You know how you drink hot chocolate in winter to warm up after an hour of digging your car out? What do we do in summer to stay cool? Swim, eat copious amounts of ice cream, stand naked and pose like Captain Morgan in front of a fan after a shower? Try eating spicy southeast Asian food! Sink your gob into a steamy bowl of hot soup noodle or chow down on a plate of spicy noodles. I remember when I spent time in southeast Asia, the spicier the food was, the cooler you became. I’m not going to give you a science lesson on how sweat cools you down and how spicy foods make you sweat that would perpetuate the evaporation of moisture to give your body a cooling effect. I recently visited this Thai restaurant in Villeray serving up some authentic Thai and Lao cuisine that made me sweat in places I didn’t even know I had glands.
Ahuntsic / CartiervilleDowntownFoodFood TrucksLittle ItalyMile-end/Plateau Mont-RoyalNDG / WestmountRosemontSaint-ÉdouardVilleray
My Favourite Ice Cream Shops in Montreal – Part 1
by Jason
written by Jason
Let’s be honest here, one of the things that is most synonymous with summer is ice cream. I remember when I was young, my mom always hesitated buying ice cream for us because 1) it would melt before we got home from the grocery store, 2) not only are Asians amazing in ping-pong, badminton and in maths and sciences, but we also own the shit out of lactose intolerance. Lactaid didn’t exist back then (or so we thought) and ice cream was a treat that included a long walk down to the local ice cream shop – long enough to rethink and really consider what we were going to have, being fully aware of the repercussions and consequences this after-dinner treat would entail. Little did we realize that the forced integration of dairy products into our diet was slowly grooming our lactose kung fu resulting in a tolerance that now rivals my patience with stupid people driving and my ability to abstain from road rage. Here are some of my favourite ice cream shops in Montreal
I haven’t had a meal like this in a while, probably one of the best in a very long time. I don’t say that lightly. I wholeheartedly mean it. “Enchanted”, “in love”, “food boner”… there aren’t enough adjectives or ways to describe my experience at Le Red Tiger. I’m talking in every sense of the experience; from food, to service, to ambience and atmosphere. When I say “best”, I don’t mean it like, “Oh my God Felicia, my venti iced skinny hazelnut macchiato, sugar-free, extra shot, light ice, no Whip is the BEST thing after hot yoga.” But this meal was going to be something I will remember for a long time, judge everyone else by for being peasant status and probably visit over and over again until they forcibly remove me from the premises via lawful intervention.
When you think of iconic food from Montreal, what do you think of? Smoked meat, bagels, “steamies”? One of our culinary claims to fame that put our celebrated culinary scene on the map has been garnering international recognition over the past years popping up on menus around the world from England to Hong Kong. Poutine! Poutine is more than just French fries, cheese curds and gravy; places around town are taking this originally lowbrow dish found only in your finest greasy spoon establishments.
Ahuntsic / CartiervilleBYOWDowntownFoodLatin QuarterListLittle ItalyMile-end/Plateau Mont-RoyalMontreal westNDG / WestmountOld Montreal / Old PortOutremontRosemontSaint-ÉdouardSud-OuestVille MarieVilleray
Montreal Chefs on Instagram
by Jason
written by Jason
I love taking takings of my food – which is quite obvious if you follow me on Instagram and because I write this blog. I like to consider myself an amateur food pornographer, if that’s even a thing. It should be, because that’s what I am. If you don’t know what “Food Porn” is Wikipedia defines it as: “Food porn is a glamourized spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.” That pretty much sums it up. Who better than industry chefs to be the finest purveyors of food porn. So if you’re down to get dirty with some deliciously porny food pictures, here are some Instagram accounts of Montreal chefs that will give you a glimpse of what happens behind the line and a look into their kitchens.
I don’t have to tell you how much I love Montréal. As much as I bitch about traffic, douchebag drivers, construction, the weather and slow-walkers at Walmart, I love it all. One of the things I love most about Montréal is the food scene; the variety of restaurants, the multitude of boroughs that foster, in my opinion, some of the greatest culinary talent in Canada if not the world. I love exploring different neighbourhoods to find local restaurant gems especially in areas of the city where I don’t frequent or know well enough. I was recently told about this szechuan spot in Verdun. I’m not from the area nor am I around often enough to know what’s popping’ in the V dot – Is that a thing? It should be, I just made it up and it sounds badass. I’ve made some awesome discoveries along Wellington in Verdun over the years and when I was told about this Chinese restaurant “Hong Mere” that I should try, I didn’t hesitate to check out.
Do you like dumplings? Of course you do – what kind of monster would you be if you didn’t?! One of the things that I love most is eating copious amounts of these little meat-filled savoury pouches is that that come in so many different varieties, that it would take a life time to say you’ve eaten through all possible combinations of fillings and dipping sauces. I’ve personally lot count but I’m sure I’ve eaten well over my body weight in dumplings. As easy as they are to eat, they’re just as easy to make, and I want to show you how!
Have you been to that new Korean and Japanese “izakaya” in Little Italy? You know the one right past Fruiterie Milano, north of Dante? You can’t miss it, its the only izakaya in Little Italy. I’ve walk past, and driven past this place numerous times. My once favourite Thai restaurant in all of Montreal rebranded into another Thai restaurant, closing then making it’s way up the East China Sea to be reincarnated into this place that serves Korean and Japanese food, Restaurant Makato.
If there’s one thing I hold dear to my heart, it would definitely be dumplings; anything and everything dumplings… pork and shrimp dumplings, lamb and coriander dumplings, cheese and potato dumplings, dumpling toast, dumpling cereal, dumpling kebab, coffee and dumplings. I think that in every culture and in every type of cuisine there is a version of dumplings; stuff wrapped in dough and boiled, steamed, fried… cooked. Before getting all Bubba over dumplings, let me tell you about this new dumpling spot in the Mile-End called Harbin Dumpling.
Every neighbourhood needs needs certain things to call their own: the corner depanneur, the crazy cat lady, that house with the nine kids, and a neighbourhood burger joint. Recently the lovely citizens of NDG welcomed a new burger joint, Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâces on Sherbrooke in NDG. The spot prides themselves on having ground beef ground on premises daily, and you know what that means… pink burgers! If you like your burgers well done and akin to eating a cork coaster, check your pulse because you don’t know what living is all about.