Toqué! Restaurant, Montreal

The cheerful and playful sign for Toque!

The patio terrace is perfect for dining al fresco.

The New York Times has described Montreal's Toque! Restaurant as a haute cuisine haven. From what I've heard, the foie gras appetizer and lamb entree are to die for. And the food presentation is second to none. Add a glass of Merlot to that and let's do lunch!

Recipe from Toque! --- Salmon with Maple Syrup Confit

Atwater Market: Color Therapy

Often referred to as the biggest garden in town, the Atwater Market is a farmer's market located near the Lachine Canal. Come summer, its parking lot is transformed into a gigantic greenhouse. There are over 18 vendors of exotic flowers and plants, and a dozen or so vendors of fresh fruits and vegetables. As you can see, it's a feast for the eyes. With our long and cold winter behind us, Montrealers revel in the much needed splash of glorious colors.

The Hovey Manor in North Hatley

The main building: ante-bellum architecture.

The spectacular lake view with the perennial garden in bloom.

The comfortable library is furnished with antiques.

The Hovey Manor (Manoir Hovey in French) is a year-round getaway that is only 1-1/2 hour drive from downtown Montreal. Situated in the outskirts of the lakeside town of North Hatley, it is well hidden from the main road. It has a prime lake front location, spectacular gardens, first class service and above all, its renown cuisine is second to none. This is the perfect weekend destination for that special occasion.

Images of Montreal's Chinatown

This is at the corner of St-Laurent Bivd. and Viger Street. Proceed northwards on St-Laurent and you'll find grocery stores, diners, dim-sum houses, jewelry shops and Chinese herb shops.

Popular Chinese rotisserie showcase:
left: roast pork on hook
right: roast duck hanging from hooks
bottom: salted chicken and soya sauce chicken

Freshly baked goods Cantonese style available here. Specialty of the house: egg tarts (lower right) and poster on the right.

If you look for the two distinctive Chinese pavillions on the roof-top of the Holiday Inn Select Centreville, you'll know exactly where Montreal's Chinatown is.

Dinner At Magnan, Montreal

The expression on my friend's face says it all. Oooh, that looks good too, she whispers ! Decisions, decisions... and Margarete thought it was going to be a no stress evening out. Little did she know, but Magnan located in Pointe Saint-Charles is known for serving one of the best roast beef in town. Yes, true... and its other claim to fame is featuring a culinary seafood festival, offered when in season. Yummy.

Basilic Restaurant in Montreal's Chinatown

Located in the heart of Montreal's Chinatown, this small restaurant is one of my faves for Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese (Pan-Asian) cuisine. The food presentation is creative, the portions are very generous and the service is efficient. And above all, the food is very tasty and prepared with care. FYI, the bathrooms here are very clean and that's a good sign.  :-)
BASILIC 83 de-la-Gauchetière Street West / corner St. Urbain.



Plougastel Bakery Café

After snapping some photos in Little Italy, I met a friend for late breakfast. We headed over to her latest find and currently her favorite lunch spot in the area, the "Plougastel: Boulangerie - Patisserie". It's actually a bakery and quaint café combined. My friend introduced me to the friendly owner and he was very enthusiastic and proud to show me all the baked goods on display. The "baker" was nearby and he explained to me that they only used natural ingredients - nothing artificial and that everything was baked, by him, on the premises. The address is: 6527 St. Laurent Blvd./corner Beaubien. See you there and bon café !

Milano in Little Italy

Milano at 6882 Saint-Laurent Boulevard is in the heart of Montreal's "Little Italy" or " La Petite Italie" in French. Come here for your specialty Italian cheeses ( like real mozzarella di bufala ! ), olive oils and fresh homemade pasta and everything else Italian ! Coffees, canned tomatoes, whatever. This is where I bought my Bialetti Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Pot. It's wonderful.