Just walking down the street of Montreal, one will notice the abundance of local restaurants, boutiques and franchises only found within Quebec’s borders. One reason for this is to preserve Quebec’s culture (seeing that they do want to separate… just kidding), secondly because it’s legally hard to enter this patriotic and French loving market. There are rules and regulations in this province that make it harder for franchises in other provinces to settle here and adapt to Montreal’s culture. However, I absolutely love all these local and unique places because you won’t find them anywhere else! These places are full of a one-of-a-kind authenticity that you can only experience when in Montreal.

Friday 


I signed up to go to La Maison St. Gabriel thinking that it was a famous bakery and I would at least get to sample something. Turns out, it was just a historic house from back in the day, and more like a cottage as it was far bigger than it looked from the outside. We had a French speaking tour that was ultra-boring and slowly seduced us to sleep. A lot of things could’ve been more interesting if I had understood, but for the most part, it is by far the worst activities on the list. No one in my group figured out why it was named the “St. Gabriel House” and there was nothing that took our attention away. It felt like one of the buildings from Fort Edmonton Park in Edmonton. We had a discount rate of $2, but it’s usually $10/Adult, so please think again before venturing here for a slice of bread… 

That night made up for it though. The activity was going to a bar to watch a live show playing Reggae music. I never thought I had an interest in this genre, but it was actually enjoyable. The music was upbeat and the singers/musician was very amusing and got us all moving to the rhythm. This was actually a pre-show for the real show later that evening: African style music. These singers were dressed up in their cultural outfits and they were so energetic and kept sweating! One of them had a towel nearby because he was literally dripping sweat every few minutes and all he did was dance around in the same spot. The band was really well pieced together and it was a great way to spend the evening. 

Saturday

We toured Petite Italy that afternoon and were recommended some delicious places. One included Pizzeria Napoletana, a local Naples style pizza hidden in the neighborhood of this area which I got to try tonight. It’s similar to Alberta’s chain of Famosa restaurants, where the pizzas are thin crust and ingredients are simple, but fresh and delightful in the mouth.   Down the block from this place was another highly popular bakery that has been around since the 60s. Alati~Caserta is well known for their fresh pastries and cakes, ranging from their famous cannoli to flavourful and gorgeous gateaux. My mouth is watering as I think about that fresh and chilled cannoli I had that day. Must try!

A few streets down were Jean Talon farmer-like market which is supposedly the largest outdoor market in North American. Here you will find everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, and local products such as Quebec’s maple syrup and flowers. My favorite part is sampling the wide selection of fresh fruits down the vendors. Prices are cheap and the quality of the goods is so much better than what you can find in a grocery store.

In the evening I had my first open patio dinner experience at a fancy place call La Pois Penghe, down the road from Peel metro station downtown. It was lovely weather to eat outdoors, people watch, while enjoying my meal over great company. I was treated that day so I felt extra blessed too! After dinner, we heard a lot of noise coming from one particular direction and decided to venture and see what it was all about. Turns out, it was some sort of children parade Karnaval and there were people walking on stilts, people of all ages dressed up (lots of kids participating), and some random sightings with art work by kids on them.

Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end off the night then with fireworks at Old Port thanks to the firework competition going on, and, it was exceptional despite our distant view. To my surprise, it was actually Canada showcasing that night too, what a shocker, or else, they just set the bar really low on Canada Day.

Sunday

 Since I was in the area, I decided to try La Banquis (pronounce “bonk-keys”), a 24hour Montreal-only restaurant with only one location and a menu of over 25 different kinds of poutines, and where 10/10 locals know what you are talking about when you ask about this place. Their menu is engaging with cartoon food icons and bright colours, in addition to naming all their poutines based on the ingredients in them; ranging from classic (sauce, cheese curds and fries) to a meat lovers known as La T-rex (steak, bacon, sausage and pepperoni). I had eyed one at another customer’s table topped with banana peppers, and what I thought was steak and mushrooms, so without double checking, I ordered La Elvis which consisted of steak, peppers and mushrooms. When it arrived, it wasn’t the one I was eyeing, and I was a little sad to see the steak in a ground-beef like form (I thought it be in slices) and instead of banana peppers it was sautéed green peppers with mushrooms. It wasn’t bad though, but it wasn’t the best either; cheese curds tasted a tad rubbery and processed and I felt that it was too heavy despite getting the smaller size out of the two size options. This place is worth trying at least once though, but maybe because it is opened 24 hours that the quality of the ingredients isn’t that good.   


To add to the food temptation of the day, we strolled Mont Royal and decided on Au Festin de Babette, offering frozen yogurt and ice cream to satisfy our sweet tooth. This little old fashion café consisted of unique snacks and products that you wouldn’t sight in mainstream places. It was very cute and great for a date or two!