Like much of the world we have been trying to catch up on deferred travel. In the before times we used to make trips to Montreal fairly often. Finally managed to get back this weekend.
The weather forecast isn’t great. Got in Friday morning and tried to check in but the room wasn’t ready. So we headed out to walk around before the predicted rain came. As we are tourists here we did a really touristy thing and rode La Grande Roue.
It was raining very heavily all day on Saturday. It was so bad I had to go and buy a new pair of boots as my shoes were completely soaked. My much smarter wife had already packed a pair.
So we put on rain jackets and grabbed our umbrellas and headed off to the Little Burgundy for dinner at Le Vin Papillon. Our first time there. We have been to Joe Beef and Liverpool House several times. The first when they opened a long time ago and before David and Fred were as famous as they were to later become. After reading about where the restaurants had gone, I wanted to let fond memories stay that way and try something we hadn’t so there were no comparisons to make.
Then rillette de truite. Forgot to take a picture until I had scooped some onto my plate. Surprise star ingredient was the potato. Waxy but tender and flavorful.
What now follows is what I remembered to take a picture of. Some of the pics are not so good. Bad in fact.
So here’s a crappy shot of the aubergine frite. Sorry for the blur. Might have been the wine catching up with me. This was such a simple but satisfying dish. Tender eggplant battered tempura style with caponata type topping.
Then maquereau pan con tomates. Best dish of the night and the worst picture of the night. It doesn’t look like much here and not appetizing but we loved this dish.
It was eggs, bacon, sausages, duck fat fried potatoes, pancakes, toast, roll, fruit salad. Also included was juice and coffee. This is what Canadians think Americans eat like?
The lovely wife and I split it and it was more than enough. For $28 Canadian a bargain compared to a US hotel breakfast.
I am always amazed by the European markets. This one in Montréal is very much in that vein. I can’t figure out why most large American cities don’t have the equivalent.
Tomatoes that looked like little jewels. $4 for a quart size box. There were bushels of romas for $15. Crazy huh?
It’s October. The strawberries are still amazing. These aren’t Driscoll varieties. Look at the prices. Drives me crazy what quality there is for the price compared to NYC.
For lunch we walked through Little Italy to Mile End to a tourist favorite. At 12:30 there was a long line. Unlike her usual self, the lovely wife was willing to wait for a taste of this.
Thank you for this report! Montreal used to be an annual trip for us, then for various reasons fell off our exploration rotation. Looks like a re-visit could be in order.
We have been coming to Montréal for a while but have never gone to Au Pied de Cochon before. We went for dinner on a blustery Sunday night. The space was warm and inviting. Bustling but the music was a weird blend of French rap and contemporary music. No American rock to be heard. The French do many things well. But music isn’t one of them. An inauspicious aural start to the meal.
Ordered oysters with soy cured egg yolk. Oyster was fresh but the yolk was odd. Not to our tastes. No picture as we slurped the two oysters in no time flat.
Next we had scallops with grapefruit or pamplemousse. I love the French name for the fruit. It makes me chuckle. This is what we thought of the dish.
My lack of food photo skills will make sure I’m no influencer.
Then nigiri foie. Five big slabs of foie perched on sushi rice. There was a squeeze bottle of a soya dressing to drizzle into the spoon which you can see on the spoon on the left. Outstanding.
As the lovely wife adores duck especially confit, she ordered the duck in a can. Unusual presentation when they bring you a can. You can read the ingredients.
Certainly not a good looking dish. Not instagrammable. Flavors were good but the duck was very tough. Not thrilled with the dish. It was on practically every table. Didn’t get the appeal. Maybe it’s just a gimmick. The can.
Today was the day we had to head home. We had a few errands to do and an acquaintance to meet. Then had just enough time for a quick lunch before going to the airport so we headed into Chinatown. Went to Mai Xiang Yuan for dumplings.
Very solid lunch for less than $40 bucks Canadian all in including a beer. So about $30 US. Quite the value. Then off to the airport and customs and immigration. Makes getting back home to NYC a breeze when you can just waltz off the plane and jump into a cab.
Easiest international travel you can do and still feel that you went far away.
