Where did the whole month of May go? Life has gotten so busy and our schedules are jam packed into eternity! But we are back in action with some happy travel tales and memories galore. We pledged to spend more time exploring our local lands this year and of course no Canadian tale is complete without 'Un Voyage a Montreal'. I did some (well very little) justice to my grade ten French as I blabbered to the charming local folks with my "Merci beacoup", "tres bien", "lundi mardi mecredi..." (Lol- Yang asked me to STOP)!
The drive from Toronto to Montreal felt longer than ever with bumper to bumper long weekend traffic at many points. But an open car sunroof, sunny skies, and my partner in crime by my side made the journey "fantastique":)
Accommodation
Holiday Inn Downtown Montreal
We were determined to explore as much of this gorgeous city as possible in our short two day trip. I think the wisest choice we made was to stay at the conveniently located Holiday Inn, right at downtown Montreal, beside China town. Once we parked our car at the nearby 'Indigo' parking lot (safe and recommended), we worked our travelling toes all around and got to see so much on our short visit. I think we used Uber once on our entire trip. So first off- location is key! The Holiday Inn we stayed at was clean, convenient, and centrally located, with friendly and very helpful staff! Check out the views right outside our hotel:)
Food
Nom Nom Nom- I don't think that is French- bu oh well...whatever works:) A close look at some of our much loved meals in Montreal.
We will swear by the finger-licking and filling breakfast at this precious joint! Such GREAT value for money in an otherwise expensive city. We've heard the line ups here can be crazy, but we lucked out on the morning of our visit! We ate at the location that was closer to our hotel at 12 Notre-Dame St E, Montreal, QC H2Y 1B7. Highly recommend their French toast and savory crepes. Yum!
We stumbled upon this lucky find through a Yelp search and how glad are we to have found this little family owned eatery! Perfect for date nights- a classy restaurant with an amazing ambience and delicious comfort food! The staff here are so warm and take their time to share their pride in their menu including their hand picked fresh ingredients from the local farmers market. You sure can taste the love! We had their creamy Mac & Cheese and Pizza and left super happy with our meal.
Well it was definitely more than the brick walls at this pizza place that sealed the deal for us! I'm going to have to say that this was the BEST pizza I have ever eaten. Thin crust brick oven pizza- super fresh- very flavorful- and finger-licking delicious! I think Yang and I pretty much ordered half their menu. The staff here are so accommodative and will do all sort of combos for you on your pizza. We got two pizzas and did a half and half combinations on both. You can tell we got greedy to try as much as we could! In my past experience, pizza places don't let you do a half and half on the sauces on your pizza. Well, the Pizza Bros made it work for us and we absolutely loved our meal!
You can see how we went from semi-happy and hungry before our meal (above) to SUPER HAPPY and VERY FULL after our meal (below) :)
After a few meals in Montreal, you will start to feel the pinch on your wallets. Especially, if you are like us during your travels and prefer to spend the 'mula' on activities instead of food. However, the food in Montreal is too good not to indulge! And although Yang and I like to believe differently, we are slowly coming to terms with the fact that FOOD is MOST definitely the center of our universe!
How can you be in Montreal and not have POUTINE? The famous Canadian dish with it's birth place in Quebec- french fries, cheese curds, and hot gravy! Basically a whole lot of awesomeness (and calories) in one serving! We relished our poutine at Patati Patata. A small local diner with a hip vibe and yum poutine! The seating is limited, so you can expect a bit of a wait. But the poutine here is definitely worth it:)
I realized now that we were so hungry that we didn't bother to click pictures of the cheesy awesomeness on our meal platter. We basically gobbled it all up as soon as it was served. But I stole this image from the diner's Facebook page so we could help you visualize this greatness. Dream away until you get your own share :)
If you have been following our tales, you would have figured by now that we seldom spend time exploring urban jungles and are for the most part drawn to Mother Nature's natural wonders. But after our visit to Montreal this Spring, I definitely feel like I could play more of this 'urban chic' role, singing "C'est La Vie" at the top of my voice . Merci beaucoup Montreal!!!
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