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!
Posts
This museum is easily assessable from the Place des Arts
metro station as it's right beside the station. The building itself
is two floors, but you will find everything abstract, weird, captivating, and
things that make you go “what is that?!” on the top floor where the main
exhibit is. The museum showcases a lot of abstract artists and their respective
large and 3D pieces that make you question while looking at them. There is a
lot of open space for the viewer to take in that
sculpture, that painting, or that word, sometimes, too much space I
thought. There was also a special exhibit themed Zoo, which may have created controversy and conversation on the
topic of animals, but it was oddly informative as well. This place is worth
checking out, but I wouldn’t have paid to see it, so on Wednesdays when its
free from 5-8pm. I wish I had some crazy artistry to show you, but no photos were allowed.
I couldn’t believe there was a theatre in the middle of Parc
La Fontaine, where we had our group picnic as noted in my post here. This
theatre offered a variety of performances free at charge to the public and is
only accessible when there is something going on. Before my arrival, I thought
it would just be a stage with a couple of benches for the audience to sit and
enjoy the show, but it was a legit stage with bleachers. That night, was a collaboration between two
graceful contemporary dancers and an angelic singer who played her cello. It was a great night to enjoy
such artistic pieces in the park and I would love to see another show again.
Great activity for a group, a date, or even if you happen to be walking in the
park solo.
