to Montreal tonight for a mini weekend-getaway, and I'm uber excited!!! He asked me last week if I could do some planning for this trip. So here's my plan:

FYI:

• I've looked at a few blogs and reviews online (I mainly used http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~jer/visit/rest.html).
• BYOW = "Bring Your Own Wine"
• The letters [B] to [N] correspond to the locations that I've mapped out on Google Map, where [A] is the hotel we are staying at.
• I figured that we would be too tired to wake up early for breakfast Friday morning after getting in late Thursday night.
• Saturday breakfast is still iffy because my boyfriend hates waking up early.
• Dessert is also really iffy because if yummy dessert is available at dinner, I don't think I can resist not ordering it.
• We would need to rest up again Sunday for our drive back after lunch, so I figured doing a buffet brunch is a nice way to end our trip.
• Poutine is only an "alternative" because I had it in Montreal the last time I was there - it's just not a priority for me this time. 
• Schedule and places are definitely not set in stone. Who knows, we may not end up going to any of these places! Actually...no, I take that back...Schwartz is a must!

I know my boyfriend asked for a "plan", which usually pertains to activities and sight-seeing, and not a "meal plan". But hey, I still planned, didn't I?


So, as for what we are doing in between meals? I have no idea...just gonna wing it. =P