Les 3 Petits Bouchons

There is a place called heaven and I found it. It's at 4669 Saint-Denis in Montreal. Unfortunately you can't stay forever. Fortunately, you can go back as often as you want. And that I will.

This delightful restaurant succeeded in seducing my husband and I with every delectable bite. Jean-Philippe, a gentleman sitting next to us at the bar and who drives to Montreal from Granby on a regular basis just to eat here, helped us narrow our choices down to the following dishes. While Michel, one of the three owners, ensured the wine we paired them with was equally perfect – 2008 Côtes du Jura Cuvée Florine Chardonnay from France. It's a yellow and cloudy wine made from the Savagnin grape and aged under a layer of yeast for 24 months. Amazing.

We started with the pieuvre grillée – octopus grilled to perfection in a smokey bbq sauce and served over a pancetta trencher. Alongside, some velvety crème fraîche and a sweet maple/bourbon syrup. We also shared the tartine de champignons, meaty mushrooms in a jaw-droppingly delicious truffle sauce served over crisp baguette toast.

Our mains were equally magical. I opted for the tartar de veau, a large mound of fresh, delicately spicy meat spotted with capers. Every bite melting in your mouth. Fresh greens and shaved parm were piled high over the top and 3 crisp baguette toasts lay neatly on the side. My husband indulged in the lamb, cooked rare and oh-so tender. Each side on the plate was the perfect accessory to the meat, elegant chanterelles, what we believe to be a feta foam and a scrumptious sausage-stuffed shallot (the fact my husband even gave me a bite of this made me feel extra special).

We finished off with a glass of Eau de vie from Alsace – Audrey et Christian Binner Vieux Marc de Riesling Kaefferkopf. Our eyes glazed over as we slowly sipped and reminisced over the experience we just had. We even got to meet and thank Audrey, the talented young woman who made it all happen.

With their relaxed atmosphere and outstanding service that makes you feel as though you'd been going there for years, this place is a must. We booked a hotel and came for the night just to eat here and will do it again soon. Prices are very reasonable with entrées ranging between $7.50 and $13.50 and mains between $16.50 and $29.

www.lestroispetitsbouchons.com

4669 Saint-Denis, Montreal

514-285-4444

Papas Tapas Martinis – Montreal

$$

My husband and I were in Montreal on Saturday. The evening portion was reserved for the hockey game and yes, a hot dog. So taking the time to dine at a nice restaurant that evening was out of the question. But that didn't leave the afternoon out! During our search for the perfect afternoon restaurant, we came upon this lovely Portuguese tapas bar on St-Laurent.

We grabbed the table right at the front of the restaurant where the sunshine was pouring in. Giant white leather chairs pulled up to a table that had been hand painted by a local artist. The other tables were plain, so I say we got the “special” spot! (That's what happens when you go to a restaurant at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.)

We started off with 2 perfect bloody ceasars. Then came the hard part, making choices. The menu looked fantastic, bison rib, pan seared tuna in port sauce, oh where to begin! We finally decided to go with, what I think, were the best choices we could have made.


First, flambeed grilled octopus with sliced fennel. The plate arrived with smoking rosemary – so fragrant. The chewy octopus bathed in a yummy, slightly spicy sauce that just begged to have the warm buns (delivered earlier) mop it up. And the fennel, long slivers still crisp and fresh just completed the dish.


Then came the most amazing cod fritters. These lightly breaded, crusty fish cakes were served with a trio of dipping sauces. Creamy aioli, house ketchup and spicy. We were in heaven.


The final two dishes continued on the same track of awesomeness. Oyster mushrooms and egg sauteed with garlic.


And beef tartare, tender and piquant – I adored every bite. I was sad to see the meal end, but this was the perfect finale to this satisfying afternoon lunch.

Service was excellent and dishes range between $5 and $16. Had we been there for dinner I would have indulged in one of their older ports and possibly one of their half dozen desserts. Also if you're a martini lover, the list is pretty extensive.

Papas Tapas-Martinis

Asia X-Press – Montreal

¢

One of the best things about travelling to Montreal for work is having lunch at this little hole in the wall. A 2-minute walk from the office on Chabanel Ouest, it makes for a perfect spot to break between meetings.

The menu offers everything from Vietnamese to Chinese and Thai. I often get the same things when I go, but do try to switch it up a little. This time I started off with yummy dumplings paired with a spicy peanut sauce that is absolutely delicious. I shared this app with my co-worker and in return got to eat one of his rice paper shrimp rolls.

My main was the salad with imperial roll and vermicelli. It comes with both fish sauce and some more of my favourite spicy peanut sauce.

Scott had the chicken pad thai, which is fantastic here. This delectable tangle of noodles made it hard to chose between it and the vermicelli dish I went for. Luckily I was able to sample a few bites of Scott's to appease my food envy.

For fun we asked if we could sample their coconut red curry and they happily brought us a lovely little dish of it. It was nice and spicy.

I'm so happy to have a place like this close to the office. It's even nicer in the summer when they have their little patio open. Service is always great and prices very reasonable with apps starting under $2 and mains running between $5 and $12.

Asia X-Press

“Imaginary” Europea – Montreal

This is the first post of it's kind. I did not eat at this restaurant. Although a very trusted source almost pushed me to the break of insanity last night. I think it's pay-back for all the torture I've put him through with my mouthwatering meals over the past year.

As I lay on the couch eating my popcorn last night, a series of emails came through that made me wish so badly that I was somewhere else. That place was Europea. I've never been to this restaurant, but my colleague Jean-Marc has never stopped raving about it. He and his wife go every time they're in Montreal. Since he has only guided me in the best direction in terms of wine, I trust his taste in food matches mine to a t. Which is why i'm going to share with everyone, the torture I suffered last night. I won't rate the restaurant, since I haven't actually eaten the food, but I will depict each plate as JM did throughout the evening.

It started with a series of amuse-bouche. Coconut shrimp in coconut milk. Goat cheese and parmesan lollipops with purple basil. Followed by a mise en bouche of lobster cream cappuccino with truffle shavings.

Two additional amuse-bouche were thrown in as a surprise, a trilogy of melon (cute little squares that would have taken a rookie chef about an hour to cut) served on oriental soup spoons with a sauce that JM didn't pay attention to as they described it because he was in too much awe by the visual of the treats in front of him.

Appetizer of seared and smoked salmon, celeriac and crab salad, granny smith apple caviar - oh my! Scallops and veal sweetbreads. Parsnip and bok-choy cabbage with wine reduction.

For the main, fresh ravioli with ricotta and shiitake mushrooms, porcini emulsion, grilled portobello, alba truffle sauce and roasted scallops with Blanche de Chambly beer beurre blanc emulsion, barley risotto, rice lettuce espuma.

Wine – Anvers Shiraz from Australia.

All this was followed by a wave of 2 desserts. The first one being a baignet, crême brulé, coconut mousse with passionfruit. Second was an assortment of bite size pastries that were so incredible, he had to put his blackberry away because the keyboard was getting wet.

Final dessert (as if the others weren't enough) – freshly spun cotton candy and madeleines. The cookies were just out of the oven. Oh, and another surprise, home made smore ice cream bar.

Insane. The table d'hôte is 56.50 per person. JM would pay twice that for the experience he had. The wine was $70 (probably $30 in the liquor store). Service is the best of anywhere he's eaten. And if all this wasn't enough, with the bill comes a nice bag that has a homemade loaf of zucchini bread to take home.

Reservations: 514-398-9229
www.europea.com

Thanks Jean-Marc, thanks a lot. I hate you.

Holder – Montreal

+

$$$

My parents were in Montreal this weekend staying at my brother's place so we made our way there to spend mother's day both with them and my mother-in-law. We decided we were going to take them out for dinner to Holder, a wonderful French restaurant in old Montreal. I'd been once before, quite a few years ago, and always remebered this place as having the best beef tartare i've ever had. So of course I ordered it again. Instead of having it as my main this time I got it as a starter. It's a pretty big starter, thank god because I was sharing a lot of it. It was fantastic, as I remembered it, and just strengthened my original memory of it being the best ever. As I was scrolling through the menu trying to decide on my main, I saw it, the dish that would make this a meal tailored specifically to me – the Lobster Ravioli. I quickly shut my menu, there was nothing else in there that could possibly change my mind. I was so excited to eat. The quality of food did not disappoint. Everyone was raving about their dishes. I got to try a few and they were indeed very good. My mother started off with the Cream of Asparagus soup with crab and ham and force fed me a bite, I'm glad she did, it was amazing and full of flavour. I also tried some of her main, the Roasted Scallops in Safron Sauce, Leek “confits” and Spinach, so good. My mother-in-law ordered the Calamari to start, I had some of that too, as did my mother who raved that she had never had calamari so good as it's usually too rubbery. This one was perfect. I've noticed since I started my blog, people tend to share their meals with me more willingly, that may be the best part of doing this! So I also tried my husband's Holder Style Fish and Chips. These were the least greasy fish and chips I've ever had, which quickly puts them at the top of my list for best fish and chips. I let my brother pick the wine for the meal which ended up being a great decision on my part. I was about to order one I was familiar with but the one he chose was equally delicious if not better – Côtes du Rhône Villages “Ortas” 2004, Rasteau. Yes, I was very full by the end of it. But a bottle of Maury Vintage 2004, Mas Amiel quickly kicked my digestive system into gear. I love port at the end of a meal, as does my family, so evenings with them often end on a high note. This restaurant is a consistently good restaurant. Anyone we've sent there has raved about the food. The service is equally fantastic in this loud, traditionally French hustle-bustle restaurant. I would highly recommend it if you want a fun start to an evening out. I'm not sure it was the best place to bring the mothers however. Although there were many large groups in the restaurant, I think the loudness of the restaurant made hearing the person at the end of the table near impossible, but for a smaller group, it's a great place to go. Apps range from $8 to $21 and mains from $16 to $34. As you will see above, I've added a plus sign to my 3 star rating. Keeping the ratings to 5 simple choices has proven to be more difficult than originally planned. This restaurant is the first to leave me completely stumped. I can't do 3 and I can't do 4. So it is a 3+.

www.restaurantholder.com

Montclair – Montreal

$$ 

Downtown Montreal has a plethora of fabulous restaurants. But what happens when you're in Saint-Laurent and you want the same thing? I'll tell you right now, there's not much to choose from, except this great spot that has, because of it's location, become kind of a regular when I go to Montreal. It's a nice little French restaurant on Décarie, which is close to my mother-in-law's and why it has become a sort of regular. If you're looking for something fancy with crazy unique dishes, this isn't the place to go. But for me, it's easy to get to, it's consistently good, the service is fabulous and the prices are very reasonable. Today I happened to be in that area on business and went for lunch. I ordered the Seafood Pizza made with shrimp, smoked salmon, clams and mushrooms and with that came a soup appetizer, a thick and rich tomato soup. Both very good. The service as I remembered the last time I went, was excellent and the place filled up quite quickly. In fact, had we not arrived early, we would not have gotten a table, I almost guarantee it. If you're in that area definitely go here, but I do recommend making a reservation first.

Montclair

Le Déjeuner Cosmopolitain – Laval

$

My sister-in-law to be told my brother and I we should have breakfast here this morning. She said people drive to Laval from downtown Montreal to have breakfast at this place all the time. It's a breakfast and lunch only spot with a massive selection of crepes and the largest selection of benedict i've ever seen. They also have a ton of omelets and bagels and oatmeal and stuff. It took me forever to decide what I was going to have. I'd been craving crepes for a while, so I went with the Grandmas Thin Country Crepe with spinach, ham and swiss cheese and homemade potatoes. It was delicious! I especially loved the potatoes. They were kind of mashed and fried and had tons of flavour. For the crepe, you could have it as is, or have it made with spelt or buckwheat instead for $1.95 more. I chose the buckwheat. The spinach was cooked right into the crepe and then the ham and cheese were layered on the inside. I also had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. The portions were more than enough, I didn't even finish mine. The food is very fresh and healthy, not greasy like a lot of large breakfast restaurants. I've also read that they strive to meet your satisfaction by not adding any preservatives, trans-fat or chemicals in anything they serve. They use only omega 3 eggs. My brother had a portobello benedict which also looked amazing. The restaurant itself is huge – I'm sure on a Saturday when they're packed the wait wouldn't be very long. The service was great and the prices were very reasonable, ranging from $6 to $14 for a breakfast dish. I'm sure I'll go again the next time i'm in Laval.

Le Déjeuner Cosmopolitain

Robin des Bois – Montreal

$$

So far i've only written about Ottawa area restaurants, but we often travel so I decided I will also review the restaurants I go to outside the city. Especially ones that are worth trying out.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for quite a while now. They are quite unique in that a lot of their staff are volunteers. They are a not for profit restaurant and all their profits from their food and product sales are given to local charities in the community, if you go to their website you can see the list of charities.

They have a wonderful lunch time table d'hôte with prices varying from $12.50 to $18.50. I started off with a celery salad (similar to coleslaw) and my husband had the gaspacho. Both were very good – the salad was nice and light whereas the gaspacho was very spicy and flavourful. For my main I had scallops and shrimp in an orange saffron sauce with couscous and fennel. The flavours were delectable and the portions were perfect. I also tried my husbands cod cakes, they weren't to die for but they too were very good. The meal also came with your choice of tea or coffee. If you'd rather not have the table d'hôte you can get your main course only for $2 less.

The service was wonderful and they made you feel very welcome. They are on Saint Laurent so there's a lot of noisy traffic, but the inside is warm and relaxing. They were a bit slow at the end when they got really busy and took a long time to bring our bill. But I wasn't in a rush so that was fine. I will definitely go again. I'm excited to try their dinner. If you go I strongly recommend a reservation. I'd tried to make one for dinner one time and they were booked solid.

www.robindesbois.ca