Oct
14
2011
Metro Article: Take a big bite out of Montreal
Author: RockyI went to meet my parents back from Lanzarote last night at Manchester Airport Terminal 2.. and when we were walking to the terminal through the carpark.. my partner said ‘im sure i just saw someone with a Tim Hortons cup’ and i replied in a dismissive manner.
We got into the Arrivals and there’s a Spa shop on the left, and to our amazement — THEY SOLD TIM HORTONS COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS!.. We picked ourselves up a coffee and doughnut – and for the UK – at a reasonable price – the Doughnuts were 89p each but if you bought a Large coffee, hot chocolate, laté or cappuccino – with a doughnut you could get both for £2.19! ..
Anyway — that’s my swooning over the amazing story of Tim Hortons in the UK over with . . So – Today’s article is courtesy of the Metro. On the tram heading to work – and find a great article featuring Montreal and the food aspect of the city – so Here is ‘Take a big bite out of Montreal’ By Sarah Baxter of The Metro:
Foodie Canada: Gordon Ramsay got into a bit of a stew when he opened his first Canadian venture in Quebec’s largest city. But it does just fine without him BY SARAH BAXTER
In August, Gordon Ramsay launched his first restaurant in Montreal. On opening night, the sprinklers went doolally and diners were forced to evacuate. Unfortunate? Perhaps. But I think Montreal was trying to tell him something: a watery way of delivering its own f-word.
The Quebec city doesn’t need Sweary Gordon. It has an incredible food scene already. This metropolis, floating on an island in the St Lawrence River, mixes French, north American and immigrant influences to mouthwatering effect. And there’s always another great local deli/chocolatier/charcuterie the next block up.
Clutching a C$8 (£5) travelcard, I am riding the 55 bus up Boulevard St-Laurent, the city’s north-south artery. Inauspiciously for a gastronomic quest, I begin opposite a McDonald’s. ‘There’s one by our final bus-stop too,’ grins guide Ruby Roy, who is along for the ride. ‘It’s a useful landmark but we won’t be going inside…’
Indeed not. The idea is to travel up St-Laurent, hopping off when something takes our fancy. En route we’ll pass through Chinatown, the Festivals Quarter, trendy Mile End, Plateau Mont-Royal and Little Italy. And we’ll do a lot of eating.
‘Let’s get off here,’ says Ruby a few minutes up the road. This is the Jewish Quarter, centre of the rag trade in the early 20th century. Plaques display historical detail while local kitsch-cool vintage shops sell outfits almost as old. We head to a place called Schwartz’s, its windows crammed with smoked beef brisket.
‘Schwartz’s is a Montreal institution,’ says Ruby. ‘They smoke the meat upstairs, the same way they have since 1928.’ Its leather-topped stools and cafeteria tables are rammed; a queue snakes out the door. The smell is fantastic.
Back on the bus, we pause at Avenue Rachel – down here lies Banquise, the place to try a Quebec classic: poutine. Essentially cheesy chips and gravy, it fills the culinary niche of the kebab. Helpfully, it’s open all night and gets rather popular at 3am.
Then it’s on up to Avenue Laurier, where Ruby points out Dieu du Ciel: ‘There are 390 microbreweries in Montreal; this is one of my favourites.’ It’s a bit early for a pint but we continue down the street, Ruby bombarding me with neighbourhood tips: ‘Rumi does amazing Middle Eastern food. Charcuterie Vito is the best – everyone knows Vito. And Le Croissanterie Figaro – I thought, how good can a croissant be? But hey, they’re good.’ Even the hip local shops are in on the game: cool cookware store Les Touilleurs runs gourmet food workshops in its little kitchen.
I am salivating, so Ruby leads me to Fairmont Bagel. No Montrealer would eat bagels from anywhere else. I watch as the bakers hand-roll dough rings at lightning speed; they’re dipped in honey water, baked in a wood-fired oven on long paddles then tossed into a steaming pile of bready deliciousness. It real is an Atkins nightmare.
Excruciatingly there’s not time to get to Maison Cakao – home, says Ruby, of the city’s best brownies. Instead we amble past typical Montreal houses (staircases on the outside, leafy balconies) and ride the 55 up to McDonald’s, eschew Big Macs for Jean-Talon, one of four markets set up in Montreal’s poorer neighbourhoods during the Depression. It’s more gallery than grocery, with fresh produce laid out like works of art. We try Québécois blueberries, crunch honeycrisp apples, nibble cobs from ‘Madame Corn’. There is also an area where chefs cook produce from stalls to give buyers lots of recipe ideas.
Round the edges are small shops selling everything from spuce beer to moussaka (made by local nuns). In one deli, chillers heave with cheese. I try one – Very nice, I tell Ruby. She smiles. ‘Yeah, but I prefer the cheese store at Atwater Market.’ But that’s on the other side of town, I say – you’d go 10km for a bit of cheese? ‘Of course,’ she replies, nonplussed. Only in Montréal.
> Five way to work off lunch in Montreal
- Hire a city bike: In 2011 Montreal was voted the most bike-friendly city in north America, due to its 350km of bike trails and handy city-bike scheme. There are also guided tours – try Montreal on Wheels (www.caroulemontreal.com), which runs a fine three-hour highlights ride for C$55 (£34).
- Kayak the Lachine Canal: The historic Lachine Canal flows for 14km from Montreal’s port to the Musée de Lachine, and you can navigate parts of it by kayak, pedal-boat or canoe. H2O Adventures (www.h2oadventures.ca) rents equipment between May and September.
- Yoga-stretch in Le Plateau: Combine a cycle tour with some body conditioning. Fitz & Follwell (www.fitzandfollwell.ca) runs Bike & Yoga tours, on which you pedal around the bohemian Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood and pause in its parks to do the Downward-Facing Dog. Three-hour trips cost C$69 (£43).
- Run up Mount Royal: The hill that gives the city its name is the place where locals go to escape the city. There are 200 hectares of green space, riddled with bike and hike trails, centred on a 234m-high ‘mountain’; however, gradients are gentle, making it ideal for a postpoutine jog.
- Ski or stomp the Laurentians: This mountain range, just over one hour by bus from Montreal, is an outdoor playground of hills, lakes and lovely villages. In summer, hike and kayak; in inter, head for Mont-Tremblant, Quebec’s top ski resort. See www.laurentians.com
My perfect Montreal day – Ruby Roy, Montreal tour guide
‘Hire a bike in Old Montreal and cycle to Atwater Market. Pick up the bread of the month at Première Moisson, plus some chevre noir (my favourite Quebec goats cheese) at Fromagière Atwater, wild blueberries and some Asian specialities from Satay Brothers. Next, follow the bike path along the Lachine Canal, eat your picnic at Lake St-Louis, then cycle back via the rapids. Stop at Boris Bistro for a drink – it’s my favourite terrace in Old Montreal.’
To see the article on the Metro’s website visit their article’s page here: http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/878520-montreal-touches-all-parts-of-the-globe-with-its-culturally-rich-cuisine
If you’re looking to travel to Montreal, Canadian Affair offer the lowest priced flights to Montreal that you will find – if you’re planning your trip, check out their website and see if you can save some money for your favourite restaurant!
Tags: Foodies, Foody, Metro Article, Montreal, Tim Hortons in the UK