Although the city changed from French rule to British rule in 1763, only a mere 1.5% of the population is considered an Anglophone — 95% of Québec’s population speaks French as its first language. Québec City is the seat of Québecois government and about 95% of the people conduct the government in French. With a total of 550,000 people living in the city, appx. 50,000 were provincial government and 30,000 were Federal and government subcontractors…so a LOT of these Québec City residents are fluent in French.

Sure, Québec is French Canadian, but there’s no doubt that these parts were settled by the French not too long ago. Many things about the walled city are similar to Arles, a walled city in “its motherland.” In fact, Grande Allee looks almost identical to a road in Arles. And, FYI: this street is DEAD on a Monday night at 11pm in May…although rumored to be hopping on weekends in the summer.

Even though you surely won’t need as much time to explore this small city as you would in Montreal, the drive up is absolutely, 110% worth it because of the pretty Canadian countryside you pass on the way up and also for the authenticity it offers– despite feeling a bit like a tourist trap.

After wearing shorts in Montreal (in May), just a few hours north (and, granted, a significant cold front coming in), it was literally FREEZING in Québec City. I mean, WTF? All I packed was flip-flops and we’ve only got 1 day in this city…so, as much as I wanted to stay inside, explore we must. The #FWP of a self-proclaimed “adventurer.”

Inside the walled city, the atmosphere is a little more lively, with at least a few stragglers walking along the streets and several bars filled with who I would assume to be fellow tourists. The Saint Alexandre Pub was filled with people at 11:45 pm on a Monday night. We highly recommend it for a little atmosphere– and a break from the numbing cold.

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Ok, so, admittedly, we looked forward to dinner all day long because it was a good excuse to get out of the freezing cold. We pulled up Urbanspoon and found that Le Hobbit Bistro was a good mix of everything we were looking for: good French food, a walkable location, a lively atmosphere, not too cheap and not super expensive. We made reservations but when we arrived we noticed that we probably didn’t need them.

We walked from our hotel to the restaurant. While very walkable, it was outside of the walled city and a decent ways up Saint-Jean. Although Urbanspoon qualifies it as “late night,” we noticed that it was only open until 10pm on the Monday that we visited. Maybe it’s just late night on the weekends.

The restaurant is pretty fancy with seating for around 20 people – so it’s got a romantic, intimate feeling. Even though the restaurant had plenty of open tables, they led us to a table with a “réservée” sign on the table – I guess to give the impression of status?

As far as the menu goes, it seems like they listed quite a bit of repeats. Nearly all of the bistro menu repeated its items under other sections of the menu. Why? It seems more logical to list each dish only once. And, while it did have French dishes on the menu, it was definitely more bistro-style and less French-bistro-style.

We started with the TARTARE DE CANARD ET QUINOA ($13 CAD). Can you even eat raw duck?! Well, we Jeffrey did, served with hand-cut waffle fries on a rustic stone plate. I couldn’t bring myself to try this very adventurous dish. Although we didn’t see any quinoa, Jeffrey really enjoyed the duck, saying it was refreshing and cold, but super salty with a nice spice and strong aftertaste. It was served with onions and pickles.

TARTARE DE CANARD ET QUINOA

Next, we tried the SOUP À L’OIGNON GRATINÉE ($8 CAD), a very traditional and very thick layer of swiss cheese with a loaf of thick, moist bread over a tasty broth with thick slices of onion. Overall, it was a fantastic attempt at a classicly French dish.

SOUP À L’OIGNON GRATINÉE

He hadn’t enough enough of the raw meat, so Jeffrey ordered the TARTARE DE FILET MIGNON DE BŒUF ET ŒUF DE CAILLE ($22 CAD) as his entree. I’ll take his word for it that it was very similar to the duck. Same sauce, onion/pickle mix and flavors- just different meat. Both options were delicious, but it’s a bit much to get both as an app/entree combo. The tartar came along with great fries that gave shoestring potatoes a new meaning because they were so thin. They were much lighter than any other fry we tried in Quebec – maybe the oil was changed more often? The ketchup had a nice spice, too — sweeter than normal ketchup. Maybe it was made in-house?

TARTARE DE FILET MIGNON DE BŒUF ET ŒUF DE CAILLE

I tried my luck with the cooked duck and tried the CANARD CONFIT ($21 CAD) as my entree. It was standard duck confit (one of my favorite dishes), although maybe a little dryer than normal. Still, even being a little dry, I really enjoyed the dish and would order it again. The duck was served with a side of asparagus and freshly made scalloped potatoes with a strong flavor of nutmeg. I could tell that these potatoes were made from scratch and it made all the difference in the world.

CONFIT

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re looking for a romantic date night in Quebec City, head to Le Hobbit Bistro for an intimate setting. And, if you’re in the mood for raw meat, they’ve got everything but sushi.

The post Le Hobbit Bistro Review – Québec City, Canada first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

All in all a pretty nice light walk on a beautiful day.

The steps were daunting, but not even a tenth of what we climbed to see a temple in Thailand–now that was grueling. At the top of the 200 hectare (appx 495 acres) park is a huge chalet–Chalet du Mont-Royal–with a nice, large viewing area that overlooks downtown Montreal.

Chalet du Mont Royal

Given we did this on a Sunday in the late spring, the place was packed, but we managed to find a place to take the obligatory photo with the city behind us.

Spring/Summer Activities

There’s no shortage of trails throughout the park with plenty of see along the way. Here’s a handy map highlighting the walking trails:

Image source: 1

The Mount Royal Cross, the park’s monument, was built in 1924 out of iron and stands 103 ft tall. The site has a long history–the first cross was erected on the site in 1643 by the city’s founder in his hopes to end a disastrous flood.

We suggest spring–how can you dislike this lush greenery?

The park is also home to some great cycling trails, head to cyclingfunmontreal.blogspot.com for more info:

Winter Activites

Think that you’d just stay in for the winter if you live this far north? Well, leave it to the Canadians to find a way to entertain themselves in the miserable cold. In the snowy months, you’ll find tubing, ice skating, tobogganing (sounds made up) and 22km of cross-country skiing!

You’ll find cross-country ski slopes (path? trails?) criss-crossing the park

Park Mont Royal Self-Guided Walking Tour and Podcasts

Lemontroyal.qc.ca has published an excellent self-guided walking tour complete with audio/video podcast giving you a narrator for the tour! All of the contents can be found here: “Mount Royal, A Territory to Discover”

After the “super strenuous” hike—sorry McCown, I apologize that you refuse to pack appropriate footwear on every trip we go on—we headed down the hill/mountain to the Hertz Rental Car location on Alymer Avenue. We grabbed our Toyota Camry to drive for the next two days and confirmed with the attendant that we could leave the car in their lot for free overnight until we were ready to hit the road Monday morning–thanks, Hertz!

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1631 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, QC
Bistro, American
$$

Having heard about those restaurants that deliver entire meals in the dark, we decided to check out Montreal’s local venue, O’Noir.  It added a lot of extra excitement to the night’s dinner, and we both looked forward to the experience all day, discussing what we thought it’d be like.

Reviews stated that the food was, at best, average, but what you’re really going for is the experience. Although going to a restaurant for something other than food is…well, strange, we remained excited about the “activity.”

You don’t just stumble upon this restaurant; in keeping with the theme, the black sign is barely noticeable on the street, and the windows are covered with black curtains — so, an unsuspecting passer-by wouldn’t give the place a second look. But, I guess it advertises itself—after all, we found it.

Not quite knowing what to expect or what to do, we walked into the very dimly lit “waiting room” – purgatory, if you will – and greeted the hostess, who had us put our valuables in a free locker and showed us the menu and specials so we could place our order before heading into darkness. We decided to do one THREE-COURSE MEAL ($41)  – with all three “surprise” dishes, and one TWO-COURSE MEAL ($34) of something we had chosen and were expecting.

As soon as we’d finished ordering, our waiter met us in the waiting area wearing all black and sunglasses. We formed a train with our hands on each others’ shoulders and he led us to our table. Even if you’re expecting the darkness, the complete and utter blackness is an experience that you just can’t fully imagine until you’re actually in the moment. We weaved around tables, never touching anything but I completely lost all sense of direction very shortly into our walk.

We were seated side-by-side at a table and the waiter joined our hands together so we could get a sense of space.  Sitting side-by-side made a lot of sense given you’re relying solely on talking for communication. It would have been so hard to sit across the table. The saying that you can’t see your hand in front of your eyes couldn’t have been more true. My eyes were playing tricks on me as they continued to try to adjust to the darkness, but could never quite get there. Jeffrey felt around and found that he was seated next to a wall. We heard people around us, but how many people? How close were they? Was the restaurant full? Empty? How big was the restaurant? It really made you aware of how much information you were lacking from not being able to see.

And, you know how your eyes eventually begin to adjust to the darkness and you can start seeing shadows…a little bit? Not here. It was pitch black dark the whole time.

The bread was in front of each of our place mats. Jeffrey attempted to spread butter with his knife, but quickly switched to the dipping method to find, on the next bite, that he had eaten all the butter (he says he should have just spit it out…no one would have known).

The waiter soon brought us our glasses of red wine (which I immediately regretted ordering once I understood the high possibility of spilling…I could barely bring my glass to my lips!) and our starters. I ordered the EGGPLANT, TOMATO, GOAT CHEESE AND CAVIAR and Jeff got the surprise. It was SO hard to eat—we switched over to using our hands and didn’t look back. All I could really taste was tomato, but maybe that’s because Jeff reached over and said he ONLY tasted a huge clump of goat cheese. There was a little bit of something the consistency of hummus—maybe the eggplant. Who really knows?

Jeff’s surprise starter was pretty spicy. He thought it was some type of shredded pork or beef – like cold BBQ, served with lettuce and what seemed like a lot of black pepper. When I tasted a bite, I knew it was raw because it sort of chewy, but we were confused because we agreed it didn’t taste like any kind of fish. When the waiter said it was beef tartar, it all added up.

I’ll stop here and talk about the absolute necessity to use our hands instead of silverware. I know you’re thinking that, while a little harder, it’d still be possible to use forks or spoons, but, no. It’s just not. For example, the first – and last – three attempts at using my fork left me with no food in my mouth, some food on my cheek and most of the food in my lap. Hands it is… Plus, it gave us another sense to use to try to figure out what the heck we were eating.

As time went on, we did begin to develop a sense of our surroundings. The only people I had ever seen before were Jeffrey and our waiter. So, I had a good mental image of them, but, for everyone else you hear, you just develop an image in your head of what the restaurant’s atmosphere probably looks like. You also get a feeling for the room, how big it is, etc…half way through our dinner, they would sit another table behind us or to our right, completely turning my impression of the restaurant upside down.

Our entrées came out almost immediately after we finished our starters. I ordered the special, LAMB SHANK, with potatoes and cauliflower. The potatoes and vegetables were totally average. The lamb shank was slow cooked and the meat just fell off the bone. Luckily, because, when I first got it I tried to cut into the meat with my fork and knife and that is, quite frankly, impossible. I again reverted to two-years-old and used my fingers – easy to determine what I was eating (by consistency) and the only real way to transport the food into my mouth without spilling it everywhere.

The surprise entrée tasted like “fish sticks,” but with pork and BBQ sauce. Essentially, our guess was correct. The waiter confirmed it. They were served with mashed cauliflower, which we guessed were mashed potatoes – so, it turns out mashed cauliflowers are a healthier option and this experience confirms you literally can’t tell the difference. Steamed carrots and celery completed the dish – easy to guess and you can recognize the horrible taste of celery even in the dark. Steaming it makes it extra stringy and hard to eat—and just as unpalatable as raw celery.

Soon into our dinner, the band started playing – a band is a perfect combination with a dark restaurant because your sense of sound and appreciation of music is immediately increased. Another factor we didn’t even consider before going into the restaurant was that it might be pretty loud. Everyone gets louder and louder without sight– you’re more dependent on it. Think about it, in a group, how do you know if your have the groups attention when story telling, etc. if you can’t make eye contact?

We split the dessert, which we agreed from the start was some type of lemon custard with pieces of mint. Wrong. It turns out the flavors were strawberry and mango? I’m still shocked at this one…

After we finished, we were still feeling just a bit uneasy with all the darkness and didn’t linger around to enjoy the atmosphere. We were led out by our waiter in the same fashion that we were led in – and left in the waiting room to collect our valuables and pay the hostess. We learned that all of the waiters and waitresses are 70 to 100 percent visually impaired, which is, I think, is a perfect opportunity for these waiters to help others literally walk in their shoes for a night. Jeffrey adds (cheesy pun ahead):  This experience really opened my eyes to their plight. Zing.

BOTTOM LINE: First off, if you’ve never been to an eat-in-the-dark restaurant: GO–it’s a worthwhile experience! But be warned that we left hungry and the experience is so quick. Because we ordered ahead of time, they bring it out disconcertingly fast—no way is it cooked to order. It’s pretty expensive for what you get, but, just remember that you’re paying for the experience and not necessarily the food. Being in a new city, it was fun and exciting to have a new experience, too.

Caution, cheesy pun ahead: You’ll likely go once or twice and then not again for the foreseeable future.

The post O’Noir Restaurant Review – Montreal, Québec first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

The Deal

Award bookings on Air France/KLM routes have been reduced by 25-50% for travel between Jan 1 – Feb 28.

For those of us sitting in ‘Merica (and Canada), we’ll be most interested in:

All destinations below. Note: Everything is to/from Europe.

How to Get It

1. Head to Flying Blue here to see full list of routes: Promo Awards
2. Reference our How-to: Booking Air France/KLM flight post
3. Book between Dec 30, 2o13 – Feb 26, 2014.
4. Enjoy your savings!

Analysis

US to Europe awards are generally 50k in Economy and 125k for Business, making the ones listed above between 25% and 50% off. The kicker, however, is that you’ll still be responsible for fuel surcharges. This would be appx $264.94 for a roundtrip from Boston-ORD to Paris-CDG. So total you’d be looking at 37.5k miles + $264.94 in surcharges/taxes:

Example Boston-BOS to Paris-CDG award

What the flight would cost in $

Miles stretch analysis

A similar calculation on a business class (65k miles at promo rate) fare from Montreal-YUL-CDG, taxes/fuel is appx $687.25:

The good new is that there’s still pretty good availability on the routes:

Don’t forget: 

• “Reservations must be made exclusively on www.airfrance.com or www.klm.com (except for bookings for children, infants and minors, who are not authorized to book an award on the website).”
• You’ll still get hit with fuel surcharges!
• We’ve got a How-to Guide for booking flights with Flying Blue points.

BOTTOM LINE: You can find some good value in your Flying Blue points during this promo (don’t forget you can transfer from AMEX–> Flying Blue), but hefty fuel surcharges might make some routes a deal breaker, especially for economy (only 1.89 cent/mile). Business class (5.5+ cents/mile) or intra-Europe awards are a better value at the promo rates.

The post Deal Blitz: 50% off Air France/KLM Flying Blue Awards in Jan/Feb 2014 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Our 24,606 mile trip will take us to 10 countries (including connections) over 16 days:

Part 1 -New York

We’ll fly from Charleston-JFK to New York-JFK  on Delta…

…and spend 1 night in the city to get our fill of the Christmas spirit.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Part 2 – Bali, Indonesia

Our award ticket starts in New York as we fly out of New York-LGA and, appx 33 hours later, land in Denpasar, Indonesia-DPS, better know as Bali.

The trek begins with an Air Canada flight from New York-LGA to Montreal, Canada-YUL. We’ll then connect to Air Canada’s Montreal-YUL to Paris-CDG.

After a short hop from Paris-CDG to Frankfurt-FRA on Lufthansa, we’ll be ready for the longest flight of the trip: 10 hrs 10 mins from Frankfurt-FRA to Bangkok-BKK on Thai Airways’ Airbus A380 in “Royal Silk” class:

 I’m sure the A380 will leave us spoiled for our next flight…on Thai Airways’ from Bangkok-BKK to Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia-DPS.

We’ll stay the next 3 nights exploring Bali, Indonesia.

Part 3 – Ubud, Indonesia

Once we’ve had our fill of the beach, we’ll take a 1 hour drive into the mountains of Indonesia and spend 2 nights in Ubud.

Part 4 – Jakarta

Next up: the bustling metropolis of Jakarta, 10 million people strong. We’ll say goodbye to Bali and hop a 1 hr 45 min flight from Denpasar-DPS to Jakarta-CGK.

Part 5 – A short stop in Singapore

We’ve got a pretty short 1.5 hr flight from Jakarta-CGK to Singapore-SIN on Singapore Air.

Our 8 hr layover, while it is pretty short, should give us at least a few hours to check out Singapore:

Yes, this is a real thing…way to be outdone, America

Part 6 – The Maldives

We’re still finalizing where we’re staying, but 2 things are sure: SEA PLANE and  OVER THE WATER BUNGALOW!

Part 7 – Montreal

After a few nights in the Maldives, we start the trek back to North America.

The first leg will take us from Male, Maldives-MLE to Istanbul-IST on Turkish Air.

We’ll connect on another Turkish Air flight from Istanbul-IST to Zurich-ZRH and then pick up our second-to-last flight on SWISS from Zurich-ZRH to Montreal-YUL.

We end the journey with a one night stay in Montreal.

The post Honeymoon Countdown: 4 Days to Go! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC
$-$$ – Appx 15 CAD for 2 people.
Sandwiches/Subs, Eastern European, Delicatessen

Without fail, everything we read pointed us to Schwartz’s Deli, as the must-try restaurant in Montreal. Sure enough, when we walked up to the deli, the line was wrapped along the outside of the building, but moved surprisingly fast – we were seated in less than 10 minutes. So, don’t let that long line fool you into giving up.

We got lucky and were seated at the only two-seater table, in the very back of the restaurant. Every other table in the small restaurant sat eight people, and different sized parties were suddenly eating elbow-to-elbow.

After reading on the menu that celebrities ranging from Hank Aaron to Celine Dion had eaten at Schwartz’s, we soon realized that all the talk must be true. So, we ordered the LARGE PLATE OF SMOKED MEAT ($13.95). The waiter told us that’d be plenty for two (and we found out when we got the bill that there’s a $1.50 surcharge for splitting), and we chose the “medium” (recommended for first-timers) when given the choice between lean, medium or fatty meat.

The meat arrived pretty shortly thereafter – a huge plate of corned beef slices – so juicy you could just see the flavor oozing out of it. A plate of rye bread also arrived, along with the SMALL FRIES ($2.80) and SWEET-AND-SOUR PICKLE ($??), sides the waiter suggested.

We watched as two men who seemed like locals, seated at the next table, squirted plenty of mustard on their bread and make sandwiches, and we did the same, adding a few slices of pickle. The meat was so tender, moist and salty. And, even though the plate of meat seemed so big at first, we finished off every bite of the smoky meat.

The fries were freshly cut potatoes that seemed to have been fried just minutes before they were delivered to our table. The pickle was huge, thick and super salty. Pretty typical sides, but it doesn’t really matter because the meat stole the show, hands down.

So far, our best meal in Montreal yet. And that’s saying something. But, what seems to be a cheap deli adds up fast, and be prepared to pay only cash, as they don’t accept credit cards.

BOTTOM LINE: The first time an over-hyped restaurant delivered over and above the already highly set bar. If you’ve got just 1 meal in Montreal, this should be it.

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We didn’t order dessert at Phayathai (link to review) to save a little bit of room to at least try the classic Canadian dish poutine on our visit north of the border. With a quick Google search of something like “Poutine Montreal,” you can’t help but notice that La Banquise is one of the most popular hits. It seems like a crowd favorite with many great reviews and a large number of devout fans speaking quite highly of the fast food diner. So, we biked a little outside of downtown to give it a whirl.

When we arrived around 11pm,  there was a line out the door of the greasy-smelling diner. The restaurant was loud and full of life, an interesting atmosphere for a diner on a Saturday night. We were seated outside shortly, where the air was fresher but the beer service was non-existent (they don’t serve beer outside? No license for that?).

Because it was McCown’s first foray into poutine, we ordered LA CLASSIQUE (6.25 CAD for a small), instead of one of the many varieties with pepperonis, mushrooms, or ground beef — more than 28 combinations to be exact (you’ll surely find a favorite).

LA CLASSIQUE (6.95 CAD): frites, fromage en grains et sauce bbq

The hand-cut fries arrived soaked in a great gravy sauce with huge chunks of cheese curds. Even though we ordered it just to try it, we inhaled the whole dish. If you’ve never had poutine, expect the amazing mix of hot, crispy and salty fries mixed with a very creamy cheese then all topped off with a thick gravy that holds it all together. It was delicious and a must-try on any visit to Canada, but I don’t think you’ll find yourself craving the heavy snack every day.

BOTTOM LINE: The sheer popularity and reputation of La Banquise make it a must-see on any trip to Montreal–the atmosphere is bustling around the clock (they’re open 24 x 7) and, well, what’s not to like about fried food topped with cheese then drizzled in gravy?

The post Resto la Banquise Review – Montreal first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

1235 Rue Guy, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Thai
$$$ – Entrees for 15 – 20 CAD

Ready for a change after consuming several heavy French meals in a row, we looked (again, on Urbanspoon) for a great Thai restaurant. We found one in the Concordia University area, a place with plenty of nightlife around to check out after our meal. Easy subway access, but we, of course, chose to ride our rental bikes.

The restaurant, Phayathai, is on the second story and holds seating for approximately 30 people—pretty small and, again, we’re pretty sure we saw the owner busing tables. There were a few round tables that seat six, but, to be safe, you should probably make a reservation for big parties. 

First off, we ordered a MOJITO and a MOLSON DRY beer. The mojito wasn’t one of the recommended drinks, but we went with it anyway. The mint wasn’t muddled – more or less haphazardly thrown in to make it “look good.” Without the muddled mint, the mojito tasted more like a Sprite with extra sugar (you could taste the sugary grit through the straw) than a minty refreshment.

The Molson Dry, a Canadian special, was 5.5 percent alcohol and pretty dry but not heavy. Just…oddly dry. Not a beer we would choose to drink regularly, but a nice local beer to try at…a Thai restaurant in Canada.

For our appetizer, we split what we came for: the SOM TAM SALAD (7.95 CAD). A recent favorite of ours after our trip to Thailand, we specifically look for this item on the menu before choosing a Thai restaurant. At Phayathai, this salad had a two out of three peppers, denoting the spiciness of the dish. In our experience, the papaya salad is generally pretty spicy, and this version was no different. I’d give this dish more than a two out of three rating—maybe they should make the rating have more numbers to clarify the level of spice. It was still enjoyable, but very close to my threshold. The fresh, unripe green papaya was paired with carrots – all shredded – and mixed with the spicy sauce which had a faint peanut taste. It felt like were were in Thailand again. Good news for us Charlestonians, our local restaurant, Basil, is probably the best Som Tam salad we’ve had this side of the Pacific.

We also split an entrée, the BBQ DUCK IN RED CURRY & COCONUT MILK (17.75 CAD). On the spice scale, the curry was a solid two or three steps down from the Som Tam, but still mediocrely spicy. The dish arrived in a covered bowl with a side of steamed rice. The duck was mixed with the curry sauce, and a couple of strips of red and green bell peppers, pineapple and bamboo. Although the duck was on the fatty side, the dish had plenty of the distinctive Thai flavor that we’ve come to love.

The service at (what appeared to be) the family-run restaurant was great, prices were fair and the atmosphere was quiet, even with a rather full dining room when we arrived at 9:30 p.m. Although there were white table clothes, there was paper on top – not the fanciest, but it is smart as it is hard to not make a mess with the sauce-based Thai dishes.

BOTTOM LINE: All-in-all, we were pleased with this Thai restaurant, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a change of pace from the typical French or French-Canadian restaurants found on every corner.

The post Phayathai – Montreal, Quebec first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

After the walking tour, we remained in Vieux Montreal and explored Rue St. Paul. Vieux Montreal, as we learned on our walking tour, is mostly inhabited by tourists. The main street, Rue St. Paul, is lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, and dotted in between is the typical crowd pleaser painted up in gold and throwing gold beads to the crowd–leave it to the Canadians and misinformed college freshmen that body paint is cool.

Love the sign, so typical of Quebec on many levels: “EAT YOUR VEGGIES….non, le brownie, ce n’est pas un legume (no, brownies are not a vegetable)”

We headed straight for one of the restaurants we found on Urbanspoon, Olive et Gourmando.  They had a great review and a line out the door when we arrived, so we figured we couldn’t go wrong.

At 1:30 p.m., the restaurant was packed, packed, packed, and we were surprised when the hostess told us it’d only be a 25 minute wait.

Once we were seated, we were told to order up at the counter and our food would be brought to us shortly. The choices were displayed on a chalkboard – only seven choices and two were already sold out.

In hindsight, I’m not quite sure how we skipped out on the pastries

We started off with a salad to split – settling on the RICOTTA MAISON – a dish that we saw many other tables had ordered, as well. The “salad” is a mound of  spinach, arugula and an asparagus/broccoli hybrid, soaked in olive oil and covered in pine nuts and raisins. Next to the salad was another mound of ricotta cheese with an olive oil gravy pool. The salad was pretty bitter, but the raisins and ricotta cheese brought it back to normal. The dish was super fresh and a nice alternative to the heavy, heavy French food that we’d had the night before at Le P’tit Plateau and the sandwiches that we were about to consume.

Our first sandwich, the TRUITE FUMEE (9.95 CAD) was a smoked trout salad with olives, celery, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy cheese. It was good, but a little weird for me. The creamy capers spread really makes the sandwich. The fishy taste is a little overwhelming and not quite what I was looking for.

The second sandwich was 1000 times better. LE CHEVRE CHAUD (9.50 CAD) is a grilled Panini with a mix of goat cheese and caramelized onions, and homemade sweet ketchup on the side. The sandwich itself was so flavorful that you really didn’t need a sauce for dipping, but the ketchup was a nice addition.  I ended up dumping the trout sandwich and eating every crumb of this one.

BOTTOM LINE: Possibly the most popular/highly rated restaurant in Vieux Montreal, and not without reason: the food is délicieux and worth coming back. Worth a visit even if it’s partly a tourist trap.

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