Creperie Tournesol

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Delicious crepes in a cute setting

Good value servings

The Review:

This creperie is a little out of the way from pretty much anywhere, but if you're looking for a good lunch (or dinner) in the Laurentides, then it's a great place to drop by. We headed by once for a small lunch, and another time with the whole family contingent and a handful of kids.

The restaurant is cosy and friendly, and by consequence warm and comfortable on a cold winter day. The centrepiece of the place is the crepe hotplate which takes pride of place in the dining room, allowing all to gazde in wonder at the crepe-making process. This is a great attraction for the kids, who seem to be mesmerised by that sort of thing. The decor is nice bare wood and rather kitschy lace curtains, with an odd collection of eggs hanging from the roof by the cashier. Makes for the atmosphere of a mountain or country cottage, which is nice.

As expected, the crepes are the mainstay of the menu, although there are some other options such as soups and salads. The crepes are Bretonne-style—large, very thin, and folded over to enclose the filling. There are many options for fillings (combinations of cheese, ham, bacon, mushrooms, asparagus, egg, and others) and two types of crepe: buckwheat (for savoury) and froment (for sweet). The crepes are cooked expertly and are delicious. We found that they can be a little dry in the mouth with a lot of the filling combinations, so including the bechamel sauce is recommended. Or douse your crepe in maple syrup. That works too. Either way it's still delicious.

The service is friendly, but we found that even on a slowish day it can take quite some time for the crepes to come to the table, since there is only one crepe chef, and they can only cook one crepe at a time. So if there are a few orders before yours it can certainly take some time. At least there is entertainment in watching while you wait, and trying to pick which is your order. We found it timely to order dessert crepes as the main course crepes arrived. But don't go overboard! No-one in our group could finish 2 whole crepes themselves, so share either your main or dessert crepe.

This is a nice place for a family lunch, or just a casual bite, but only when you have a bit of time to spare. Worth the wait, though, for the delicious crepes. We'll be going back again when we're next in the Laurentians.

5825 Boul Labelle RR 1, Val-Morin, Laurentides
(819) 322-1401
Closed Monday and Tuesday

La Banquise

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: A wide selection of good poutine

Cheap and generous servings

The Review:

Amid looks of shock and horror at the amount of time we had spent in Montreal without visiting La Banquise, our friends directed us to this popular resto in answer to our question "So, where should we go for poutine?". La Banquise was the unanimous reply for the best poutine in Montreal.

Some of our readers (if, indeed, there are any readers at all) will not know what poutine is, so let us start with a brief description. It is a comfort food, a Quebec tradition, and reasonably unhealthy. Take one serve fries, add fresh cheese curds, top with gravy. Fairly simple, and our Australian friends will say "Hey, that's just chips and gravy with some cheese thrown in". Too true. Those from Adelaide will be asking "Yes, but how does it compare with a BBQ AB?".

La Banquise is a bright and cheery place tucked away next to Parc La Fontaine on Rachel. A Yellow facade and ornate logo open into a smallish restaurant that is a cross between a fish'n'chip takeaway and a diner. Some good music is in the air as hip, bohemian waiting staff lead you to artistically laquered tables. The place is open 24 hours and appears to be always busy.

Poutine is the order of the day, and there is a range of some 20-plus varieties to choose from, as well as a selection of burgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs, but to be honest, we're here for poutine. The classic poutine should be had for any first-time poutiner, as it demonstrates all the hallmarks of good poutine: crisp, fresh fries, chewy and tasty cheese curds, and the right amount of suitably tasty gravy. The regular size is enough for most, the large is for hungry people who can put it away. Prices are reasonable, with regular sizes ranging from $6 to $9 or so, and larges $8 to $12 or so.

Some would argue that adding any more to this combination is an abomination on the good name of poutine. Some would argue that poutine has no good name to begin with. To those people I say "Bah humbug". La Banquise does a good job of adding to poutine, but I think it is down to the eater to choose wisely. I, for one, would avoid the chicken and peas, but I applaud the bacon, the mushroom, the sausage, bacon, and onion (which was like a hot dog with the lot and fries, all on one plate), and, on a cold day, the kamikaze—a mix of hot sausage, chillis, and tobasco that had only a mild tingle of warmth to my palate. I think my preference is towards the simpler poutines, less crowded by add-ons on top.

So we've added it to our gourmand's tour of Montreal for visiting friends—now it's Fairmount Bagels for 24-hour, delicious bagelly goodness, Schwartz's for the best smoked meat in town in an unforgettable atmosphere, and now La Banquise for the best poutine at any time of day (and let's face it, poutine is, by definition, a late-night, rather drunken stomach filler).

http://www.restolabanquise.com/
994 Rachel Est, Plateau
No credit cards

Maison Kam Fung

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Authentic Chinese cuisine in a traditionally hectic restaurant

A big meal for a good price

The Review:

It seems that the only place we've really been to for Chinese food in Montreal is this one, La Maison Kam Fung, hidden away upstairs in the heart of Chinatown. Why is that? Well, mainly because that's where our Chinese relatives recommended as the best such restaurant in town.

It's a very busy place, on the upper floor in La Place de la Quartier, just up from the corner of La Gauchetiere and St Urbain. If you arrive at peak times, which seems to be just about any time anyone would normally want to eat, you may end up waiting some time on the benches in the corridor, unless you have a reservation—in which case you may not have to wait quite as long. It's a big dining room, crammed with tables for large family gatherings, and a few smaller ones in between. The waiting staff zip along the walkways, so watch where you walk. This is authentic Chinese restaurant. You can tell by the population of Chinese diners who frequent the place. Despite the size, it is not overly noisy, and the atmosphere is one in which you can sit back and people-watch.

The service is quick and relatively friendly (for a hectic chinese restaurant). We've been on a number of occassions for dim sum. The selection and freshness of the dishes is great. All the traditional dishes, as well as a few different ones. All well-prepared and hot when they arrive at the table via trolley.

Dinner here is also very good, and we highly recommend the Peking Duck and Lobster set menu. The duck is brought out on display after you order, then whisked away to be carved in the kitchen. The lobster is generously sized and nicely presented, and this is all accompanied by a good selection of fish, vegetable, and meat dishes. It's well priced, and it is rare that, even with our big appetites, we can actually finish off the entire selection.

This is our regular haunt for Chinese cuisine, and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.


1111 St-Urbain, Chinatown, Montreal

Coco Rico

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Tasty rotisserie chicken and ribs on the run

A filling plate of meat and potatoes for under $10

The Review:

With a gruelling night of music at Osheaga ahead, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat on the way at the recommended Coco Rico on St Laurent. It's a bright, little place on the corner with Napolean, the front windows filled with the large rotisserie ovens stacked with chickens. There's a simple service counter along one side, and a bar with stools running along the mirrored wall opposite.

We were greeted by a cheery face behind the glass counter front, which made it terribly difficult for either of us to hear what the other was saying. For a good sampling of the fare we ordered the chicken and ribs combo, the roast pork will have to wait for another night. A good pile of roast potatoes, a quarter of a chicken, and couple of meaty pork ribs definitely filled the plate out. We settled in on a couple of stools, watching the passing crowd come for their dose of chicken at the counter.

Where to begin? Potato first... Not too bad, well cooked, chilli dusting. Nice. Then into the chicken. The tender, succulent meat was no match for my plastic cutlery, although the foam plate did suffer at my unwieldy hacking. The chicken almost fell apart with my prying, leaving me with a collection of juicy meat. Quite flavoursome. Unlike many other rotisserie chickens, this did not have that greasy mouthfeel, or leave a pool of oil on the plate. This I attribute to the amount of fat that comes showering off the chickens in the rotisserie—if you sit in the right spot as the sun is setting, it shines through the glistening diamonds of fat like a sparkling waterfall in the rotisserie. Quite impressive.

Onto one of the meaty rib duo next. Again, tender enough to yield to my plastic cutlery, although much easier to tackle hands-on. Also quite juicy and delicious, with a good coating of sauce. Again, not oily or greasy, but certainly not dry.

Belly full of meat and potatoes, washed down with a can of drink, set me back just over $11 all up. A satisfying, quick, meaty meal. I may not recommend the venue or the menu for a romantic date or business dinner, but if you're after a quick and tasty meal (or some roast chickens, ribs, or potatoes to take home), I'd give this place a whirl. I think we'll be heading back when we're in the area before (or after) a night out.


3907 Blvd St Laurent, Plateau

Fuschia Epicerie Fleur

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Delicious, interesting, and healthy!
A cheap, all-inclusive meal that's good value for money

Our Review:

A coworker lead us for lunch to this cute little café that specialises in vegetarian meals, with a good dose of flowers in and around the food. Sounded interesting. On the quiet corner of Duluth and Coloniale, this is a small shop with just 3 tables, where we were welcomed by a lovely white dog spreadeagled on her back in the middle of the shop. The tables altogether seat probably 16 people max, and while we were there we saw a number being sadly turned away. Small groups can share, but our work group lorded over an entire table.

We welcomed the set menu of the day—two dishes and a drink—at a healthy $10. It changes daily, hence being "of the day", but is always vegetarian, often vegan, and also normally gluten-free for any people with coeliac out there. A friendly waitress saw us comfortably seated, and plied us with water, which had a faint aroma and taste of what we determined to be honeysuckle. Did I mention that everything has flowers in it? The salt was laced with what I thought to be rosemary and jasmine, and our menu of the day was an asian noodle salad (pansies), tropical fruit salad (orange blossom), and jasmine iced tea.

The salad was fresh and delicious. Lots of fresh herbs, red cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, rice noodles, with a peanutty, asian-inspired dressing. And pansies. A decent serving that was remarkably satisfying for a salad. The drink was refreshing, obviously made fresh, and not overpoweringly jasminey. Dessert fruit salad was simple, garnished with black sesame seeds, and fresh.

I followed up with a selection of cookies; this place doubles as a mini-bakery, putting out fresh batches of cookies and cakes, which obviously change every day, since the waitress has to wait to see what emerges from the kitchen before she can write the options on the board. They had 3 types out when we visited, conveniently enough for the $2 per 3 cookie price, so a sample of each was in order. Macaroon with jasmine and chocolate: crunchy and chewy macaroon, as it should be, with a small molten chocolate centre, but not much in the way of jasmine; Rose cookies: a soft and buttery cookie sprinkled with crystal sugar and rose petal pieces, again, the flower flavour doesn't come through; Chocolate and violet: delicious, rich chocolate flavour, but not so much violet. So good cookies, but not strong on the flower flavours (but maybe that's a good thing).

This is a cute and friendly shop, where one can relax and spend some time. The set menu lunch, at $10 including taxes, is delicious, fresh, and great value. A nice spot for lunch or a quick snack in the afternoon. I think we'll go back to this one again.

http://www.epiceriefleur.com/
4050 Coloniale, Montreal (cnr Duluth)
Closed Sunday and Monday

Copoli

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Big and delicious burgers
Cheap eats, good value for money

The Review:
We'd heard tell of a little place in Westmount reputed to have "The Biggest and Most Delicious Hamburger in Montreal", and thought that kind of slogan definitely merited our attention. So it was early on a Saturday night, hungry after a hard day's manual labour, we went in search of the burger of legends to sate our appetite before the night's entertainment (the Montreal Roller Derby grand final—hooray for La Racaille!).

Situated on the corner of Ste Catherine and Metcalfe, Copoli is pretty much what a burger bar should be: peeling lino, booths with splitting vinyl, bar stools, grill on display. It's clean, it has character, and even some background music, at the behest of some regulars who arrived shortly after we did. We were duped by the lack of wines and beers on the menu, but it appeared that they do actually have a stash if you ask for it. The menu offers a selection of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, and salads, but we were here for the burgers. Indeed, it looks as if they were the biggest and most delicious in Montreal—it said so on the menu. The burger is listed as clocking in at 8 inches ("That's not so big", says one of our female companions to much snickering), and can be shared for a small fee. So we launched into the order, for Michael the full 8 inches, with cheese and bacon, Ree shared a similar burger with one of our companions, and yet another diner ordered a salad (to much snickering).

Well, the burger was big. It filled half the oblong plate, with a healthy side of fries covering the rest. The shared burger was more than sufficient for a smaller eater, and the sharing fee appears to buy you some extra fries to fill in the rest of the plate. In comparison to the large horizontal axis (which required the whole be quartered to be manageable), the vertical appeared a little short, but still had the full complement of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and what seemed to be thousand-island dressing. Our option also saw some cheese and bacon accompanying the burger. The burger itself was quite good, some flavour of its own, which is a nice change from many other generic burgers. It's cooked fresh (you can see it on the hotplate), and almost fills the full 8 inches of custom-made bun. It's a good amount of meat. To be highly critical, it was a little dry, but this was soon remedied with some of the supplied tomato sauce or mayo. We can't argue the "Biggest" claim, these are certainly the largest constructions we've seen on the Montreal burger scene. The "Most Delicious" claim we would dispute—we have tasted better burgers—but this one is certainly passable. Perhaps it can rightly claim the joint title, "Biggest and Most Delicious", since this is the most delicious burger of this size we have tasted.

The salad was similarly generous in its proportions, and was declared good. It was a decent pile of lettuce garnished with canned salmon, some olives, and a few other bits of healthy stuff, and a good slathering of a tasty homemade dressing.

Best of all, the price is right. The full burger with bacon and cheese came in under $10, so that's only $5 or so for smaller bellies who need to share. The pizzas seemed popular and may merit a trial sometime, as well as the other burger options (there's even vegetarian).

The lowdown? We'll be going back whenever the desire for a burger arises. In fact, the proximity to our abode (and the availablity through online ordering services) means that it's a viable option for a quick meal whenever we like. So we'll probably be back to try out other items on the menu too.


4458 Ste Catherine Ouest, corner of Metcalfe, Westmount
A second Copoli can also be found on Maisonneuve, directly opposite the Vendome metro station for the late night burger on the way home.

Ye Olde Orchard (Prince Arthur)

Our Rating:

2 Buddhas: Good food, good service, nice atmosphere
Cheapo!

The Review:
Ever since this latest chapter of Ye Olde Orchard opened 20 metres from Michael's work in March, he, and a lot of his colleagues, have been regular visitors for a weekly 5 à 7 after-works drinks (to the point where Michael can now just order his "usual"). In addition to a good selection of local and imported beers at reasonable prices, there is also a broad menu of typical pub foods ranging from wings to burgers to salads to curries. There is nominally a British-type theme to the place (Irish music, staff in kilts, Scotch bottles on display, Premier League football on TV), but the food is actually decent, so the theme falls down a little there.

This newest addition to the fleet of YOOs is conveniently on Prince Arthur Ave, right next to Blvd St Laurent, and, as mentioned, literally a hop, skip, and a jump from Michael's work (as proven one night after the 5 à 7). Good location. The interior is what a pub should look like. Clean, reasonably well lit, wooden tables, stone walls, and waitresses in short kilts. There are, unfortunately, in my book, too many TVs in the place, so no matter where you look, you get distracted. It's seems a global phenomenon that when there is a TV in a bar, one tends to watch it rather than socialise, no matter how boring the show. Let's face it, it's usually golf or ads, and surely our bar companions are more interesting than that. That aside, the staff are friendly and attentive, the music at a pleasant volume (with a good selection of British/Irish music), and the seats comfortable.

So, onto the food. There are a number of choices in each section of the menu, and nearly all the choices made so far have been met with satisfaction. The sweet potato fries (with curry mayo if desired) is quite popular, but I find them a little limp. The home fries are, however, crisp and good, and cut nice and thick, as they should be. The soups seem to be popular, but nothing overly exciting, and we've never tried them. Same goes for the wings. Winners on the menu are the selection of burgers ($9–$15). Good-sized, tasty, not full of fat. The selection of pies is also quite good, although I always question the definition of a small baking dish covered in pastry as a pie (~$10–$12). Surely a pie should have crust on the bottom as well? Either way they have so far been meaty (real chunks of meat), hot, and delicious.

But to be honest, you don't really go to the pub to eat, normally. But if you're in the neighbourhood, and looking for a quick, reasonably-priced meal with a beer to match, this is the place to go. It's a good local to have.

We're regulars here. Normally for drinks, but for food as well when the time is right.

20 Prince Arthur Ave Ouest
http://www.yeoldeorchard.com/
Other locations on Monkland in NDG, and Montagne in Centre-Ville are similarly good by reputation.