One of my favourite movie scenes is the famous phone-call scene from “Taken.” It’s when Liam Neeson is talking the hostage takers of his stupid daughter (who literally asked for her ass to be kidnapped) and said, “I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.” These words stood out to me the first time I saw this movie, not because they were riveting or thought-provoking, but replace “kill” with “eat” and it’s exactly what I think about brunch. One of the most colourful neighbourhoods in Montreal is Plateau Mont-Royal, and that’s where you’ll find some of Montreal’s best brunch spots.
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Breakfast
So when can we make brunch an actual “thing”. A thing that doesn’t only exist on weekends or have to involve mimosas and hangover sunglasses. Granted, there are a bunch of places that serve “brunch” throughout the week, but when you live in the suburbs brunch options often suck and are usually crowded with yoga pant mommies pushing strollers who talk to servers like three year olds. So when I make the effort to drive clear across the island of Montreal via highway for brunch, that restaurant must really stand out. I went for brunch at Les Affamés, a modest “bistro du quartier” … just not my quartier.
I try to actively search out places that offer unique dishes and thoughtful mid-morning meals. Too many are the places that serve up griddlecakes that resample rubber mouse pads and overcooked fried eggs encompassed with crispy inedible bits that look like the dry sheets of white glue you let dry on your palm in grade-school. For example, instead of offering inspired menu items like that ones seen at Biarritz (homemade corned beef and patatas braves hash) or Régine Café‘s “Un Peu de Tout” (a little bit of everything) a platter of homemade pastries, crème brulée made with yogurt, homemade compotes and jams, my local cookie-cutter breakfast joint is now offering VALET service… please, try not to be too obvious by making up for your menu shortcomings by offering to park my car for free.