Our last stop in Montreal was at Holder Restaurant for brunch. While the space was elegant and the food simple and satisfying, I found the price a touch high. For my purposes, I would’ve appreciated a more relaxed atmosphere with heartier portions. As is, Holder would be a nice stop for a more refined meal.

Atmosphere: As stated, Holder was a nice restaurant, with a masculine, industry feel. A large coat room was available for guests and diners were seated spaced away from each other. There were a few large groups (6+ people) that day and lots of families.

Service: We had no language issues placing our order. My cousin’s still learning English and I had to translate a few terms but the waiter was patient and helpful. Our plates arrived quickly and coffees were always refilled before I ever reached the bottom of my cup.

Food: For brunch, The Hubby and I decided to split one savoury and one sweet dish. He chose crepes while I went with eggs benedict, a classic and my favourite. Really I order it for the hollandaise sauce. The two crepes were simply presented, folder, topped with fresh berries and a side ramekin of maple syrup. The crepes were thin and had a delicate texture. My poached egg duo was served on smoked salmon and and English muffin. A small bowl of fresh fruit was served alongside with a small ramekin of hollandaise sauce. Again, each element of the plate was cooked well with fresh ingredients. The sauce was rich and I liked being able to control how much I ate.

My cousin ordered the classic breakfast with bacon, two glossy sunnyside up eggs, fruit bowl and a square of what looked like potato gratin. All three plates were minimalist.

Overall, breakfast at Holder Restaurant was simple and classic, set in a nice restaurant but I didn’t find any single element to be outstanding or especially memorable.

The Fiance has been working in Montreal for over a year now and goes out for lunch everyday. One of his favourite spots is NuDo Noodle House at the Eaton centre, which serves up fresh hand pulled noodles. When we visited the city back in February, in the middle of a snowstorm, a hot bowl of chewy noodles from NuDo’s Chinatown location was a perfect lunch.

Since there was a ton of snow outside and a Sunday, the restaurant was quiet and pretty empty. We had no problems with ordering all in English and all the servers did speak Mandarin as well. The restaurant was pretty spacious with plenty of square tables. Multiple TVs were mounted in corners and streaming an old Naruto episode.

We ordered a cold dish and a soup bowl to split between the 3 of us. For the cold dish, we choose the shredded chicken with sesame sauce and for the soup bowl, the classic beef noodle soup. Both noodle dishes were excellent and a really big portion. The noodles were had a great texture, consistent thicknesses and were cooked perfectly. Once we mixed the shredded chicken dish, there was plenty of delicious sesame dressing to coat every ingredient. This dish was refreshing with lots of fresh vegetables and super filling. The beef noodle bowl had traditional flavours and a savoury, traditional broth (strong anise and five spice flavour). The beef was tender and the bok choy still crispy.

At NuDo, it’s all about the noodles. Compared to a few places I’ve tried in Toronto, so far no one beats them in noodle pulling.

Being overly ambitious, I planned dinner at Lemeac for 10pm to take full advantage of their late night menu. What I didn’t anticipate was my stomach not cooperating. The combination of an early brunch, afternoon drinking and then the late dinner left my tummy a little unbalanced. Sadly, this meant I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the Lemeac experience, but next time I’ll be back for brunch.

Atmosphere: Since we were out all day being tourists, The Fiance, my cousin and myself were a little underdressed for dinner. Lemeac was an elegant restaurant and at 10pm, filled with couples finishing meals or enjoying a drink. We were seated outside, in their covered, heated patio and it was a private, comfortable table. Lighting was dim and the restaurant felt intimate and refined.

Service: Our server was efficient, fluent in English and understanding when I asked for my barely touched entree to be packed up. I started feeling out of sorts after the appetizer and needed to get back to the hotel. Getting our bill was quick and easy.

Food: At $25 for an appetizer and entree, the late night menu at Lemeac is a great deal with a lot of selection. With 15 appetizer and 13 entree choices, I had a hard time narrowing down my order. The Fiance and I settled on splitting the Grilled Calamari and Crab Cake. My crab cake was crispy on the outside and plenty of crab meat. The gribiche sauce was tangy and an excellent compliment to the seafood. The fiance’s calamari though, was stellar. The squid was good to the perfect texture and had a great smokey flavour. Based on appetizers alone, Lemeac was a great meal.

For entrees, I chose the Herb Crusted Calf Liver, The Fiance had the ½ Cornish Hen and my cousin went with a Hanger Steak and Fries. Unfortunately, the flavour of the calf liver was too strong for my upset stomach and I was only able to enjoy a few bites. The Fiance’s hen was also a heavy dish with strong flavours. I did like the crunchy polenta fries. We ended up taking the bulk of our entrees with us and I demolished my cousin’s fries (covered in the compound butter) for breakfast the next day.

Overall, I felt like I missed out of the full Lemeac dining experience. I wish I could’ve fully enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Next time, I might be more realistic with my planning (but probably not).

Whenever I’m in Montreal, I pick up a box of macarons. When The Hubby worked in Montreal, he’d occasionally surprise me with boxes from my favourite Montreal macaron shop and earn plenty of brownie points. During our trip in February, we stayed at a hotel in The Old Port and there was a slight blizzard. This meant the trek to the Eaton Centre was unappealing, even via underground. Instead, we decided stop by Maison Christian Faure, which was just down the street and had great reviews.

The bakery itself was elegant, with lots of white decor. A white geometric gazelle statue stood in the entranceway and large glass cases full of treats were on display as you entered. While snow fell outside, all of the tables inside the bakery were filled with people enjoying cakes and tea. We decided it was easier to grab a box of macarons and dig in back at the hotel.

That day, there were 10 flavours of macarons available so we grabbed one of each and doubled up on lemon and pistachio (the best flavours). Overall, I found the macarons very sweet. So for flavours like chocolate, the sweetness was overpowering. I liked the tart flavours more, there was a better balance. The shells of this batch were also hollow. I like my macarons light and airy, but this was disappointing.

Usually my visits to Montreal centre around food. Thus to maximize the experience, I like to plan stops at cafes and bakeries en route from one meal to the next. We stopped at Pikolo Espresso Bar to grab an afternoon coffee and croissant. Ok so only I had a croissant. Both The Fiance and my cousin were still full from breakfast, amateurs.

The independent cafe is located in between universities and is a small space. They’ve crammed in tables, bars and a small seating area on the second floor but on a Saturday afternoon, most seats were filled with students and laptops. We managed to find three barstools together and settled in to sip our drinks. The Fiance ordered an iced Americano while I went with a classic latte. My latte was foamy and super rich in flavour. One of the best lattes I’ve ever had and quite a step better than a certain popular coffeehouse chain (whom I still hold near and dear). The Fiance also enjoyed his iced drink, but the cafe only had honey (which didn’t dissolve with the ice) and no liquid sugar or simple syrup.

My croissant was satisfying. Each layer was buttery and the pastry was flakey. Overall, Pikolo Espresso Bar is a great rest stop with really good coffee.

My goal this Montreal trip was to eat a lot of French food. First stop was L’Express, a restaurant on Saint Denis that has been serving customers simple, classic dishes for over 30+ years.

Atmosphere: Our trio arrived at the restaurant a couple of minutes before our reservation and had time to leisurely hang up coats as our table was set. At 2pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was still full of diners. The restaurant had a distinct vintage feel with heavy wood trim and all wait staff in crisp white aprons with vests.

Service: Service was incredibly efficient and professional. Maybe it was the aprons but I felt like our server was super focused on taking care of all his tables and on top of everything. My water glass was never empty.

Food: Before we even looked at menus, our server inquired if we’d like pickles for the table. Once confirmed, the jar of crisp, sour baby pickles were dropped off along with a jar of hot mustard. I’m a big pickle fan so this was pretty awesome. The hot mustard also went great with the salmon tartar that we ordered, there was lots of heat.

Since The Fiance and I were still pretty full from our Breakfast at Le Gros Jambon, the three of us chose to split three lighter dishes. We decided on the Fish Soup, Salmon Tartare and Duck Confit Salad. All three plates were tasty and my favourite was the tartare while my cousin and The Fiance both loved the salad (I think they’re just partial to duck confit).

The bowl of fish soup was warm, rich without being thick and perfect for the cold weather. There was no fishy taste and the fish meat was shredded into very small pieces. The cheese crostini that was served alongside were tough to bite but more manageable after being soaked in the soup.

The salmon tartare was served on a bed of raw fennel and radish slices, lightly dressed with olive oil. This dish was exactly what I was craving for, light and refreshing. All of the ingredients were fresh, the salmon was well seasoned and there were piles of tasty crispy bits. I liked the different textures and colours on the plate. There was plenty of greens and protein in the duck confit salad but I found the dish a little heavy on oil. The duck confit was excellent, well seasoned and tender but I was in the mood for lighter fare.

Overall, if you’re visiting Montreal a stop at L’Express for any meal is a good idea.

My train was scheduled to arrive in Montreal at 9:30pm. The 4 ½ hour trip went by quickly with the help of onboard wi-fi (way to go Via) and The Fiance’s kindle. Since I hadn’t eaten since lunch in preparation for our late dinner reservation, the wi-fi also distracted from my stomach grumblings. While planning this weekend, I had asked a couple of Montreal food bloggers for their recommendations. Taverne Square Dominion was one that made the cut for being close to the train station, having rave reviews and still serving dinner at 10pm.

Atmosphere: While boasting a menu full of British classics, I found the decor of Taverne Dominion a mix of Parisian and English. Large wooden chandeliers that could’ve been picked out of a castle hung over cute bistro tables and big leather booths. Lighting was dim and the bar was full of couples sipping cocktails. I could see myself starting or ending a night in the same fashion.

Service: One feature I loved about restaurants in Montreal was that they all seemed to have coat racks/rooms. This was amazing and so helpful. At Taverne Dominion, there was one coat rack at the door and hooks spaced out along the walls in between tables. Once settled into our table, we were well attended to. Our server was efficient, professional and checked in on us unobtrusively the entire night.

Food: While I starved in transit, The Fiance was already in Montreal waiting for me. He spent the wait at a bar over a couple of pints but no food. So we were both ready to eat. I also ordered a Mint Julep, which was kind of like a boozy snow cone. At first sip, I didn’t love it but each subsequent sip was much better once the ice started melting and mixing in with the bourbon and syrup.

To start, we ordered the Scotch Egg and Bone Marrow. With a $15 price tag, I had high hopes for the scotch egg and they delivered. My camera also ran out at this point, so I have no photographic evidence of the perfect yolky goodness, but it was worth every penny. The fried crust was crispy, the sausage tender, flavourful and the yolk was liquid gold. Not to mention there was a generous dollop of creamy Swedish sauce. The platter of bone marrow was served with a stack of crostini, sea salt and brussel sprout salad. Both bones yielded a ton of fatty marrow. The bottom half could have been roasted a touch more. I won’t be able to understand any restaurant that serves only half a bone anymore.

For entrees, we split an order of Mussels with Fries and the Meat Ploughman’s Platter. The mussels were light, lots of rich natural flavour accented by the thick cut bacon. I polished off the bowl of fries and much of the mayonnaise. We mainly ordered the mussels because we spied the awesome looking fries on another table and it was an excellent decision. With the Ploughman’s platter, there was a pork rillette, cured duck and a sausage along with apple slices, cheddar cheese, a deviled egg, carrot sticks, celery sticks and whole raw red radishes. For condiments there was a beautiful fruit preserve and a strong dijon mustard. Of the three meets, I favoured the rillette while The Fiance loved the fatty duck. All of the vegetables were extra fresh and crispy but the radishes really threw us off. They were really big, and crunchy but radish alone has very little taste. We each ate one but left the rest.

In the midst of this long Canadian winter, a weekend food trip to Montreal was just what I needed to avert any seasonal affective disorder. Yes, technically Montreal was colder and snowier than Toronto, but the change in scenery made the snow a lot prettier. On this trip, the Fiance and I stayed at the Westin, right at the Old Port and took advantage of the great location. I even woke up early on Saturday to get in breakfast at Le Gros Jambon, my quest to fit in as many meals as possible in 48 short hours.

Atmosphere: Le Gros Jambon had the diner feel down. The narrow restaurant has two rows of bar stools, one along a wall decorated with vintage posters and ads, the other facing the open kitchen. I would not come with a group bigger than 3. We were the first customers that day at 10am but the diner filled up quickly.

Service: Since we were there quite early, the staff was relaxed and enjoying their breakfast with us. All of the servers spoke English and were friendly. Food arrived quickly and bills were settled at the front of the restaurant.

Food: The Fiance and I split one savoury and one sweet dish. Both of our meals were served on adorable pig shaped platters. I chose to go with the classic two eggs platter, over easy and side of sausage. The platter came with a hash brown, a thimble of baked beans and two slices of buttered toast. My eggs had perfect runny yolks and the toast was generously buttered (wedding diet right??). The hash browns were almost croquette like and used mashed potatoes along with smoked ham, a tasty variant.

For our sweet dish, we picked the French Toast with fresh fruit, whipped cream, pecan crumble and toasted coconut. This came with three slices of french toast, a has brown and the same thimble of baked beans. I found the toast itself pretty standard but the combination of all the toppings made each bite great. All of the fruits used were ripe and extra sweet. The whipped cream was airy and I loved the candied pecans.

During vacations, I always like to schedule in at least one brunch. This allows me to sleep in a bit but still start the day before noon and lets me fit in 3 full meals a day, which is key when I’m trying to visit as many food stops as possible in a city. For my trip to Montreal in December, I had already been to L’Avenue and didn’t want to wait outside in the cold for a repeat visit. After reading reviews online, I figured Le Cartet and Les Gros Jambon were both good bets. Both restaurants had a great brunch menu, were located within walking distance from our hotel and close to each other. That way if the line at Le Cartet was too long, I had a back up. Lucky for us, we were able to wait inside at Le Cartet and were seated within 15 mins of waiting.

Atmosphere: While we waited for a table, I was busy checking out the gourmet chocolate and artisan food shop at the front of Le Cartet. There was a huge selection of chocolate bars from local producers, specialty teas, mustards, canned foie gras and quick service section with salads, wraps and sandwiches. If you’re eating here, this would be a great time to pick up edible souvenirs. The restaurant is long and narrow. Tables for two or four are set up along one white painted brick wall across from open windows into the kitchen. Long tables for large groups occupy the space in between, parallel to the walls creating tight walkways. Once we sat down, I immediately noticed the wall art by Montreal artist James Kennedy. I had been admiring his metal artwork for years at the One of a Kind show. The art fit well in the space and reflected the modern and slightly industrial feel. There were couples of all ages dining as well as families and groups of friends.

Service: Our menu was in English and we had no issues asking questions and placing our order. Our server was efficient, ensured that my coffee was refilled and we didn’t wait long for our food to arrive. The restaurant was busy but we weren’t rushed in any way.

Food: I was torn between a brunch platter or the three minute egg. I do love my soft boiled eggs but wanted something more substantial with a day of walking ahead. I ended up ordering the Brunch de L’Atlantique with smoked salmon in everything while the BF, ever the carnivore, had the Brunch des Cantons. Each brunch dish comes with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. Orange is my favourite juice and the glass at Le Cartet was really good, rich, full of pulp, not overly sweetened or sour.

My own plate was so plentiful I barely sampled the BF’s dish. I had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, half a bagel topped with smoked salmon and capers, a salmon and sweet potato cake, side salad and a fruit skewer. There were a lot of components. My favourite of which was the bagel and salmon. I liked how the flavours were distinct, strong and it was a great bagel. The scrambled eggs were creamy, fluffy , filled with smoked salmon and topped with chives. I thought the salmon overpowered the eggs a bit and actually would’ve been happy with just eggs. The sweet potato cake was fried like a fish cake and moist. From the BF’s plate, I had a couple of bites of the sausage, ham and roasted duck fat potatoes. The sausage was fatty and delicious. In general, the BF’s plate was on the saltier side, heavy and quite filling.

Our meal at Le Cartet was a great way to start a day wandering around the Old Port and Old Montreal with the great location and wide menu selection. On a return visit I would love to try the three minute egg.

While I was researching restaurants for my Montreal food trip back in December, I was surprised to find out about Kazu, a popular Japanese izakaya located on St-Catherine. I didn’t remember Japanese cuisine being popular from when I lived in the city during middle school. Back then though I hadn’t started taking my taste buds out yet, so maybe I was just oblivious. Either way I juggled my schedule to fit in a lunch at the restaurant.

Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is tiny, probably similar in size to Sansotei in Toronto, but more packed and rustic reminding me of ramen shops in Tokyo. The BF and I didn’t have to wait long because I planned to arrive just as lunch service began, which was a great decision because it was a cold day and a line up did form. There was less yelling, still present but toned down to allow for a conversation to be held comfortably. Customers ranged across a wide spectrum from university students and young families with small children to people my parents’ age. Colour papers with hand printed menu specials in a rainbow of marker colours covered the walls.

Service: Everyone was friendly and eager. A bit too eager clearing away plates that still had food and dishes arrived so quickly we had trouble fitting all the plates on our small square table. There were a lot of smiles though. Language wasn’t an issue and we ordered easily in English. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach and I wanted to order 4 dishes while the BF was worried it would be too much food. We asked our server for his opinion and he assured us it would be ok. It was more filling than I expected and we could’ve passed on one dish.

Food: Walking in I wasn’t sure what to expect especially for the ramen. We’re fairly spoiled with the quality of izakayas in Toronto now that they’ve begun to migrate east. For starters, we ordered the Traditional Salmon Sashimi and the Pork Cheek Pate. The salmon was more carpaccio style with sesame seeds, a vinaigrette and topped with a bundle of salad greens. The salmon slices were paper thin and not the biggest portion. For me, the stand out dish of the meal for the Pork Cheek Pate. I loved this dish. It was the perfect mix of modern presentation and traditional flavours. The tender pork cheek was served shredded to a paste, well seasoned and the wide plate rim was garnished with sauces. Each piece of toasted tortilla was soft and and warm. The three mountains of pork cheek made for at least 4 to 5 bites each, a perfect starter.

For entrees, the BF and I split the 48 hour pork bowl and a ramen bowl, served only at lunch. I liked the pork bowl but it wasn’t outstanding. The pork was tender, sweet, soy saucey, served on a bed of rice and garnished with slices of pickled ginger. It was a dish with familiar Asian flavours, similar to what I would make at home. The large bowl of ramen arrived with noodles and toppings submerged in the broth and garnished with a large square of seaweed. Dissecting the ramen into the three characteristics I look for to define a great bowl, Kazu hits two out of three. First, I liked their house made noodles. They were thick and had a great chewiness. Second is the broth. I couldn’t find any indication of what protein the broth was, not as milky as tonkotsu but probably pork based. The seasoning was there, but I enjoy a richer broth. Last is the toppings, which was where Kazu lost points. The pork belly was not charred, the fat not fully rendered and there wasn’t much bamboo or bean sprouts. Taking a look online at other bowls of ramen, it does seem like there’s an inconsistency to how the bowl is assembled. For me, this made the difference between a great bowl of ramen and just an OK one.

I’m glad I had a chance to check out the Kazu and look forward to visiting more Japanese restaurants in Montreal.