Here are two new Montreal restaurants and one oldie but a goodie. Sumac Sumac is the new hip kid on the St-Henri block (at least until the new Satay Brothers opens, at which time they'll probably share the "affordable gourmet" block party ribbon). It does Middle Eastern with … [Read more...] about Three Montreal Mini-Reviews: Sumac, Shinji and Renard Artisan Bistro
Restaurant Reviews
Nouveau Malay: Breakfast for Dinner at Nouveau Palais’ Weekly Malaysian Night
He used to have his own restaurant with a cult following. Go there for pad thai and coconut curries, my friend told me. He would come out, ask what you felt like eating, and make you something appropriate. There'd be toasted and ground coriander and cumin, fried shrimp paste and … [Read more...] about Nouveau Malay: Breakfast for Dinner at Nouveau Palais’ Weekly Malaysian Night
Top Restaurants for MTL à Table
Does it seem strange to anyone else that Montreal's restaurant week is actually 11 days long? I guess "Montreal Restaurant Week and a Half" isn't as catchy. In any case, from October 30th to November 9, 2014 a ton of the city's top restaurants are offering three or four-course … [Read more...] about Top Restaurants for MTL à Table
Artisanal Saké in Vancouver
In Vancouver's Granville Market sits the country's only saké producer and brewpub with its own Canadian rice paddy. I think there are only two saké makers in Canada (the other in Toronto's Distillery District), but this one in Vancouver owns a rice paddy not far from the city. It … [Read more...] about Artisanal Saké in Vancouver
Two Farmers Markets Diverged in an Green City…
...and I did travel both. Screw you, Frost. I was going to call the post "A War of Two Farmers Markets," but that wasn't fair, because there really isn't a war between the Trout Lake Market and the Granville Island Market. They're just different. And one's not really a farmers … [Read more...] about Two Farmers Markets Diverged in an Green City…
Sustainable Sushi in Vancouver
Shizen Ya. Organic brown rice. Sustainable fish. And they told me to avoid the pickled ginger. All that to make my meal as eco-friendly (and gluten-free—the ginger) as possible. And it was tasty. The brown rice didn't taste too whole-grain-y. The spinach gomae was n a thick … [Read more...] about Sustainable Sushi in Vancouver
Hunting for Shaved Ice in Richmond, BC: Night Markets and Strip Malls
I'm a little obsessed with shaved ice. No, not snow cones in paper cups with mysterious blue syrups. I'm talking heaps of ice topped with freshly cut papaya, mango, custard apples, dragonfruit, mushmelon, a little fruit syrup and a little sweetened plain yogurt. That's the … [Read more...] about Hunting for Shaved Ice in Richmond, BC: Night Markets and Strip Malls
Beer and Cherries at Chambar Restaurant in Vancouver
Travelling to a new city full of bright and shiny restaurants is like sticking a five-year-old in the middle of a candy shop and saying, "Choose." I like to find a mix of affordable places, foods I can't find in Montreal, and at least one of what residents and critics agree … [Read more...] about Beer and Cherries at Chambar Restaurant in Vancouver
Toque! Take Two
The big news from earlier this year at Toque! is that the chef de cuisine, Charles-Antoine Crete, left to open his own place. Since then, I've been wondering what's happening in the Toque! kitchen, and how the food coming out of its hallowed walls compares to what came … [Read more...] about Toque! Take Two
Sarah B: An Absinthe Bar in Old Montreal
The Intercontinental Hotel in Montreal is a little intimidating. It connects directly into Square Victoria, bastion of downtown finance, so I never know where one ends and the other begins. And there are multiple levels in the hotel, with bars and restaurants divided amongst them … [Read more...] about Sarah B: An Absinthe Bar in Old Montreal