Breaking Brunch Regiment - Régine Café

(Sidebar: Okay, I'll be completely honest about my lack of blogging. Basically, Google is being an utter asshat, which has really put me off blogging. But my friend took me to this brunch spot a couple of months ago, which sparked something in my cold, Google-hate-filled heart. A second visit cinched it; I had to share this discovery with whatever few followers I had left.)

I know that brunch is a huge thing in Montreal. I mean, we probably have as many brunch spots as we do Starbucks, which is to say about five on every street corner (Starbucks... wat r u doing... Starbucks... stahp). To be completely frank, I never understood the fascination. Very few brunch places have every wowed me (Prohibition), and even then, on a scale of glassy-dead-fish eyes to giant-round-dinner-plate eyes, it only scored an eyebrow quirk and a slight surprised widening. For other much praise-lauded venues, I just didn't really understand the hype (Allo Mon Coco, L'Avenue - although the decor for the latter definitely gets brownie points). They were decent, but there wasn't anything that stood out about the food.

And then I met Régine. Oh, Régine. It really was food-love at first sight.

I mean, she really had the whole package going for her. Quirky but chic good looks, a menu with a unique personality, scrumptious food, voluptuous portions... 

Gawd, stop me before I embarrass myself!

Mystify Me, Misto - Restaurant Misto (Montréal à Table)

I really wish I had more time and money to blog about food. Eh, what else is new about being a food-loving engineering student...

So from November 1st to November 11th, we had our second annual Montréal à Table event (which I totally should have told you guys about, I'm so sorry), where over 100 restaurants in the greater Montreal area offer a specialized, themed menu for a set price of either $19, $29 or $39. The theme this year was maple syrup. I had the pleasure of visiting two such restaurants, one of them being Misto, an Italian restaurant situated on the Plateau. 

You spin my chicken right round, right round - Romado's

In celebration of Romado's grand reopening, here's a post featuring Montreal's favourite Portuguese chicken! If you've spent any amount of time in the Montreal food scene, then you'll probably know about 1) Schwartz's 2) poutine and 3) Romados. Well, okay, maybe not, but Romados is pretty renowned in Montreal for having the best roasted chicken in town. And after years of having included it on my to-try list, I finally got my hands on some yummy Portuguese roasted chicken.

Avenue O for Omnomnom - L'Avenue

L'Avenue is somewhat well-known in Montreal as the brunch place to go to, which is probably why it has insane line ups every day. From the outside, it's a pretty inconspicuous restaurant, with just a window lined with Nutella jars and fresh fruit that gives you a peek to the kitchen area behind the counters, and another window with a really odd-looking mannequin. That might explain whey my friend and I walked right past this place without a second glance while looking for it. Although how we managed to miss the epic long line-up leading up to the restaurant is beyond me... Because if you're planning on visiting L'Avenue, you better be prepared to wait for it.

Roses are red, the Nile is blue, and now I present le Nil Bleu to you - Nil Bleu

Aaaahhh, this blog is not dead, I swear! I've just been really busy with school and exams. But now that that's over with, I'll be bringing you some more ridiculous posts and delicious venues to eat at!

If any of you have been on urbanspoon a while back (maybe a year?), you're sure to have come across le Nil Bleu as either a nearby restaurant, or a recommended restaurant. I was curious to try it, but a little wary, as I am with all things heavily advertised. However, a few of my friends had recommended Nil Bleu to me, including a friend who normally doesn't stray too far from her culinary comfort zone. If I hadn't been interested in trying Ethiopian food before, her recommendation definitely piqued my interest. And so, when a coupon rolled around for Nil Bleu, I snatched it up as soon as I saw it.

Ryu, I choose you! Tapas attack! It's super effective!

I'm pretty sure I've used the 'I choose you' joke already, but whatevs. Pokemon is classic, yo.

Ryu is a tapas-inspired Japanese fusion restaurant located in Outrement, conveniently situated on Laurier. Their menu consists mainly of small, appetizer-like dishes of both the hot and cold variety, as well as a selection of maki rolls. 

Poutine Bananza at La Banquise

You know, despite being a self-proclaimed foodie and a Montrealer, I've yet to try the so-called 'greatests' that Montreal has to offer, such as La Banquise and Schwartz's. Yes, yes, ready your rotten tomatoes, aim, and fire. I had been meaning to try them for a really long time now, but the line-up in front of Schwartz's never fails to make me cringe, and La Banquise always seemed like a hassle to get to. Luckily for me, an opportunity arose when a few friends (with a car!) from out-of-town came to visit and wanted to check this place out.

Lamb shanks and meatballs and spices, oh my! - Khyber Pass.

It's back to school! Back to endless nights of cramming, countless boxes of take-out and empty cartons or instant noodles. Sigh. But before that, one more trip to the Plateau!

When my friend told me she was craving lamb, my first thought was: 'Oh, we're going to Fat Sheep or Kiss Grill again'. Never in a million years did I expect her to take a group of us to Khyber Pass, a quaint Afghan restaurant situated on Duluth in the Mount Royal region. To be completely honest, I had no idea what Afghan cuisine even consisted of before going to Khyber Pass, and I still can't really say if I do now. I don't know if the Afghan cuisine they serve in this restaurant is authentic or not, but what I can say is that the food is damn good either way.

Burger de Ville, Burger de Ville, fresh juicy patties direct from the grill!

... Eating it will give you such a thrill! Burger, oh Burger de Ville~  (To the tune of 'Cruella De Vil'). Oh yes, I'm full of really bad and corny puns. Aaanyway, onwards to the intro!

Burger de Ville is a popular burger joint with a simple and straightforward menu that offers burgers with fresh (read: unfrozen) beef patties, a large variety of toppings, and a small selection of side dishes. While the menu and decor of the restaurant are simple, Burger de Ville proves that it doesn't need all the fancy add-ons by offering some of the juiciest, thickest burgers that I've had in Montreal.

Vivre Aux Vivres!

 

Aux Vivres is a popular vegan restaurant/cafe on the Plateau that seems to also specialize in smoothies/juices. Even though the store is small and the location a little random, the restaurant is usually quite full, and with people of all shapes, sizes or food-religion. Or regular religion, at that. Despite having no trace trace of dairy, eggs or meat in their foods, it is not uncommon to find even big, burly guys frequenting this dainty establishment. Why? Because Aux Vivres manages to whip up foods that make you forget that the meat/dairy/egg is even missing.

Notre ami Amelio's.

Amelio's is a tiny family-owned restaurant on the corner of Milton and St-Famille. Amelio's specializes in 'gourmet' pizzas - pizzas that are of a higher caliber than your standard Domino's or Pizza Hut - but they also serve subs and pastas. Despite its low-key appearance and plain decor, the perpetual line-up outside its doors will be sure to alert you to Amelio's presence and to its quality.

The Ginza of AYCE sushi.

If Montreal's all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants were shopping districts in Japan, then Ginza would be... well... Ginza. Ginza is a very small and inconspicuous restaurant situated on the busy street of St-Denis. Despite its small stature, it is still relatively well-decorated, and serves some of the better AYCE sushi I've had to date. And believe me, I've had my share.