Ma Poule Mouillée - Montreal

Our original plan was to go eat at La Banquise. However, since there was a huge line, we decided to grab takeout instead (the line was just as long, but it moved slightly faster). When we were lined up, we couldn't help noticing the long line up across the street at Ma Poule Mouillée. We split up and half the group went to line up for Portuguese chicken. 

 

Huge portions! 

#2 Le Louis Cyr and #8 Bon, les Portugais font de la poutine (the two styrofoam boxes of poutine were from La Banquise)

The Portuguese chicken was AMAZING! The chicken was perfectly seasoned - flavourful and juicy and it came with a huge box of fries and separate box of tasty salad. Le Louis Cyr was a great deal! I also LOVED the Portuguese chicken poutine - the gravy was delicious, there was a ton of tasty delicious chicken and the cheese curds were squeaky and so great. The poutine at Ma Poule Mouillée was way better than the takeout boxes of poutine we got at La Banquise. 

Overall: La Banquise may be super popular with tourists and poutine-lovers, but clearly, this was the local favourite in Montreal! The lineup here is well worth it for the great chicken, huge portions and delicious food. 

Website: http://mapoulemouillee.ca/

Le Banquise - Montreal

October 13, 2017

La Banquise and the line up...


La Panoramix poutine with smoked meat, mushrooms and sour cream and La Mart poutine with hot dog, bacon and mushrooms (white containers - the other food came from Ma Poule Mouillée).
After trying these two poutines, I came to the conclusion that I really don't like mushrooms, mushroom gravy or sour cream in my poutine. I didn't really enjoy these poutines especially since we could also compare it to Ma Poule Mouillee's Portuguese chicken poutine.

July 23 2017

La Banquise is a super popular Montreal poutinerie. Luckily it's open 24/7 so you have your choice of when to go but there's always lineups no matter what time of day (but especially at night after people go drinking and partying). 

La T-Rex with hot dog sausage, ground beef, bacon and pepperoni

It looked so good! All the meats were delicious and the fries were nice and crispy. The cheese curds were amazing! Any poutine here is great! Definitely worth the trip here. 

Premiere Moisson - Montreal

Even after stopping for a while to see some of the sights in Ottawa, we made it to Montreal in time for a late night dinner.
We passed by Première Moisson on our way to dinner and I couldn't resist stopping in to check out the pastries and bread. 

 


Clafouti!
They looked so good, but not really dinner. We thought it might also be a good idea to pick up breakfast in case we didn't get breakfast tomorrow.


The bread options looked amazing.

Next day

Mushroom bread and a raspberry croissant
Both were delicious even the day after - the mushroom bread still had that aromatic bread smell and the juices from the mushrooms were absorbed into the bread. So good! The raspberry croissant was pretty unique too.

Website: https://premieremoisson.com/en

Schwartz's - Montreal

Schwartz's is a Montreal institution! Super famous for the smoked meat and once you try it, you'll know why:

Smoked Meat sandwich $9.75

There was so much meat in this sandwich that it kinda fell apart. The meat was flavourful, tender and seasoned really well - so yummy to eat. I was also really surprised by the mustard - it's actually really good and pairs nicely with the simple white bread and smoked meat. 

Next door is also a store front where you can take home some smoked meat. 

Website: http://www.schwartzsdeli.com

Au Pied du Cochon - Montreal

Au Pied du Cochon came pretty highly recommended from a lot of people I spoke to about Montreal, so I was pretty excited to try it. They did warn me that their food is quite a bit heavier with an emphasis on pâtés and foie gras.

 

Carpaccio
This was like a work of art - it looked and tasted so good!

Foie Gras Cromequis $4

I thought these would be bigger, but once I bit into it - it was more than enough. (Any more than this and I'm sure we would've been in comas). The foie gras was so buttery, rich and decadent and it had this great crispy outer crust. Highly recommended (even if you don't really like foie gras).

Shank and Risotto (pied cochon foie $56)
Huge portion and so tasty! Well worth the price tag!

Tuna Tataki
Another piece of art served on a marble platter. It was so yummy.

Foie Gras Poutine and Tuna Tartare
The poutine was really good, but oh so heavy with all the foie gras (which is great if you love it). I just found it a little too rich with gravy and foie gras.

 

Duck in a Can
I was a little puzzled by the plate, until the waiter came back with the can and opened it on top of the plate! Super interesting way to eat it and the duck was really tender and succulent.

Tagliatelle pasta of the day $18
The noodles were really delicious in a slightly heavier cream sauce. I definitely think I prefer the meat dishes though than the pasta - it was a huge portion as well.

Stuffed Pied du Cochon with Foie Gras and pasta

The pig foot was SO GOOD! Crispy skin with gravy on top and served with mashed potatoes to soak in all the sauce at the bottom. The portion size was also gigantic - but it was oh so good! We left the restaurant holding our stomachs and ended up walking back to our hotel instead of taking transit because the meal was so filling. (It was definitely a good night)

Website: https://aupieddecochon.ca/en/

Marché Jean-Talon - Montreal

Amazing market with fresh local produce, prepared foods and more!

 

Aqua Mare

 

Fresh seafood and prepared seafood for reasonable prices. Arancini with crab and salmon (to-go)

 
Huge arancini balls and they were packed with flavour! Tender flaky salmon and yummy crab meat with mashed up rice and vegetables. I liked the salmon more than the crab meat since I could get more of the flavour. A great snack and/or meal!

Website: http://www.aquamare.ca

Update January 2018: Pâtisserie De Gascogne has closed.
Across the street from Aqua Mare was Pâtisserie De Gascogne:


 
Amazing cakes, tarts, eclairs and more! 

Tartlette Guérande citron framboise $4.55 and Tartlette Bourdaloue $4.15
Raspberry Lemon tart and French pear tart - Both were delicious with flaky tasty pastry and fresh seasonal fruit. The pear tart really reminded me of Clafouti's tarts and it made me really happy!

Website: https://www.degascogne.com

Next on our Jean-Talon Market crawl was Juliette & Chocolat, a popular chocolate place (known for their hot chocolate):

Cup of Grandma's Style Hot Chocolate with 55% Dark $5.99
So yummy - velvety and smooth and oh so enjoyable! It's on the pricier end, but it's so worth it!

Website: https://www.julietteetchocolat.com

Leméac - Montreal

A fun weekend getaway to Montreal (for a friend's Bachelorette party!)

Amazing View of the City

We made reservations at Leméac, an upscale French restaurant. 

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Grilled Beef Hanger Steak with salad and beurre $29
The steak was a perfect medium rare and it was very tender, flavourful and delicious! The beurre (or butter) was a really nice compliment to the steak when it melted on top. The salad was lightly dressed and the dressing added a nice acidic note.

Overall: Great service and delicious food! A fantastic start to Montreal!

Website: https://www.restaurantlemeac.com/en/home