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!

Me so hungry... - Misoya

Ramen. It's funny how such a commonplace food item in Japan that can be found in nearly every major train station is so sought-after in the Western world, with self-proclaimed ramen experts popping up left and right. I blame Naruto.

But Montreal is pretty lacking in good ramen joints, and while I'm usually content with a bowl of spicy Chinese noodles or steaming hot pho, there are times where I'm just hankering for some good ol' fashioned ramen. So when I heard about the international ramen chain that had recently opened up in Montreal, I knew I had to go check it out. Or, rather,my ramen-crazed friend did, and knew she had to drag me with her. 

May your dumplings be ever yummy - Restaurant Mei

Egads, I fell off the blogging bandwagon again. School's been rough, the holidays were rough (but in a totally different way), and the weather's been rougher, so I haven't had much time to go restauranting. But enough with petty excuses, you all came here for food, right? Onward, comrades!

I've actually visited Mei quite a few times now, but for some reason, decided only now to write about it. Mei is a small tapas-style Chinese restaurant situated on Mackay street, near the Concordia library building. They serve a variety of items, from fresh, hand-made dumplings to rou jia mo, or what my Western friends affectionately call the Chinese hamburger. But Kaz, you say, there are already so many dumpling places in Montreal. What makes this one so different? And I only have three words for you, my friend: xiao long bao.

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. 

My Little Dumplings - Mai Xiang Yuan

So apparently Montreal is going through a dumpling craze. Not too long ago, Qing Hua dumplings were all the rage, giving Montreal its first taste of authentic Chinese dumplings. Following its success, other entrepreneurs have tried to replicate Qing Hua's success, and only one to even come close - or surpass, in some people's opinions - is Mai Xiang Yuan.

Located on St-Laurent street, Mai Xiang Yuan is a tiny and particularly inconspicuous restaurant, nestled among the various pho restaurants in the area. But if you peek in the window, you'll no doubt see a ton of customers, because what can I say? Montrealers love their dumplings.

Do the wave! Do the wavy burger? - TKrestobar

Apparently two big food things happened this past summer while I was toiling away in the boonies. One, the invention of the cronut, and two, the ramen burger. The former I couldn't quite wrap my head around, and the second I pretty much thought was a joke. Until I actually found it at a restaurant. In Montreal. Yes, folks, you'll get your chance to try to (in?)famous ramen burger right here in la belle ville, at a certain TKresto.

A little authentic taste of Japan - Furusato

There's definitely an over-abundance of sushi restaurants in Montreal, ranging from the very bad to the very posh, but in comparison, the Japanese population here is teeny tiny. So, as you can imagine, actual Japanese-owned and run restaurants are relatively few as well. That isn't to say that non-Japanese operated sushi restaurants are bad, per se - in fact, some of the most popular Japanese restaurants in Montreal aren't run by Japanese people. But sometimes, you just want some no-frills, authentic Japanese cuisine. And where can you go for that? Why, Furusato, of course.