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

A Memorable Experience At The Black Hoof

Fellow foodie Cindy and I visited The Black Hoof back in December. It was her birthday, and as foodies, there was no way that such celebration can take place at an ordinary restaurant.Cindy suggested The Black Hoof, and asked me if I was OK with food that is more out there...maybe like internals, bone marrow, fried brains, etc. I told her I was totally down for that. I read some reviews before going to The Black Hoof (they don't have a website, but the owner, Grant van Gameren, has his own blog). And wow was I impressed! Toronto Star gave it 4 out of 4 stars - its critic said that he was "in love with the restaurant", the Globe and Mail claims that the restaurants serves "the most exciting meat Toronto has ever tasted", and EnRoute Magazine placed The Black Hoof at #2 for "Canada's 10 Best New Restaurants for 2009". So after reading all that, not only was I "down", I was outright excited and counting down to the days till we go.

We went on a Saturday night around 6pm (it does not take reservations and the restaurant is tiny). We actually walked past it because the restaurant does not have a sign outside (and in December, its already pretty dark at 6pm). The only indication that a restaurant existed there was the word "charcuterie" on the front tent cover above the restaurant. The place was full already (not surprised given the rave reviews) and it was just our luck that there were two seats available at the bar. I ordered a martini right away to get things going.

I don't remember what this was. I just remember that
it was average

Round Buns From The Bakery

I absolutely had to name my blog post the way I did. I mean, look at the picture on your left.... I placed this BBQ Pork Bun smack in the middle of a white round plate...and just look at it. It's picture perfect, like a perfectly cracked egg. Let me tell you,  when I first saw that bun I wanted to pet it. Yes, you read correctly. I WANTED TO PET IT. Why? Because it looks sooooo smooth! I wanted to run my finger across the top of it because it's so smooth,  round, and so perfect...so perfect that it doesn't even look real (actually, I have the tendency to want to do the same thing when I see a perfectly shaped Filet-o-Fish bun from McDonalds). Am I the weird? Am I the only person on earth that has this urge? If so, I apologize in advance. Please don't judge me.

I know most of you may not care for buns from Chinese bakeries, but I had to get these. Not only because they were round, big, and cost like 80 cents for one (and no tax when you buy six!), but  there were some new variations of old favorites that made me go "OMG!", and some completely new ones that made me go "Huh?"and "Really?".  So being Chinese, I bought six although I had no intention of eating all six (I only had one, and left the rest for my boyfriend). I actually just wanted to take pretty pictures of them (I threw out the plastic wrap for each just so I can take the pictures...bye bye freshness!)

See? All soooo round (except the middle one)

"Patisseries of Paris" at Petite Thuet

Petite Thuet is a small bakery/cafe located on 1 King Street West at the corner of Yonge and King (they have another location on 1162 Yonge Street). I have always wanted to try this place because 1) it is so close to my work, 2) I've been to the married couple's (Marc Thuet and Biana Zorich) Conviction restaurant a couple of times now, and Petite Thuet is another one of their creation, and 3) Marc Thuet is pretty well-known for his breads and pastries. I've actually walked by the Petite Thuet many times, and was always hesitant to go in - it's certainly not your average coffee stop - you know you can't get just get a regular coffee in there...you better order something fancy like a cafe au lait with a croissant or something (all adorned with the French accent of course). And also, there's hardly ever anybody in there whenever I look in! However, I did venture in on time and bought some macaroons for my colleagues =)  Those were pretty yummy (but I still like the ones from Nadage better - they had more unique flavors there like pistachio, rose, poppy, etc).  Anyway, my friend Julia and I decided to pay Petite Thuet a visit at lunch one Thursday afternoon.

I was waiting for Julia to arrive so I took a few pictures outside. It was a rainy day.

Across the street

A Must-Read For All "Foodtographers"

My foodie friend Cindy sent me this great article last week from the New York Times:

"First Camera, Then Fork" - Kate Murphy

As my blog post title says, this is a must-read for anybody who likes to take pictures of their food  (as well as other people's food). 


If you don't have time to read the whole article, here's a summary of it:

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

I made muffins again last weekend. It's not like I particularly love muffins or something; I'd rather switch it up once in awhile and make cookies, scones, cakes, or whatever it may be. It's just that without an electric mixer, there is really not much choice in terms of what to bake. One is very limited when you need to pass up on any recipe that indicates "beat eggs until light and fluffy" or "beat egg whites until peaks are high" because you simply can't achieve that with just using a whisk.


Good news though! My mom bought a newer, more powerful Kitchen Aid stand mixer last week, and she will be giving me her old one!

My Mom's new 475 Watt
stand mixer

She needed a new one because her old Kitchen Aid mixer can no longer keep up with her bread making needs - it did not have the capacity nor power to make two loaves of bread at the same time.  However, her old one (which is 250 Watts) is more than sufficient for my baking needs! SO EXCITED! I'm imagining all the things I can make with it already =)  It will be kept at my boyfriend's place hehe.