I spent nearly a week in Montreal for my university homecoming so my meals mostly revolved around the activities I went to so I didn’t have a chance to explore the restaurant scene as much as I would have liked but I did find a few gems worth mentioning.
I arrived in Montreal midday on September 17 so I checked into Sens hotel and went off for lunch after. I asked at the front desk if they could recommend any cafés nearby where I could grab a light lunch and they recommended Café Aunja, a Persian café on Sherbrooke a couple of blocks east of where I was staying. I had a felafel sandwich and a drink called “Snowman’s kiss” made with a traditional Persian syrup and cucumber and mint. They serve an assortment of sandwiches and pastries as well as tisanes and cold drinks. Their pastries are in a display case at the cash and they looked very inviting but I was so full after my sandwich I was too full for dessert. I will have to remember their pastries for the next visit.
I headed to the Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal after to see the World Press Photography exhibition, walking down Commune to get ther. Commune is the street closest to the harbourfront and a lot of the buildings have seen better days and many have been boarded up altogether. When I finished my museum visit I walked back along St. Paul Est where most of the restaurants are located and the restaurants there still seem to be going strong. It was pretty quiet in Old Montreal though but I was there on a Tuesday night so that might have something to do with it. When I’ve been there on a nice Saturday night during the summer, the place is hoppin’. I continued my stroll up St. Urbain to de la Gauchetiere where Chinatown is located with my mind set on having Chinese for dinner. There were two Chinese restaurants on my list - Restaurant Dobe and Andy (new to me) and Kim Fung. I have been to Kim Fung already and really enjoyed it so I thought I’d try Dobe and Andy since they are new to me. I ordered a cucumber salad to start which I didn’t like too much then a Cantonese chow mein as the main course which was really tasty.
I then walked up Ste Catherine and continued along west until I got back to my hotel. It was interesting walking along the section of Ste. Catherine near St. Lawrence since it used to be a really dumpy neighbourhood (and the red light district) but the neighbourhood has been gentrified so there are now lots of neat cafés, pop up patios and shops. The buskers were out and lots of people out for an evening stroll so it was nice seeing the neighbourhood so lively.
On Wednesday I went back to Café Aunja for breakfast for a full breakfast since it started with a lentil soup and that’s part of the meal I wanted to try the most. The soup was lovely - they used warming spices similar in taste to Indian food as opposed to the fiery heat found in some Asian dishes. It was followed by eggs, sausage, tomatoes, Iranian bread and potatoes. The bread served was a little different than what we get in North America - it was quite dry especially when toasted so I didn’t like it too much. I then spent the day shopping but didn’t buy anything since there were no sales on so I went for a late afternoon visit to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to see an exhibition of Flemish paintings then off for dinner at a childhood favourite Mr. Steer. They are most noted for their hamburger and curly fries and both were cooked perfectly.
Thursday morning was the first of four breakfasts at Universel déjeuner et grillades where I proceeded to work my way through their eggs benny menu 
Finding a suitable breakfast spot was challenging since the hotel I stayed in doesn’t include a continental breakfast and I couldn’t find a Cora’s or an Allo mon Coco in the neighbourhood. (Both are popular breakfast spots in Quebec.) Reuben’s (deli) on Ste. Catherine is no longer open for breakfast and Dunns seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth (gah!) so next time I know to research breakfast places more carefully. Dinner was at a wine and cheese event on campus and there was lots of wine but no cheese. And for those of us that don’t drink, the only beverage they had available was water. At least they were nice enough to put a lemon slice in my water… And I was getting so hangry I bailed after an hour, I hopped back on the metro, and went back to Mr. Steer. I would have loved to try somewhere different but I was too hangry at that point to think about places - I just needed to get some food in my tummy.
On Friday I went to a bbq and was too full for dinner so I brought some leftover salad from this afternoon’s bbq and popped into Adonis (Middle Eastern grocery store) and bought some salami so I could have protein with my salad.
On Saturday I went to a football game and they had a couple of food trucks on site so I got a smoked meat sandwich with coleslaw and a dill pickle. It was my last night in Montreal so I headed off to Kazu, a favourite Japanese restaurant, located on Ste. Catherine. I managed to score a seat at the bar which overlooks an open concept kitchen so I got to see the chefs prepare the meals. I ordered chicken gyoza to start and a pork bibimbap as the main and both were very good. I went for a stroll around that part of Ste. Catherine between St. Mark and Guy and the neighbourhood has really changed since my school days. The buildings are still worse for wear but there are lots of Asian restaurants and a couple of Asian grocers so the neighbourhood is almost becoming a mini Chinatown.
All in all it was a nice visit but I think next time I go it will be to do some sightseeing and to visit friends.
Unless I walked right passed it without realizing it but the sign on the front of the building was so big it was hard to miss…
