Whenever I ask Montrealers in the hospitality industry—especially those who cook—where they like to eat, L’Express comes up without fail. Whether it’s thanks to the straightforward French bistro fare, the 11,000-bottle wine cellar or the fact that it’s open until 2 a.m., L’Express has become Montreal institution.
The food at Su Shian Yuang seems not to be specific to any particular province in China. For that matter, it isn’t even specific to China—there are Japanese and Thai-inspired items on the menu as well. Regardless of their origin or authenticity, the dishes are all vegetarian and most are vegan.
Le Smoking Vallée is a new St-Henri BYO venture from four guys who are no strangers to the food scene. Marc-André Paradis has opened some of the city’s most respected BYOs, including the original Les Infidels, Mr. B, Les Heritiers and grilled cheese heaven L’Emporte-Pièce.
We arrived at the proudly Venezuelan Arepera du Plateau and the fairly cozy locale at the corner of Duluth and de Bullion was hopping. We were lucky that a table for four had just been vacated; the people who showed up after us had to put their names down on the waiting list taped to the door and wait outside.
I’ve been following the steady rise of Grumman 78 since they first broke on to the Montreal food scene with their unmistakable lime green taco truck two years ago. Fortunately for us, and the livelihood of the Faubourg on Ste-Catherine, Grumman 78 has set up a food counter
After hearing a few good things about KanBai, a Szechuanese start-up in a clean, modern locale in New Chinatown, I hoped to be reunited with the flavours for which I longed.
Café Sardine took over the former space of the Montée de Lait café on Fairmount and is brought to you by Peter Popovic, co-owner of the Sparrow and Magpie, as well as David Schmidt, a former owner of Le Chien Fumant.
The mighty Akhavan, a sizeable Iranian supermarket in NDG, has long been one of my favourite food shopping destinations in town. The store offers a wide selection of Middle Eastern food, including many Persian products that are otherwise hard to find.
The Monkland Tavern has long been a staple on NDG’s Monkland avenue and is definitely one of the busiest bistros in the west end (along with its sister restaurant, Tavern on the Square, in Westmount).
When I first heard of Bouillon Bilk, a restaurant that opened a year ago in the electronics imports district of The Main, I thought its name might be a reference to the famous Bouillon Chartier in Paris. Chartier is in a sense the Schwartz’s of Paris—a relic from another age, popular with locals and tourists alike.
