I have to confess something to you. I’ve done it again. In the attempt to bring you the hidden gems around the city, I’ve found myself hoarding my favourite spots. I will not ask for forgiveness because this week’s review will have you thanking me for finding your new favourite spot. I’ve been writing for a very long time now and every so often I find places that not only impresses but excites me. There’s a space in the city for local culinary talent, but what’s also eye-opening is when talent starts to migrate to all four corners of the city. So when I tell you that I had to sit on this one before I divulge, you’ll understand. Let me preface this with, yes, I know it’s a bit far for those who live in the city… but it’s well worth the trip to St. Anne to hit up Le Bienheureux.
westisland
Once upon a time, I was not a fan of brunch. I disliked the idea of having a whole new set of rules and restrictions of what food identified as to be categorized as another meal. But I overcame, no titles will define my meals. Maybe it was just because it was embarrassing to include brunch in the list of meals I ate in a day; breakfast, second breakfast, brunch, pre-dinner, dinner and second-dinner. To be fair, you can’t blame me when Montreal has so many great brunch options. To add to the growing list, this week I checked out the newest location of Tommy Cafe at Fairview Pointe-Claire.
If there’s one thing I get asked often it’s, “Jason, why are you so awesome?” A close second is, “Is there good pho in the West Island?” Once upon a time, I ate my way through the city, one bowl of pho dac biet (special) at a time to try and find the best pho in Montreal. That was five years ago and have since added to the list of places I’ve tried. Don’t worry an update is on the way. I have one place listed in the West Island in that post. But I’ve reconsidered its ranking. In my head it lost its position a while ago – I went back twice and was disappointed twice. The food fell off and should not be in contention as a pho-asis in the west. HOWEVER, I did try a relatively new place recently that I suspect may make the list – purely based on the lack of options west of autoroute 13. This week I tried Pho Zui Zui in DDO.