Mmm… Montreal!

I just spent  a whirlwind weekend (Friday evening to late Sunday afternoon) in Montreal as a guest of Tourisme Montréal.  I’ve got a few posts writing themselves in my head but in the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek of some of the delightful eats and drinks we partook in (yeah it’s a hard life but someone has to do it!)

Dinner at Le Filet included the drink I need to find out how to make, a “piscine” cocktail, a new-to-me riesling (according to Mr Neil, “a tad young” when I emailed him the label!), a mushroom and snail tartelette, a melt in your mouth pork flank, an apple spice cake and a maple square that sent my non-Canadian dining companions to maple heaven!

Le Filet
219 du Mont-Royal Avenue West
Montreal
Tél: 514 360-6060
www.lefilet.ca

Montreal. Bagels.

Has to be done, right? I’m actually a fan of St Viateur but this trip we tried Fairmount. I wouldn’t send one away but I still think I prefer St Viateur…

Fairmount Bagel
74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest
Tél: 514 272-0667
http://www.fairmountbagel.com/

When in Montreal…. Eat smoked meat. ‘Nuff said.

Schwartz’s
3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Tél: 514 842-4813
http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

The Marché Jean-Talon is a must. Bread, meat, fish, cheese, produce. Foodie heaven.

And, you know, an ice cider tasting is never refused….

Marché Jean Talon
7070 Avenue Henri Julien
Tél: 514  277-1588
http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/Jean-Talon/

Brunch at Lawrence, despite the wait, was something to make you leap out of bed on a Saturday morning. My dish of baked eggs in a celery root purée with oyster mushrooms was inspired AND inspiring. So much so that I feel the need to try to recreate it myself.

Lawrence
5201 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Tél: (514) 503-1070
http://lawrencerestaurant.com/

“Tea time” is a bit of a lost art. But not at Le Maître Chocolatier. A civilised way to spend a chilly afternoon…

Le Maître Chocolatier
1612 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal
Tél: 514 544-9475
www.lemaitrechocolatier.ca (closed)

Does Maison Publique warrant all the fanfare and press so early on in its life? Short answer? Yes. Every single dish that our party of four tried knocked it out of the park.

Maison Publique
4720 Marquette, corner of Gilford
Montreal
Tél: 514 507-0555
http://www.maisonpublique.com/

Teeny Pâtisserie Rhubarbe was a gem. Exquisite pastries and elegant brunch dishes. Definitely merits its lineup and waitlist….

Pâtisserie Rhubarbe
5091 de Lanaudière (south of Laurier)
Montreal
Tél: 514 903-3395
http://patisserierhubarbe.com

And of course you know I couldn’t head to Montreal and NOT seek out macarons. Crowd-sourcing on Twitter on Friday afternoon, I would have been mistaken to NOT head to Boutique Point G…

Point G Macarons
1266 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est
Montreal
Tél: 514 750-7515
http://www.boutiquepointg.com/

Did I whet your appetite? Well don’t worry, there are more detailed posts to come!

Disclosure: I was a guest of Tourisme Montréal for the weekend. My flights, hotel room and all meals except dinner at Maison Publique were covered by Tourisme Montréal. I have not been asked to write about the trip, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.