Mystify Me, Misto - Restaurant Misto (Montréal à Table)

I really wish I had more time and money to blog about food. Eh, what else is new about being a food-loving engineering student...

So from November 1st to November 11th, we had our second annual Montréal à Table event (which I totally should have told you guys about, I'm so sorry), where over 100 restaurants in the greater Montreal area offer a specialized, themed menu for a set price of either $19, $29 or $39. The theme this year was maple syrup. I had the pleasure of visiting two such restaurants, one of them being Misto, an Italian restaurant situated on the Plateau. 

My Little Dumplings - Mai Xiang Yuan

So apparently Montreal is going through a dumpling craze. Not too long ago, Qing Hua dumplings were all the rage, giving Montreal its first taste of authentic Chinese dumplings. Following its success, other entrepreneurs have tried to replicate Qing Hua's success, and only one to even come close - or surpass, in some people's opinions - is Mai Xiang Yuan.

Located on St-Laurent street, Mai Xiang Yuan is a tiny and particularly inconspicuous restaurant, nestled among the various pho restaurants in the area. But if you peek in the window, you'll no doubt see a ton of customers, because what can I say? Montrealers love their dumplings.

Do the wave! Do the wavy burger? - TKrestobar

Apparently two big food things happened this past summer while I was toiling away in the boonies. One, the invention of the cronut, and two, the ramen burger. The former I couldn't quite wrap my head around, and the second I pretty much thought was a joke. Until I actually found it at a restaurant. In Montreal. Yes, folks, you'll get your chance to try to (in?)famous ramen burger right here in la belle ville, at a certain TKresto.

A little authentic taste of Japan - Furusato

There's definitely an over-abundance of sushi restaurants in Montreal, ranging from the very bad to the very posh, but in comparison, the Japanese population here is teeny tiny. So, as you can imagine, actual Japanese-owned and run restaurants are relatively few as well. That isn't to say that non-Japanese operated sushi restaurants are bad, per se - in fact, some of the most popular Japanese restaurants in Montreal aren't run by Japanese people. But sometimes, you just want some no-frills, authentic Japanese cuisine. And where can you go for that? Why, Furusato, of course.

Don't cry for me Argentina... (the truth is I've died and gone to food heaven) - L'Atelier d'Argentine

Sooo I just came back from my first restaurant invite ever, courtesy of L'Atelier d'Argentine, and it was simultaneously exciting and terrifying, since I generally have no idea how these things go down. I kind of felt like a country bumpkin entering the city. But enough of my deep-seated social anxiety issues... This is a food blog, and food is what you're here for, right?

Souper Gourmand Italien

Hey y'all!

I've been asked to mention an event on my blog, and since it's for a good cause, I figured, why not. So for all you Italian food lovers out there, the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Canada is hosting an evening of delectable food on the evening of September the 24th, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Shriner's Children's Hospital. According to the marketing coordinator, all the participating restaurants have been awarded a prize called the Marchio Ospitalità Italiana, which is a prestigious given to Italian restaurants "for their scale of excellence and their Italian authenticity", as directly quoted. 

The following is text is the information they sent me, and I'll have a TL;DR at the bottom for all of you people allergic to words.

On September the 24th from 5:30 pm to 9 pm, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada will take advantage of the food craze which is currently capturing our city by hosting a prestigious and exclusive evening in Montreal, which will delight all refined palates. During one evening, and under one roof, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy an incomparable culinary experience offered by 10 local, authentically certified, Italian restaurants, accompanied by savoury Italian wines.

The restaurants being honoured :
o Buonanotte
o Da Vinci
o Graziella
o Le Muscadin
o Michelangelo
o Piatti
o Primo & Secondo
o Scarpetta
o Vago
o Villa D’Este- Château Vaudreuil

Charity:
A portion of the evening’s profits will be donated to the Shriners Hospitals for Children
Billets/Tickets:
$160 (taxes et frais en sus)(plus taxes and service charge)
Achat de billets / To purchase your tickets : www.soireeospitalitaitaliana.eventbrite.ca ou/or(514) 844-4249 poste 226

Location:
Centre des sciences de Montréal
2 Rue de la Commune Ouest, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E2
Salle: La Perspective 235 et sa
Passerelle

For more information, you can check out their website, or their facebook pages:

• Restomontreal page: http://www.restomontreal.ca/events/1528-Soiree-Ospitalita-Italiana--Souper-Gourmand-Italien-en.html
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/453028168127807/
• Italian Chamber of Commerce of Canada: www.italchamber.qc.ca

So to summarize (TL;DR):
Who: The Italian Chamber of Commerce of Canada
What: Hosting an evening of authentic and quality Italian food
Where: Centre des sciences de Montreal (address above)
When: On the evening of September 24th, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.
Why:
1. To help promote good Italian cuisine and culinary products around the world.
2. To bring truly authentic Italian food to Montrealers, and help Montrealers locate restaurants that serve said food.
3. To help the children! A portion of the proceeds goes to Shriner's Children's hospital.
How: Book your tickets here :www.soireeospitalitaitaliana.eventbrite.ca ou/or(514) 844-4249 poste 226 ($160 per person (plus taxes and service charge)).


So for all you Italian food aficionados, have fun, and buon apetito!

Nudo soup fo' yu! - Nudo Noodle House

I'm baaaaaaack! And I should really get back on the blogging bandwagon... Well, here's one to start.

I heard a conversation on the bus today that made me really sad, because it's partially true. A Chinese guy was talking to his Caucasian friend about Chinese food, and the Caucasian guy asked him, "So, since you're Chinese and all, which Chinese restaurant would you say is the best in Montreal?" The Chinese guy paused in thought, before replying, "None." 

While I wouldn't say that none of the Chinese restaurants in Montreal are up-to-par, it is true that very few of them are good, and those that are are usually hidden away from the mainstream Chinese food spotlight. Which is pretty much why I never go to Chinatown to eat. However, it seems that more and more authentic Chinese restaurants are popping up around town, and, thus, so is my interest in the Chinese food scene in Montreal.

Delay in posts

Hey readers!

I know I've been slow on updating lately (again), and the reason is because I'm working in Waterloo this summer, and so I haven't had the chance to visit any Montreal restaurants. I do have some posts from before I left that still need to be edited, so you can look forward to those before I return to full-force restauranting in the fall!

But whew, do we ever have it lucky in Montreal on the Western food front. Surprisingly, though, Waterloo does very well in terms of Asian restaurants. I'd say some are even better than what we have in Montreal. Must be due to the abundance of finicky Asian students here...

Anyway, for those of you still reading, thanks for sticking with me up until now! :)

You spin my chicken right round, right round - Romado's

In celebration of Romado's grand reopening, here's a post featuring Montreal's favourite Portuguese chicken! If you've spent any amount of time in the Montreal food scene, then you'll probably know about 1) Schwartz's 2) poutine and 3) Romados. Well, okay, maybe not, but Romados is pretty renowned in Montreal for having the best roasted chicken in town. And after years of having included it on my to-try list, I finally got my hands on some yummy Portuguese roasted chicken.

Ermahgerrrd brrrgrrrs. - M:Brgr

M:Burger is one of the better-known and older classy burger joints in Montreal, having kick-started the trend of fancy burgers. They're the restaurant that serves the legit $100 burger... for an actual whopping $100. For a burger. It blows my mind. (Obviously, I didn't order $100, but their other burgers do the job just fine too, mind you.)

Japan Trip Day 6 - Nara and Osaka

Wow, so I never finished documenting on Japan trip. Day 6 was the last day we spent touring around Japan, since Day 7 consisted of a hectic running around, trying to get to the airport on time for our flight. But more on that later.

Bah Bah Blackstrap, have you any meat? Yes sir, yes sir, here, have a seat (Except not). - Blackstrap BBQ

Hey guys, it's summerrr! And you know what that means... overdosing on marinated and grilled meat, a.k.a barbecues! And for those of you who don't have a backyard patio to perform this delightful western tradition, or are simply too lazy, then you always have the option of visiting Blackstrap BBQ for some premium barbecued meats.

Avenue O for Omnomnom - L'Avenue

L'Avenue is somewhat well-known in Montreal as the brunch place to go to, which is probably why it has insane line ups every day. From the outside, it's a pretty inconspicuous restaurant, with just a window lined with Nutella jars and fresh fruit that gives you a peek to the kitchen area behind the counters, and another window with a really odd-looking mannequin. That might explain whey my friend and I walked right past this place without a second glance while looking for it. Although how we managed to miss the epic long line-up leading up to the restaurant is beyond me... Because if you're planning on visiting L'Avenue, you better be prepared to wait for it.

Roses are red, the Nile is blue, and now I present le Nil Bleu to you - Nil Bleu

Aaaahhh, this blog is not dead, I swear! I've just been really busy with school and exams. But now that that's over with, I'll be bringing you some more ridiculous posts and delicious venues to eat at!

If any of you have been on urbanspoon a while back (maybe a year?), you're sure to have come across le Nil Bleu as either a nearby restaurant, or a recommended restaurant. I was curious to try it, but a little wary, as I am with all things heavily advertised. However, a few of my friends had recommended Nil Bleu to me, including a friend who normally doesn't stray too far from her culinary comfort zone. If I hadn't been interested in trying Ethiopian food before, her recommendation definitely piqued my interest. And so, when a coupon rolled around for Nil Bleu, I snatched it up as soon as I saw it.

Where do we live? The City of Poutine - Poutineville

So apparently, the week of February 4th was Montreal's official poutine week? Now, how did that happen? I guess some people on the council of poutine sat down together in all their poutine glory and decided it was a good idea to dedicate a random week in between the two coldest months in Montreal to the iconic Montreal dish. 

...

S'all cool, s'all cool. As long as it means more crazy and innovative poutines, I'm down for that!

There are no Prohibitions when it comes to brunch - Prohibition

I've noticed that there's a distinct lack of brunch posts on my blog, and I must rectify that situation. I've always been rather indifferent towards brunch, since the brunch places I most often frequent are the generic brunch franchises, and I usually only order the typical eggs with bacon. I figured, just how interesting can brunch get? Well, with sugar bacon and fried chicken, apparently, pretty darn interesting.

KoReAn CoMfOrT FoOd - GaNaDaRa

Aaaahhhh, nothing eases a chilly, snowy February night like a nice big bowl of... tteokbokki poutine? Cheese ramyun? What?

Nestled away on the corner of Maisonneuve and St-Marc is a quaint little Korean restaurant that serves up an interesting variety of Korean 'street food', or what I consider Korean comfort food. Here, you can find the traditional Korean fare, like bulgogi or bibimbap, but you can also find some more creative and unique dishes, such as a tteokbokki poutine. Some other blogs have coined this place as authentic, and I really wouldn't know, since I've never been to Korea, but it's definitely unique, as far as Korean restaurants go.

Accio Chinese Cafeteria! - Shi Tang (食堂）

Shi Tang is kind of like the Leaky Cauldron of Montreal. Non-Chinese people walk past it all the time without even noticing its existence (muahahaha you muggles), and the few that do notice and venture inside are instantly repelled by the intense Chineseness of it all, including the fact that there's not a single English word to be found. ANYWHERE. Yeah, if the OQLF couldn't stand seeing the words 'pasta', 'calamari' and 'fish'n'chips', then they'd have an aneurysm by just setting foot in this place. Even the TV is playing Chinese news (CCTV 4, go figure). But I'm about to divulge a secret to you, a secret that will soon reveal all to the unknowing, and may ostracise me from my kind... 

...forever...

Don't let the mean cow bull-y you! (Ha!) - Le Méchant Boeuf

My puns are so lame, even your weird punny uncle is curled up, bawling in a corner. Ooohhh yyeeaaahhhhh.

Our decision to visit Le Méchant Boeuf was actually somewhat a spur-of-the-moment decision. My friend and I had actually planned on going to Suite 701, but we were too intimidated by their chic up-scale setting and fancy 'smart casual' dress code and so we chickened out at the last minute. No, really, that place scares me. Alas, what are two scraggly students hauling around huge backpacks of books to do? Head to the more casual Méchant Boeuf, obviously.

Le gasp! Tavern food! - Taverne Gaspar

It's the month of January, and you know what that means... Happening Gourmand is back! For those of you unfamiliar with Happening Gourmand, it's when several select restaurants in the Old Port offer an exclusive table d'hôte menu - including appetizer, entrée and dessert - for either $23 or $27, depending on the restaurant. It's a perfect opportunity for people who can't often indulge, like us poor students, to splurge a little and eat fancy. Taverne Gaspar, to my knowledge, has been one of the more popular choices on the list since last year, and this year, I finally got to go and check it out.

Japan Trip Day 5 - Kobe (beef) and Arima

Day 5 in Japan! We headed off to try their famous hot springs in the town of Arima, and then finished the day off with trying the legendary Japanese Kobe beef.

Yodelei-cheese-hooo! - Restaurant Alpenhaus

Being Asian, I'm no stranger to fondues, or - as we call them - hot pots. But Asian hot pots consist mainly of throwing random ingredients into a boiling pot of seasoned broth and cooking them until they are well done, and then eating them. There is no finesse to the process whatsoever. So when a coupon for Swiss fondue rolled around on groupon, I had to check out what this fancy cheese-based fondue experience was all about.