Posted February 7th, 2010
Café Comme Chez Soi is a pretty little café located on Fairmount in Mile-End. I have lived less than ten minutes away from it for the past 3 years and my friend couldn’t believe I didn’t go yet. It was time to find out this week-end and it was quite the pleasant surprise! The café looks completely different from outside, but once you get in, you realize how pretty and cozy the place is.
The specialty of Café Comme Chez Soi seems to be their burgers and Benedictines but once I saw that the chef was French, I couldn’t resist and I went the salty crepes instead.
I chose the ham, cheese and asparagus crepe and it came witha green salad, breakfast potatoes and fruits. I think the biggest surprise in my plate was the salad that looked like nothing but ended up tasting amazing with their homemade vinaigrette. I think I’d go back just to have a big bowl of salad anytime!
The asparagus may have been a bit too overcooked as I was expecting a crunchy bite and the sauce was a bit too generous but in the end, I really liked everything in my dish. The texture of the crepe was thin and tasty!
Conclusion: Café Comme Chez Soi is another neighborhood gem that needs to be visited. The coffee is delicious, the place is gorgeous (expect maybe for the counter where the cooking is done, which is full of ingredients and packages that do not really mean to be looked at) and the staff is very friendly.
CAFÉ COMME CHEZ SOI
ADDRESS: 107 Fairmount
PHONE: N/A
HOURS: N/A
ALCOHOL: No
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: No
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only
PRICE: $15 for brunch
Tags: Brunch, burgers, crepes, fairmount, mile-end
Posted February 5th, 2010
Photo: Credits to Peggy Faye
Phillips Lounge is located downtown, just a few minutes away from McGill metro station. It is quite easy to forget which neighborhood you are in as soon as you step inside. The interior design gives you an Old Montreal vibe with a touch of Saint-Laurent Boulevard’s energy.
The service is fast and friendly but I can’t say the staff really masters all the cocktails offered on the list. Lots of mistakes were made on drinks that were too sweet, like Mojitos, or had different quantities in exact same glasses like for Cosmopolitans or Martinis.
Also, not a lot of work was put in the presentation of the menu, with cocktails mixed in the appetizer list.
Conclusion: Overall, the ambiance makes up for its defaults. It’s a great place to go grab a drink for 5 à 7 around this location. Make sure to give your credit card as soon as possible if you want to start a bill, they do not accept too many of those once it gets packed.
PHILLIPS LOUNGE
ADDRESS: 1184 Phillips Square
PHONE: (514) 871-1184
HOURS: DAILY 4:00 P.M. – 12:00 A.M.
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: No
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: Usually $10 for a cocktail
Tags: 5à7, downtown, martini
Posted February 1st, 2010
On my way back to Montreal today, a big craving for mussels popped in my head. Actually, the craving was shared with everyone in the car. Of course, the number one location that comes to mind is La Moulerie.
I remember trying the restaurant six years ago, but I didn’t eat mussels back then so why not go back after all those years and see what’s up.
We showed up pretty early, just a little before the 6pm service. As soon as we got seated, we realized the restaurant was cold as ice. To the point that one had to keep her winter coat on for a while.
To make it up, we realized that all the mussels were unlimited for the evening. This is a promotion offered from Sunday to Wednesday. We all decided to go with that, accompanied by fries and beer to make it complete.
For the first round, we shared the Thai, Indian, Mexican and Sicilian flavors.
The Thai was good but the coconut milk taste faded as it was mixed with too much water. I was hoping for a stronger thick sauce. The Mexican sauce was advertised as spicy, as it comes with chilpotle, but it ended up being way too sweet. The Indian and Sicilian sauces were out favorites. The Indian cari sauce was just wonderful with a great balance between all the ingredients. As for the Sicilian sauce, the extra goat cheese added just made it special and a good idea for a soup.
The fries coming along were a bit over fried but how to resist when you have a great beer along with it.
We ended up being too full for the second round! Good thing to remember if you go on one of those nights, come very hungry to really enjoy the promotion.
Conclusion: The mussels were decent but not amazing – but I haven’t really found THE place yet anyway. I think it’s a good idea to go on unlimited evenings. They actually bring the mussels in the sauce each time you ask for another round so you can try as many flavors as you wish during your meal. The service was very bad, our server didn’t care to come often enough, not even for water. I wonder how the customers are treated when the restaurant is full.
LA MOULERIE
ADDRESS: 1249 Bernard W.
PHONE: (514) 273-8132
HOURS: MON-FRI 11:30 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. / SAT-SUN 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: No
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: $22 for unlimited mussels, including fries or salad
Tags: Mussels, outremont
Posted February 1st, 2010
Byblos is a lovely restaurant/café specializing in Persian food. It’s a popular venue, located on Laurier E., but it does get quieter in the afternoon. The restaurant is gorgeous with its heavy wooden tables and huge windows to let the sun in as much as possible.
I decided to visit Byblos for brunch, as they are very well known for their delicious omelets. The menu, whether it’s for breakfast or for lunch/dinner is quite affordable and encourages you to mix plates.
The brunch started with yogurt mixed with diced cucumbers and raisins. We also tried what was advertised as a meat roll but ended being a delicious, light and smooth meat loaf. Warm bread, with a mix of sweet bread and pita, was brought to accompany those plates.
We then had feta omelets and tomato omelets. The feta used by Byblos is very special and will remove any dislike you may have for it after eating too many Greek salads with heavy feta. The feta they have is closer to goat cheese and the way it is mixed with eggs gives a rich and creamy result. Delicious to eat with pita bread, and to mix with yogurt!
The tomato omelet is also very good and lighter. The flavors in that simple but great omelet remind me of the exact same dish my father used to make me. Now, they just scored a lot of points!
We also had a bowl of Halym which is basically a mix of porridge, cinnamon and turkey. It may sound weird but it’s actually delicious and very filling.
Finally, the fresh juices of watermelon, bowls of espresso with milk and mint tea were just the perfect addition to our brunch.
Conclusion: A gorgeous and warm restaurant/café to visit while in the neighborhood. The owner, a sweet little Persian lady, is always there to make things roll and the service is friendly. I would recommend it for brunch but also for an afternoon snack with tea, served in the Persian tradition. Expect a little line on week-ends and remember that you have to pay at the counter when ready to leave to make it a lovely experience!
BYBLOS
ADDRESS: 1499 Laurier E.
PHONE: (514) 529-9396
HOURS: TUES-SUN 9:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M.
ALCOHOL: No
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: $10 on brunch time / $20 on lunch and dinner time
Tags: laurier, Middle Eastern, Persian
Posted January 31st, 2010
A little special for my readers! This is not a review but an experience to share. I was lucky enough to go visit La Face Cachée de la Pomme today to try their Snow Day.
To make it short, La Face Cachée de la Pomme is nice enough to receive people during the whole month of January every year to discover the process into making apple ice wine, visit the installations and taste all the newest products.
As soon as I arrived on site, I realized how much their image was important by looking at their gorgeous and contemporary buildings, interior decoration and newest labeling.
The visit consisted of walking through the apple trees and understanding the process from a to z. It was very interesting to see the two different techniques used by La Face Cachée de la Pomme, and later on, to taste the difference into these processes.
As an extra gift, including some pretty nice deals if you buy on-site, we got to eat delicious ice cider flavored maple taffy on snow!
Definitely an activity to plan next year!
Tags: apple cider, visit, wine tasting
Posted January 26th, 2010
Photo: Credits to Vieux-Port Steakhouse
January has now become part of a tradition that many great cities follow with a food celebration involving restaurants offering quite affordable menus. In Montreal, we call it Happening Gourmand and it is organized by the Antonopoulos group.
I’ve been going to Happening Gourmand since its first year in 2008. I think it’s a great way to try most of the well known Old Montreal restaurants for cheap. It’s on until January 31st.
This past Saturday was my first visit to Vieux-Port Steakhouse. The fact that they offer a great selection of seafood as well as good quality meat made it exciting and a no-brainer choice. Finally, it wasn’t that great.
I decided to start with an apéro with my friend as we weren’t rushed to eat. The first page of the wine list included club drinks such as Sex On The Beach or Pina Colada – which is kind of funny to read in a fancy Old Montreal venue.
As for the menu, most restaurants offer a one-price menu with 2-3 different choices on each course. But the venues started to offer pricier table d’hôte over the years for more choices. Sometimes, for 10$ extra, you might get something quite amazing.
For my appetizer, I went with the mesclun salad. I have no idea what they did with the vinaigrette but it didn’t look quite appealing to the eye – as if it came out of a tube! Overall, it tasted ok.
For the main dish, even if I was in a steakhouse, I couldn’t resist and went to the lobster tail. The plate came with a side of sauteed spinach in garlic and wild rice.
Over the services, I came to realize that Steakhouse really is all about garlic so it’s not a safe choice if going out after. My lobster, which was perfectly cooked, had no much of a taste as it came with a small cup of melted garlic butter to pour on, which I didn’t. The rice was overcooked and spinach were also overcooked.
Finally, I went with the vanilla crème brulée for dessert. It tasted fine but the dish was way too big for a single person. Because of that, the layer of sugar wasn’t deep enough.
Conclusion: Some restaurants in Old Montreal are great both Montrealers and tourists, some others are just great for tourists. Vieux-Port Steakhouse is definitely the kind of restaurant you choose because you’re around. It is way overpriced for what you get and my dinner partner got an undercooked steak which is pretty much the worst mistake to be made in a steakhouse! Still, it’s worth trying if you’ve tried all the other restaurants during Happening Gourmand!
VIEUX-PORT STEAKHOUSE
ADDRESS: 39 St-Paul E.
PHONE: (514) 866-3175
HOURS: MON-THUR 11:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. / FRI-SAT 11:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M./ SUN 10:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: No
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: 22$ table d’hôte during Happening Gourmand
Tags: old-montreal, st-paul, Steakhouse
Posted January 25th, 2010
Happy new year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and tried many many great restaurants and wine.
I took a little break on the blog but I sure didn’t stop trying out new places. My new year resolution is definitely bring my camera more often with me to describe my experiences not only with words but with tasty pictures!
Don’t forget to add the blog to your RSS feed if you get as overwhelmed as me with all the great bloggers to read out there. You can also follow me on Twitter right here!
Cheers!
Food and Drinks in Montreal
Tags: new year, rss, twitter
Posted December 22nd, 2009
Vertige is a wonderful tapas restaurant, of the same family as Confusion, located on Duluth. I had never heard of it before so it was a great surprise to try this place. The restaurant offers many types of menus to please the crowd, including tasting menus, but the real highlight is their tapas night on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For only 29$ per person, you get to choose 6 tapas each that are quite generous in portions. The list is so long that I couldn’t write about this without a few pictures! Here’s 14 items I have tried:
The salmon tartare rested on a bed of wakame with homemade chips on the side. It was delicious but might have been missing some sea salt to make it complete.
The meat tartare came like expected, with Parmesan on top and crackers. The flavors were good but the pickled taste was a bit overwhelming.
The snails on shell were amazing, mixed with a buttery parsley. I would definitely order this dish twice!
The scallop was delicious but a mystery to me on its components. From my guess, it rested on a parsnip purée mixed with eggplant caviar but I could be totally wrong. You get the idea! All in all, perfectly cooked.
The mushroom agnolitti was my least favorite dish. The presentation was lovely but the flavors were just off. It felt like the pasta was not freshly made but had been stored.
The kefta was made of lamb and came on top of hummus with sauteed pine nuts. The lamb was perfectly cooked, keeping all its juice and flavors.
The squash velouté was one of my favorite picks. It sure didn’t miss any butter! The taste was comforting but light.
The red snapper fish&chip was not a top pick but cheers for making the dish with red fish! Something new to try out.
The duck roll came in a traditional Vietnamese filling with a delicious orange sauce. Another favorite!
The risotto came with vegetables and a lot of cheese. It was a bit too heavy but still pleases the crowd.
The duck paté chinois was a revelation! The duck confit came with fresh corn and mashed leek.
Finally, the fried crab and shrimp plates were both great appetizers to begin with, especially the shrimp that came with a coconut milk sauce. Maybe too thin but still good.
As for the dessert, yes we even ordered dessert after the 24 tapas, we decided to go with the pain perdu and caramel au beurre salé ice cream. Heaven in a plate, made only by demand so it’s fresh and still a bit crispy. How can a piece of bread become so amazing?
Conclusion: Vertige is a wonderful tapas place to choose on a Tuesday or Wednesday night with a few friends. The more tapas you order, the more tasting you will do. The food really is the star and the staff makes the night even more pleasant. Also, it is important to mention that the wine list was good and affordable. Bottles as cheap as 25$ were available.
VERTIGE
ADDRESS: 540 Duluth E.
PHONE: (514) 842-4443
HOURS: MON-SAT 17:00 P.M. – 23:00 P.M.
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: 50$ on tapas night, including wine and dessert
Tags: confusion, duluth, Tapas
Posted December 11th, 2009
Photo: Credits to sarahfelicity
I was introduced to Chez José this summer by friends who only had good things to say about the restaurant. Located in the middle of the Plateau, you still wouldn’t find the place easily.
The staff doesn’t seem to change much and they definitely bring the vibe of the restaurant: relaxing, friendly and perfect for a group of friends or a meal with a book.
Chez José offers portuguese flavors in breakfasts, sandwiches and soups. They are also known for their freshly-made and generous juices.
For my meal today, and by a stroke of luck, I got to try their famous seafood soup only offered on Fridays and Saturdays. I accompanied the soup with a smoked turkey sandwich.
(Yes, I finally took a picture of what I ordered! More to come in my future reviews!)
The soup was delicious and met great expectations. Perfectly seasoned, great choice of ingredients to add a bit of crunchiness to the seafood and exactly what a Montrealer would need in the cold that just arrived!
The sandwich was also really enjoyable, served on fresh Portuguese bread with roasted meat and the usual vegetables that makes a sandwich complete. It wasn’t heavy at all so I do think it’s a great combination for a full meal.
Conclusion: Chez José is a crazy cheap (I think the taxes are even included in the menu) restaurant that offers tasty Portuguese food without all the grease that is often found in other venues. The service is fast and friendly and their coffee is delicious too. Do not hesitate on trying their juices and also their salty crepes or you will miss out!
CHEZ JOSÉ
ADDRESS: 173 Duluth E.
PHONE: (514) 845-0693
HOURS: MON-SUN 9:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.
ALCOHOL: No
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: No, cash only
PRICE: 8$ sandwich/juice, 9$ sandwich/soup
Tags: cheap, duluth, fresh juice, Portuguese
Posted November 28th, 2009
Photo Credits: Tourisme Montréal
I finally got to try The Sparrow after several attempts in the past months! The idea of going as a group was not so smart as the place only has 20 small tables or so. They did think of adding a long bench to the entrance with newspapers and coffee or juice is offered while waiting.
The Sparrow hasn’t been around for too long, replacing the Mile-End Bar. The restaurant came with one mission, introduce English delicacies to Montreal – which is probably the only type of food I haven’t had yet in this town. It’s not like English cuisine, especially when it comes to breakfast, is really tempting with all the grease involved but The Sparrow made it nice and tasty!
As I mentioned before, the wait can be overwhelming but once you get seated, the fun starts. To my surprise, The Sparrow wasn’t filled with hipsters, maybe more at night. The place is gorgeous and warm, I loved the decoration. Everything was well thought out and the bathrooms were as lovely as the dinning room.
I think the service was decent but it lacked a little bit of communication at times which could frustrate some customers. Overall, the servers were sweet and available for questions as many items on the well designed one-pager menu might be unknown to Montrealers.
I was going to order the famous English breakfast, which featured bacon, sausage, blood sausage, potato and cabbage, beans and more! But I decided to go with the oven cooked eggs with celery root and oyster mushrooms. The dish came with two slices of amazing fresh bread. The whole thing was delicious and I’m glad I didn’t order anything bigger. Finally, all the plates ordered seemed to satisfy my table.
To finish on a high note, we decided to try the banana and chocolate doughnuts freshly rolled and fried on demand. It was amazing and puffy! A perfect conclusion to a rich brunch.
Conclusion: The Sparrow is a great quiet brunch location to go to if you’re not in a rush. Everything was lovely, even their filtered coffee! I am really curious to try their lunch menu, I will definitely go back.
THE SPARROW
ADDRESS: 5322 St-Laurent
PHONE: (514) 690-3964
HOURS: N/A
ALCOHOL: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: No, cash only for now
PRICE: 15-18$ including coffee and tip
Tags: English, english breakfast, saint-laurent