Chinatown in Montreal is clustered around De la Gauchetière Street. The neighborhood contains many Asian restaurants, food markets and convenience stores, as well as being home to many of Montreal’s East Asian community centers, such as the Montreal Chinese Hospital and the Montreal Chinese Community and Cultural Center. For excellent house-made pork, shrimp, leek and egg dumplings, head to Mai Xiang Yuan. The menu is all about Jiaozi - Chinese dumplings - with a selection of about 20 types, interchanging meats such as pork, lamb and beef, with leek, celery, mushroom, dried shrimp and egg. These plumped little purses, pleated and pinched - thick-skinned on the exterior and juicy on the inside - are made to order. The image of a wheat field adorns the business card at Mai Xiang Yuan, and the name refers to the sweet-smelling grain that predominates in the dough for dumplings, noodles and buns.
“Bar Luca have hit the high notes with Blame Canada,” David said. “We were impressed by the team in the kitchen with Sarah and their sheer burger dedication. Blame Canada is an alluring temptress, coming at you with salty and sweet. The poutine is ground-breaking and unique, and forms the base of the burger. The quality double patty meat is on point. The candied bacon is addictive and the cheese is perfection.
“The overall balance of the burger is superb. It’s all going on, and yet nothing is out of balance.
“You can judge a burger by whether you would keep coming back for it. Yes, we would. And only $15! Voted the best we tasted in Australia.”
Award-winning pastry chef Christian Faure founded Maison Christian Faure and the Pastry School in 2013 near the Notre Dame basilica in Old Montreal. The first international institution specializing in the art of French pastry-making in Canada, the school also offers workshops for amateurs. Occupying several floors of a 300-year-old grey stone building in Old Montréal, customers are greeting with a prominent pastry display of mouth-watering gateaux and pastries, mille-feuilles, éclairs and praline Paris-Brest and seasonal desserts like fresh fruit tarts and maple confections. Baskets overflow with buttery brioches, delicate madeleines, canelés, flaky croissants and chocolatines. A refrigerator showcases Chef Faure’s signature ice cream, intricate wedding cakes and sugar sculptures. For savory snacks, a modern dining room offers a seasonal menu, from club sandwiches and vegetable tarts to quiches and Faure’s famous large Choux pastry stuffed with lobster and crab. A weekend brunch offers eggs Benedict, French toast and more.
Opened by chef Juliette Brun when she was just 22, her Montreal-based boutique specializes in chocolates, brownies, pralines and other chocolate delicacies. The dessert lounge dedicated to chocolate offers table service, take-out service and a chocolate shop to take goodies home. Look for chocolate shakes, milk chocolates, hot chocolates, crepes, waffles, brownies, fondue and pastries. It’s the perfect place to end a romantic date night or to catch up with old friends.
For Québécois comfort eats, fans head to this small, casual wood-walled shop near the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. The shop offers a great collection of traditional comfort eats, from six kinds of “pâté chinois” (shepherd’s pie), to poutine, a Canadian dish originating in the province of Québec made with french fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy. Burgers, beer and wine are also popular. Try the “Mâche Burger, a hearty handful of seasoned Canadian beef, jalapeño Havarti cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, spring mix, tomato, ketchup and sesame mayonnaise.
This brightly colored cafe on a mostly residential street in East Los Angeles has been plating savory and sweet tamales, breakfast and soups since 1956. Critics rave about its oversized tamales. Made by hand, a layer of stone-ground masa is wrapped around fillings of pork, chicken and chili rellenos, then wrapped in cornhusk shells and steamed in a rich broth (not water). After the first bite, the sauce-heavy filling oozes out of the tamale.
An all-day taquería open daily from breakfast through dinner in the heart of Clerkenwell, Breddos Tacos began as a makeshift taco shack in a car park in Hackney in 2011. After a series of residencies and pop-ups, Street Feast, a cook book and a cook-off at LA’s Tacolandia festival in 2016, Breddos Tacos found a permanent home with 40 seats in Clerkenwell. Influenced by the hundreds of roadside taquerias and restaurants founders Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney encountered on their travels throughout America and Mexico, their food showcases the best of British produce. Using a volcanic stone mill and tortilla machine imported from Mexico, look for classic tacos plus unusual twists like sea urchin tostadas, salsa verde-braised chicharrón, and pork al pastor with roasted pineapple. Sweet lovers should check out the blueberry churro French toast and ice cream tacos. For the perfect fiesta, wash it all done with agua fresca, mescal and craft beers.
If you like to eat with the seasons and aren’t a picky eater, you’ll love Reuring’s well-priced set menus. During the autumn season, guests dined on seasonal game – partridge and wild duck – with truffles, pumpkin and kale. The service is excellent, too. It’s a good safe bet for any occasion.
Local tip: Reuring's sister restaurant, Paskamer (which is more of a wine bar with sharing plates) is right across the street and is great for an aperitif before dinner or a more casual drinks and snacks evening.
See Vicky's Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/hwpab8x
It's not often you see a café take off, but this Taiwanese coffee bar certainly has. It even has two branches in Hong Kong. It’s no surprise it’s popular. Not only do they provide good service, but they have a great choice of beverages and an affordable menu with a modern mix of delicious Japanese and Western dishes. Interestingly, if rather strange for a coffee shop, they don’t serve coffee. Instead, they offer a unique hot fruit tea drink. This is tea brewed with fresh fruit, resulting in a nice balance of fruity sweetness. And here’s a tip on the food front: Don’t opt for the sandwich selection, but go for the lobster roll, a warm toasted brioche stuffed with chunks of lobster meat, before finishing with cakes or a warm waffle. Delish! Pro tip: They don't accept credit cards. So take cash.
Fancy a high-quality sashimi lunch at an affordable price? Not only does this place source fish from Japan, it has a unique lunch menu that allows diners to customize their own Chirashizushi ("scattered sushi"), which is a bowl of sushi rice topped with a variety of raw fish. To do this, they provide you with a long list of available fish, and you simply indicate the kind you want along with the number of pieces. Your bowl of Chirashizushi is then freshly prepared by the chef. As it’s a very small shop, seating just 7 people, making a reservation is a must.