La Croissanterie Figaro (Montréal, QC)

This is what happens when you have to wait for one hour before you have a brunch in Montreal... You go to a nearby croissant place, and you grab something to eat.

The place was old and charming. The decor was presque Barroque. The service was very young and clumsy. The food was good but the menu itself was too long and boring. Great place to have a croissant in the morning, read a paper and have a coffee.

I had an avocado and goat cheese over a sliced baguette. It was very yummy I have to admit. I got some croissants to go and Ill indulge in those during my train ride.

I love visiting Montreal but I am extremely happy to be soon going back to Toronto. There is no place like home :)

Leméac Restaurant (Montréal, QC)

I know that Montreal and I have history and it is not the last time I will come to the city but this is my last stop before heading back to Toronto and I have this "last brunch" feeling inside of me. We headed to Lémeac in the heart of Outremont (the Juif area of Montreal). I had high expectations and that by itself is a recipe for disaster but here we where ready to eat.

The soup de poissons was not bad but because I had too many in France (including in the south of France) it just did not do it for me. It was very thick and I could feel some root vegetable as the base of the soup. Fish and shrimp were there but just a little. La rouille and the crostini were good I have to admit. I ate half of the soup. So not worth to overeat it.

The tartare du beouf was good, not exceptional. Again, I'm picky, very picky when it comes to tartares. I did not get sick and that by itself was a good sign, but not good enough for me to rave about it, right?

The beignets (donuts) were very good. Similar to the ones I had in Toronto at The Harbord Room.

The wines were ok not exceptional.

I was not very impressed with the food. Oh well, Montreal is a great place to eat but not every restaurant in the city is.

Première Moisson (Montréal, QC)

Before you start judging me, I will defend myself. I know that Première Moisson is a chain. It is the Quebecois equivalent for Paul in Europe but much much better. To be fully honest, I would challenge any French pastry chef in Toronto to serve pastries that are as good as of the ones we find in this local chain.

I wasn't hungry at all but my friend persuaded me in getting some breads before we headed to her house. It was a great idea! At least for my belly, not so much for my waistline. BTW, this trip to Montreal was a complete screw up on my diet. Oh well, s*** happens. I guess I will have to enter a super strict diet after returning to Toronto. I need to look good when arriving in Rome.

Anyway, we got raisin bread, pâté au champagne, croissants, chocolatine aux amandes...everything sooo good! Worth every calorie.

La Famille (Montreal, QC)

This was the best brunch experience ever!

Highly recommended if you make your way to Montreal. The place is tiny, the kitchen is double of the size of mine but still super little for a restaurant, with 9-10 places to seat. The chalk board menu was inviting. Their gorgeous light fixtures made the place feel cozy.

I had the ciabatta agneau, chèvre, poivron, aubergine. Superb! Perfect execution, delicious flavors.

The friendly chefs and wait staff made my day. Perfect place to come after a yoga session and have a glass of rosé sparkling.

Great place to come watch the chefs in action, what a show!

Talk about a heart attack in a plate!

Taza Flores (Montreal, QC)

Mile End tapas bar, kitch decor, and pleasant music. The kitchen was very small and the bartender was pleasant.

We shared the following:

Bœuf carpaccio was good and it had a perfect crostini.
Goat cheese with grilled veggies was not fantastic but it felt like an explosion in my mouth.
The Quebec cheese tray with nuts, apple, and grapes was very average.

The tajine d'agneau was very good. (I know I am bias when it comes to lamb but it felt good to eat it)- BTW, I cannot wait to eat lamb in Turkey. Istanbul, wait for me!

And....

The wine, a bottle 2010 Las Carpetas Monastrell... Not as good as the Cote des Rhônes that we had in the previous place, but good enough to get saoul. Oh yay baby, this is MTL.

The overall impression of the place was good but it did not wow me.

Buvette Chez Simone (Montreal, QC)

Not the first nor the last time I have visited this Mile End establishment. Great place to see locals, drink good wine, and eat some amuse bouche. This time around we only had a beautiful bottle of Cote de Rhône and had a great conversation. If you eat here, for for some charcuterie board. You will not regret. The music is cool, the crowd varies between hipsters, accomplished young professionals, and the well off people who life in the area. Living in Montreal is becoming expensive.

Laloux (Montréal, QC)

Laloux is tucked in a residential part of the plateau. The ambiance was très bistrot. The beat up wooden floors, white table cloths, and the old style light fixtures made the place very cozy. I went for lunch but I think that going there in the evening would be so much better.

There was an option in the menu for wine pairing, and of course I went for it. The sommelier came to our table to explain the reason why she had chosen the wines according the dishes I had chosen. Very nice!

I had 1/2 a glass of macôn boursières paired with the rillette de porc with apples, apricots, and a pine crumble as the appetizer. The wine was based on gamey grapes and it complemented perfectly the light flavors of the dish.


I had a trout marinated Nova Scotian style pizza with caviar and labneh, a middle eastern type of cheese. My pizza dough was fantastic! Too much trout for my taste but other than that, it was perfect. The sommelier gave me the option of keeping drinking a red wine (not the same I had with my appetizer) or getting a Épaulé Jeté, a white wine from the Loire valley region. I could have drank the entire bottle.

For dessert, we shared a brownie made with African chocolate, noix, and vanilla ice cream. So good!

Love eating in Montreal!

Café Vasco da Gama (Montréal, QC)

I wish Toronto had an equivalent for Café Vasco da Gama. This is a high end Portuguese café in Montreal and it is associated to the known Ferreira Café, one of the best restaurants in the city. Thé ambiance us simple, inviting, and cozy. You can find Portuguese tiles on the walls mixed with modern light fixtures. I would definitely remove the flat screen TVs but I was very happy with the music and the service.

Here is what I had:

Beef and fois gras burger (best thing I had in the last month or so) decadent, rich, delicious and perfectly executed.

Cod croquettes was good but not perfect for my standards (mind you I am extremely bias when comes to Portuguese food)

A few glasses of Quinta do Penedo 09 .... So good...

Enjoying Montreal! Santé!
Fernanda