Montreal – Hitting the Sauce

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.

Last week, I visited Montreal with my friends Emerald and Envy. The last time I was in Montreal was thirteen years ago when I was a broke student. I was excited that this time around, I could explore the local cuisine. For this post, let’s listen to “Thinking Out Loud ” by Ed Sheeran.

Obtaining a reservation to Vin Mon Lapin, Emerald’s suggestion, took a lot of work. Recently rated #1 of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, no openings were available even though I tried to book the day the spots were released. After several failed attempts on their waitlist, I did manage to snag a 9:45 pm on Wednesday.

We arrived on time and were seated on the patio behind the restaurant. Our server steered us to a stellar natural organic Spanish wine, Vernatxa Instint Primari Friasch, from Terra Alta, Catalonia ($91). This white wine was the best bottle we tried on the entire trip. I found it textured, light and fresh, with a refreshing acidity. This wine was so good, I drank every single drop in my glass.

As we drank our wine and soaked up the evening heat, we noticed things were slower in Montreal. At 10:30 pm, a different server saw our ravenous eyes telepathically begging for a Snickers bar. He came to take our order, and we picked our dishes based on the first server’s vivid and enthusiastic descriptions.

Our first dish set the night, Poireaux ($14). The leek stalks stood straight, packed in sardines in a tin. The marinade tasted clean and grassy oil. Emerald enjoyed the fresh, balanced flavour. Envy found the leeks smooth and savoury. I just liked that I was eating something unusual (to me) and enjoyed the additional crunch from the leek’s accompaniment, potato chips.

Envy and Emerald were impressed with the leek mussels, as it was different from a dish you would find in Calgary. Envy mentioned that Calgary is stronger with game meat because that’s locally available.

I was most excited to try the Corque ($24). The scallop sandwich was friggin incredible. The scallops were silky and smooth, highlighted by the outer layer of delicately crunchy bread. What a treat! Envy doesn’t eat carbs, so I ate her toast. The scallop dish was my favourite dish of the night.

Emerald and Envy loved the Tomate Beuf ($22). The tomato beef was another winner; it tasted sweet, ripe, and tomatoey. In Alberta, we are spoiled with excellent beef, so it was interesting to see that this version of beef tartar highlighted the quality of the fruit more than the meat. It takes some magic to get tomatoes to taste like this. Props to the chef.

Another server came to move us to the dining room for a different experience. I said it was a sweet gesture out loud, and Envy wryly informed me it was because the patio closes at 11:00 pm. Her stark and accurate realism altered my more romantic interpretation, but she agreed that being inside provided an improved experience once seated.

Inside, we met Samuel, a boyish server who recommended other wines by the glass and talked up the chefs responsible for all the deliciousness we ate. I asked for his name to credit him on my blog, but after I realized I may have given cougar vibes. Poor Samuel.

The Laitue ($20) was poetically described, so I was disappointed to learn it was just a salad. While it was a nice herby mix, I would have preferred a second order of any of the previous three dishes instead.

Envy took some of the Porc ($34) and thought it was excellent. I liked the contrast between the soft and crunchy fat on the pork belly. My pictures are worse than usual because Envy and Emerald were so hungry, and I didn’t want them to wait. Next time, I want my friend Lululemon to come. Sometimes she sees my photos and takes my phone to redo it.

The halibut was cooked so the white flesh was hot and soft. Envy approved of our second main, the Fletan ($42). I found the flavour of the fish delicate and perfectly cooked, almost velvety in texture. Envy said she would order this again.

Emerald picked a delicious Torte ($15) for dessert. The cake was coated in a warm, fluffy chocolate sauce. The espresso and rich chocolate reminded me of Coffee Crispy, my favourite childhood candy bar, but much better in every possible way.

I’m glad we were able to check out Vin Mon Lapin. It was worth the repetitive cycle of receiving notifications, frantically checking only to find the offer expired, until finally securing a spot. The food was delightful, and the wine was something special.

Tag: Montreal

Olive et Gourmando and Bar George

Vin Mon Lapin