Category: Montreal

French · Montreal · Patio

Le Vin Papillon

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The best restaurant we visited in Montreal was Le Vin Papillon. The overall experience was so magical that I’ll book again the next time I’m in town. For this post, let’s listen to “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Papas & Mamas.

Our server showed us three bottles of white wine. I wanted the second choice, a wine that paired best with the food. Envy and Emerald outvoted me, so we drank a Beaujolais Blanc ($90). The wine was lovely and a little buttery. We ordered less than the recommended number of dishes, six to seven for two people.

We picked our food based on the server’s recommendations, which included: Thon de La Gaspesie Tart ($25), Petoncle Cru ($48), Gnocchi Fritti Anguille ($16), Jambon e le Petite Bourg ($17), Mitake aux Champignons ($26), Belles Tomatoes ($15), Calamars, escarole, tomato ($19) and Tarte Clafoutis aux Ceris ($16).

The gnocchi fritti anguille was a knockout. Each square was black and blistered, puffed up like a pillow. The eel puree was unique. I could taste a hint of charcoal smoke, and the flavour reminded me of creamy smoked salmon. I would order this again.

The Jambon e le Petite Bourg ($17) was a plateful of thin slices of ham and shaved layers of smooth cheese. This dish was all about quality and simplicity.

I was in love with the big Boston scallops, Petoncle Cru. The texture was creamy and silky and popped from the fresh basil and fat salt flakes. What made this dish shine was the sweetness of the scallops and the sensation of the chilled shellfish sliding into my mouth. I liked how the basil flavour didn’t overpower the natural flavour of the scallops.

Emerald said bluefin tuna was a fun take on beef tartare, though I found the endive leaves overly bitter. I knew we shouldn’t have gotten this dish because our server looked disappointed in our choice when we ordered it. Don’t get me wrong, the tuna was great, it wasn’t a knockout like the other dishes.

The calamars arrived on a metal skewer, like a kebob. The squid was smooth and slippery, with a crunchy, el dente bite. The clean flavour from the green butter was phenomenal. The texture of the squid surpassed what I ate in Greece. I appreciated this dish because it’s so rare that I get to eat squid prepared so well.

Emerald, Envy and I were all over the mushrooms. Crunchy crevices, feathery light, each bite was a delight. Envy said everything was super simple but fantastic.

Envy mentioned the wine paired well with the tomatoes. Like our experience at Lapin, the tomato flavour was pronounced. I told my friends this must have come from the best tomatoes in the world. What a fantastic sauce. Emerald noted there was the right amount of seasoning in all the food. We would get the tomatoes again.

Envy ranked her top three dishes: tomatoes, scallop, gnocchi, and mushrooms. Emerald said the gnocchi was number one, then the tomatoes and mushrooms. I preferred the scallops, calamari, and then the tomatoes. This restaurant has it all – food prepared by culinary geniuses, servers who go above and beyond, and customers who know a great thing when they experience it. I left walking on moonbeams and not wanting the night to end.

Our meal cost was on par with Lapin, just over a hundred dollars a person. My only regret was not visiting Le Vin Papillon twice in a week, so I could try everything on the menu.

Brunch · Montreal

Les Enfant Terrible

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On Saturday, we experienced the worst breakfast and the best dinner on the trip. We also learned if you could get brunch reservations at the last minute, it’s probably not worth going. For this post, let’s listen to “Terrible Lie” by Nine Inch Nails.

Emerald wanted to go somewhere with a rooftop patio. I found two possible places through OpenTable. When I confirmed which of the two restaurants we should visit, there was a misunderstanding, and ultimately, we ended up at the wrong restaurant. Based on the reviews, I knew beforehand the food at Les Enfant Terrible was aptly named, but as Emerald wanted a rooftop and Envy didn’t want to wait for a table, our options were limited.

When asked for her recommendations, our server carefully responded, “Customers have said good things about the crab cake benedicts and croque-madame.” I immediately knew that she didn’t eat the food herself.

I ordered the Crab Cake Benedict ($25), Emerald picked the Croque-Madame ($22), and Envy opted for the M’et Mmetoutle Monde ($14, plus $4 avocado). I noticed our drinks sat the counter for ten minutes. I did enjoy my mimosa ($10), which tasted like freshly squeezed orange juice. Envy didn’t care for her Espresso Martini ($15).

Envy said her sausages and eggs tasted like it was from a free hotel buffet breakfast, the ones that keep their food in a warmer. We both liked the side of avocado. Envy observed that we never received the fruit cups included in our entrees.

Emerald noticed one of my eggs already popped. I could taste the crab, shrimp and smoked salmon and enjoyed the caviar hollandaise sauce. I thought this dish tasted like the airplane food when my sister booked me a first-class ticket to visit her. Tasty, but not fresh.

Poor Emerald got the worst of the entrees. I took a bite of her sandwich and gagged. The bread was untoasted and soggy, cold from the bland jelly-like cream sauce. She only ate the thin slice of meat and egg and wouldn’t touch the bread. I suggested she return the dish and grab a pastry on our way home. She declined. With one taste, I could sense Les Enfant Terrible had a toxic work environment. You could taste the sadness in the food. The absolute disregard for making a dish edible reek of someone unhappy, hungover, and needing a hug. I don’t blame the cook. The fault lies with the establishment. Down with management!

An accidental compliment salvaged the afternoon. When we returned to our place, Envy wanted to go for a hike, and Emerald wished to rest. So I popped out and visited the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

When I went to pay for my ticket, the employee asked me if I was thirty or younger. Taken aback but still shameless, I uttered an unconvincing and slow “Yesss” and accepted the discounted rate. Elated, I continued on my journey. One of my favourite pieces of art were the Inuit sculptures and Aboriginal masks. I returned to our apartment younger and ready to experience one of the best restaurants I’ve tried in … perhaps ever. To be continued.

French · Montreal · Restaurants

Maman and Restaurant L’Orignal

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Our plan for Friday was brunch, shopping, and relaxing at the pool. For this post, let’s listen to “Who Even Cares” by Little Simz.

On the way over to Maman, we walked by the hostel I stayed at the last time I was in Montreal. I remember hanging out with Mike when Baron called me to say he was lost somewhere in Old Town. As this was before Google Maps, Mike had to figure out where Baron was on a physical map, and then we frantically searched for him on foot. Mike spotted Baron wandering around a park. We ran up to Baron and started jumping up and down and cheering hysterically. Ah, the good old days.

Maman wasn’t busy, but we still had to wait half an hour before our server took our order. Envy ordered Papa’s Breakfast Bowl with an extra egg ($20.50) and a Cold Brew ($5). Emerald picked the Dejeuner Mamam Sandwich ($19) and a Latte ($6.75), and I wanted the Sandwich Isabelle ($17) and a glass of water.

Emerald and Envy enjoyed their food, while I thought my zucchini and brie sandwich was bland, despite a heavy sprinkling of salt and pepper. The water tasted stale. The salad was tasty, fresh, with a vibrant dressing.

We went shopping along St. Catherine Street, where I learned not only does Emerald overpack, but she’s also a shopaholic. She bought more clothes on this trip than I own. Envy brought the right amount of clothing and found a stunning dress at Holt Renfrew. Unfortunately, the salesperson left the security tag on her dress, which she discovered right before we left for Calgary. I under-packed and needed more clothes, but I couldn’t find anything. Instead, I bought four pairs of black socks on the trip.

Emerald and I checked out the pool and hot tub when we returned. Then I went with Envy for a coffee and a trip to Shoppers to purchase sparkling water and snacks. Emerald found a fantastic coffee shop, where I discovered my new favourite drink, iced coffee by Faro. When we were at Shoppers, Envy pop out of an aisle and rushed over to me. She looked anxious, which was unlike her. I asked her if she was okay. She responded, “There’s a creepy guy in here. Let’s go.”

When we left, I finally got the tea. Some guy walked up to Envy and asked if she spoke English. She said yes, thinking he needed help. He asked, “How does it feel to be the most beautiful woman in the room?” When I stopped laughing, I asked how she responded. Envy retorted, “Really?!?” and then stormed off. I told her if I were there, I would have told him he was insensitive to say such a thing when I was also in the room.

I found Montreal unpleasantly hot, as the humidity makes me feel overly warm and muggy. Despite the heat, I still wore my Swedish tights because I like how the material feels. For dinner, we visited L’Orignal, a spot Envy wanted to scope out.

We started with cocktails, Pineapple Rum Punch ($14), Oyster Caesar ($18), and a Cucumber Caesar ($13). The manager helped Envy pick a bottle of white wine, Chablis la Chablisie ($75). They went back and forth talking about a flavour characteristic Envy doesn’t care for, but I couldn’t follow the conversation because I was feeling woozy.

Envy noticed I looked unwell and said we could cab home right away. Then she told me to go take my stockings off. I went to the washroom and felt a whoosh of incredible relief once I removed my stockings. I felt like a new woman. Envy shook her head and said she suspected I was overheating because I was wearing too many clothes. I called L that night to tell him about my near-death experience, and he wondered if Envy ever got tired of being everyone’s mother.

Once I took my tights off, my appetite returned. We shared a Kale Salad ($16), which we all thought was very good. The kale was soft and well-seasoned with a creamy dressing. For our mains, I ordered Bison Burger ($28) with Poutine ($8), Envy picked the Tagliatelle ($30) and Envy ordered the day’s plate, Halibut ($45).

My burger was delicious. The patty was charred and crunchy inside, while the meat remained juicy. I would get the burger again. Emerald and Envy liked the poutine more than I did, as I found the fries soggy. Emerald’s portion of pasta looked so small, but she said it was the perfect portion.

While we were there, the restaurant was only a quarter filled. Envy thought it would be more fun later at night when it was busier. Overall, I enjoyed our meal and particularly the service at L’Orignal. Unlike the other restaurants, we were constantly checked on and received our food promptly. Hitting the Sauce gives L’Original service two phat thumbs up.

French · Montreal · Restaurants

Olive et Gourmando and Bar George

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When we woke up the next morning, we were ready to hit a Montreal hotspot for brunch. Emerald and I wanted to try Olive et Gourmando, a restaurant Phil reviewed on his show, Somebody Feed Phil. The menu isn’t Envy’s style, but she was a good sport and came along. As I’m always one to look on the bright side of things, I informed her I spotted some things she could eat, like boiled eggs and chia seeds. For this post, let’s listen to the Everybody Loves Raymond soundtrack.

On our way over to the restaurant, the rain came down hard. Due to Envy’s excellent sense of direction, we arrived quickly, but ended up standing around for an hour for a table. Once we sat down, we waited another half an hour to order. On this trip, we learned the busiest restaurants are the best, and in this case, Olive et Gourmando is worth the lengthy queue.

Emerald ordered the Poached Egg On Your Face ($25.50), Envy picked L’oeuf Coquette Frittata ($26.50), and I wanted what Phil recommended, Le Cubain ($25.50). I didn’t take a photo of Envy’s food because I knew she was hungry. Since it was noon, I ordered a glass of wine to accompany my meal. 

Of the two sandwiches, Emerald’s egg sandwich was the best. The eggs were so silky, thinly sliced into uniform pieces, and nestled between hot, melted cheese and crispy pancetta. I could taste a creamy aioli that kicked up each crispy bite. I would get this again. Emerald commented on how big the sandwich was but thought it was a decent size as no sides were included. 

The cubain sandwich contained quality slices of pancetta and pork. I enjoyed the smoky flavour of the meat and the spicy mayonnaise. The bread was oily in both sandwiches, but in a good way, like a grilled cheese sandwich.

I spotted bottles of wine to go and assumed it would be good. I asked an employee which one he would recommend. He pointed to a bottle and said, “I don’t know if you’ll like the wine, but this one is popular.” I should have listened to him and aborted my mission, but I went against his warning and bought a bottle ($40). 

After our meal, Envy walked us down to the Old Port. We stopped to gaze at Silo No. 5, an old grain elevator from the 20th century. We turned around and walked by Habitat 67, a housing complex designed by Israeli–Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. Envy said it appeared rundown like a project, and Emerald thought it looked like a favela in Brazil. I reminded them that my husband and I have a picture of Habitat 67 in our living room. We had a good laugh. I added that our print was much nicer as it has Japanese influences with Scandinavian colours that suited our decor. 

We returned to our apartment and planned to go shopping. However, record-breaking rainfall descended on us, and we waited out the storm. Our phones beeped out tornado warnings as we watched birds en masse struggle to fly by against the strong winds and heavy sheets of rain. We drank my subpar wine and cancelled our reservations at Bar St. Denis. Envy, always wise, suggested we stick close by and check out Bar George when the storm lifted.  She didn’t want to get stuck due to flooding.

Bar George is located inside Le Mount Stephen, a hotel. The hotel is swanky, with impressively large neoclassical features. Though fully booked, we managed to get three spots by the bar.

A DJ spun his tunes at the entrance by a massive fireplace. We drank well-made cocktails (Elise, $18) that even matched the craftmanship of award-winning mixologist Christine Mah, partner at Klein/Harris in Calgary. 

We ordered a light supper. Emerald and I shared two appetizers. The arancini ($16) arrived steaming hot, crispy and cheesy. Emerald like the addition of pickles in the beef tartare ($44) and the hard crunch from the crackers. The large portion of tartare came with fries, the best I tried on the trip. The frites were meaty and fatty, but with a hard crisp exterior. Envy said her octopus ($34) was okay, but she wouldn’t order it again.

The service was jovial, which set the mood for merriment. With the DJ spinning tunes and the calibre of our cocktails, I felt like I was at a party. When asked, the hostess was lovely enough to take multiple pictures of us and she gave side eye to an employee who clearly did care about our Kodak moment and defiantly trotted by, ruining one shot. Overall, we would return for the cocktails, service and snacks.