The restaurantscape of Montreal has always been full of variety, providing Montreal great eating options. I’m so pleased with the fact that recently, there have been more and more of my ethnic peoples representing and opening up small family eateries and reminding Montreal that it is us that makes the city rich in multiculturalism and diversity. From restaurant chefs going back to their roots to open up pop-ups serving spicy brochettes typical of those found on the streets of Tianjin, or pub grub found in the 10 seater side-alley bars of Tokyo; the variety of restaurants Montreal is now as extensive as Giada’s adjective dictionary – pay attention to how she describes her food the next time you watch her.
What is your relationship with food like? Do you have a favorite meal that you go to when you’re feeling down? Is there a dish that evokes certain memories and emotions that you can envision yourself in particular place and time? As I’ve come to eat my way across Montreal, I’ve created associations with restaurants and dishes that will either bring back a flood of delicious memories, or the horror and fear of getting stuck in traffic after an unpleasant run-in with a bowl of ice cream and a bottle of diet coke.
Little did I know, I would forge a very special relationship with a restaurant before I even stepped foot in the place; it’s been going on for the last 2 years. Someone suggested to me, Hwang Kum, a Korean spot on Sherbrooke. I went twice to check it out, only to find the place closed both times and I took it as a sign and decided to shun it off my list forever; if I’m not meant to eat there, then I’ll stop trying. Then it happened… from the corner of my eye, like spotting accidental cleavage, I notice the “OUVERT” side of the sign was facing the window, I parked the car and IT.WAS.ON!
If you’re familiar with Montreal, or Quebec for that matter, you’d know that some of the things that we are most famous for are: failed baseball franchises, squeaky cheese, horse shit on cobble-stoned streets, and Celine Dion – things which some may argue are synonymous with each other. So you would probably be just as surprised as I am with the emergence of burger joints around the cty. From high-end places that offer pseudo-kobe beef to the DIY places that let you pick your own toppings, burgers don’t rank high up on the list of Quebec exports, let alone as key culinary icons.
So as these burger places start to pepper the city and pop-up more frequent than the zits on a zit-faced 15 year old living off a summer diet of Redbull and poutine, a buddy and I decided to go check out La Boulette, a neighborhood burger joint that’s been sitting on my list for a few months now.