montreal

Dating Apps: The Review No One Asked For

Posted on by Em

Love how Bumble keeps saying people like me yet no one will answer me back…

Ah dating apps. Can’t live with them, can definitely live without them. Now I’ve tried your fair share of dating apps including an odd one which just filled my inbox with messages from older men in Russia.

What makes one dating app different from another? Not much to be honest, but here’s my review of how dating apps work in the 21st century:

*Disclaimer: I don’t take a lot of things in life seriously, including dating apps. So don’t come for me just because you found your soulmate on Tinder*

Bumble:

Looking for a more sophisticated swiping app? This ain’t it.

  • Bumble profiles feature mainly images, and profile prompts cough stolen from Hinge cough to learn more about your potential future partner.
  • If you swipe right and get a match, you’ve got to put on your thinking cap as girls need to make the first move within 24 hours. As I’ve learned the hard way, “Hey! How’s it going?” is not a good enough opener.
  • They also send an awful lot of notifications. Like if I go on for 2 minutes, swipe a bit and then close, apparently there are 75 people in my area who are all of a sudden interested.
  • One of my friends did meet her long-term committed boyfriend after a day on Bumble. So there’s that.

Hinge:

The “I tried to do something different” app.

  • Hinge has what they call “ice breakers” which allows you to respond to questions and show off more than just your looks. Users either like your images or prompts to start a conversation.
  • They’re also quite confident in themselves and keep trying to play matchmaker. They’ll send you notifications and emails of people they think you should meet.
  • They brand themselves as “the app that’s meant to be deleted” yet I’ve had it for 186 days.

The League:

I’m pretty sure I sold my soul just to use this app.

  • The League makes you connect all your social accounts. Even LinkedIn.
  • There’s this waitlist you’re added to and only once they have every single piece of information about you do they let you properly join.
  •  If you’re not willing to pay $999 a month (this is their actual pricing btw), you don’t even get to access all the features. All you get are 3 potential matches at 5 pm every day.
  • This review is biased because apparently I’ve been removed for “flakiness” because I didn’t check the app enough. If I pay the $999 per month though, I can get my account back! #WorthIt

Ship:

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

  • Ship is actually cofounded by @Betches.
  • You can swipe for yourself or have your friends join and swipe for you.
  • This is my newest dating app and I won’t lie, I don’t really get it.
  • No one in my “crew” seemed to be able to figure it out, so it’s a no from me.

Tinder:

  • Tinder sucks because they banned me. For life. And won’t tell me why.

Again, I’m happy for you if you found your soulmate on a dating app. Totally not jealous or sarcastic. I’m really happy for you 😒

 

 

A Trip Back in Time: Beautys

Posted on by Em

The best part about brunch? You can order a bagel and mac n’ cheese and no one will judge you.

My friends and I love going to brunch together and are always on the lookout for a new place to try. On my latest brunch outing, I discovered Beautys on Mont-Royal West.

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Loving the retro vibe menu

Established in 1942, Beautys is known as one of the birthplaces of Montreal brunch. Located on the corner of Mont-Royal West and St. Urbain, people come from far and wide to indulge in generous portions and decadent dishes like the Beautys Special or the Beauty Breakfast Melt.

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Allllllll the food

While we did have to wait in line to get in, I would definitely say it’s worth the wait. Look at all that food! I had to order a side of mac n’ cheese because ya girl can’t resist a good mac n’ cheese. Needless to say, delicious food and retro diner atmosphere make for a great brunch spot.

 

Room Goals: My Favourite Amazon Find

Posted on by Em

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a slight addiction with Amazon. Just a slight one…

I always turn to Amazon when I need to purchase something, but I’ve always focused on the essentials that I could get delivered to me ASAP through Amazon Prime. I had never thought of checking out what else they had to offer. After doing some searching, I noticed they actually had a great selection of wall tapestries.

Now there is something you should know about me. I am your basic white girl. So of course when I was thinking of decor pieces for my bedroom, I immediately thought of putting up a tapestry. I was considering getting a mandala one, but I wanted to get something that would add a nice pop of colour to my room.

When I was in Japan last year, I was on the hunt for a poster of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa“. It’s always been one of my favourite pieces and I knew that it would fit well into my super neutral theme of my apartment. However, after spending two weeks in Japan, I had no such luck of finding anything.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when I finally did find it: the perfect “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” tapestry on Amazon. The tapestry was available in 3 different sizes and was available for an incredibly good price. Like almost too good of a price. I was sure I was going to receive and it would be the size of a hand towel and not even have the right print on it. But luckily, I was wrong. Ten days after ordering it, it arrived looking pretty dang good for only costing me $20.


As I had hoped for, the tapestry adds the perfect amount of colour to my bedroom, without affecting my neutral theme. And by neutral, I basically mean white.

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The perfect tapestry 

 
Moral of the story, don’t underestimate what you can find on Amazon.

Dolla Dolla Oysters Y’all : Joverse

Posted on by Em

What’s better than oysters? How about 1$ oysters?

I was scrolling on my Instagram the other day *shameless self-promotion* when I came across an ad for Joverse‘s Thursday special: 1$ oysters.

Now if I’ve learned anything in my 23 years of living, it’s that if something is too good to be true, it usually is. But this time my friends, it was true.

So my friend and I decided to check out what this special was all about. We were convinced that there was going to be some small print about how you had to order a 20$ drink or 50$ worth of food to take advantage of the special, but there wasn’t.

When we got there, we noticed no one seemed to be ordering oyster. I had originally thought I got the day of the week wrong, but our waitress confirmed that we were just really, really, really early. Apparently, fancy people only order oysters in the evening with a bottle of champagne to start their night of partying off right. Needless to say, my friend and I are not that type of person.

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Round one

I had also completely underestimated my friend’s love for oysters. I thought we’d get a dozen oysters and maybe some food, but my friend had another idea in mind.

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She is a beauty

One Joverse Poutine and thirty-six oysters later, we were done. We had demolished all the food in front of us and were slowly slipping into food comas. The Joverse Poutine was a delicious combination of Goat cheese fondue sauce and amazing duck fat French fries. The oysters definitely hit the spot and at that price point, I really can’t complain.

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“You can eat after I’ve taken my photo”

If you’re looking to shake up your regular Thursday 5@7’s, definitely hit up Joverse and enjoy all the oysters you like!

 

Eyes Bigger Than the Stomach: Fiorellino

Posted on by Em

You can never have too much pizza, right?

Definitely right. Last week, my friend wanted to take me to Fiorellino, a quaint snack bar restaurant downtown. As soon as we walked in I grabbed my phone to take photos because it was already Instagram worthy.

After looking over the menu, we were having a hard time deciding between the Fritto Misto and the Piatto di Salumi as an appetizer so we did the logical thing of ordering both. And then we decided to be reasonable and order their Margherita pizza to share as a main.

Now people who know me know that I’m not exactly a seafood kind of gal. BUT FRY ANYTHING AND IT’S BASICALLY HEAVENLY. My friend and I devoured the first appetizer even though I didn’t know half of what I was eating.

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Look at all that fried goodness

Then just when we thought it couldn’t get better, they brought us our second appetizer. Now when they say meat platter, they mean MEAT PLATTER. The board was so big I couldn’t even get the whole thing in the frame without standing up and looking obnoxious. Their focaccia had the right amount of spicing that made it match perfectly with the mix of prosciutto, salami, and other delicious dried meats.

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Can’t even fit it in the frame

Just as we were about to enter our food coma, our waiter brought us our pizza. Now, I’m very picky when it comes to pizza because I’ve gotten used to enjoying my dad’s homemade dough, carefully measured ingredients and use of his magical pizza stone. But man, Fiorellino delivered. The crust was just crispy enough and the cheese had melted oh so perfectly so come together as a great dish.

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Literarily nothing better than pizza

Everything about the evening was perfect, from the cozy atmosphere to the mouth-watering food. Definitely a place I’ll be returning to as the temperature starts to drop for some comforting Italian cuisine.

 

 

Burgers & Shakes: Deville Dinerbar

Posted on by Em

There’s probably nothing better than milkshakes. Except for alcoholic milkshakes and inside-out burgers.

I wanted to take my friend out for her birthday (because I missed her birthday because I’m such a great friend), and we were making our way to our beloved MooseBawr. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deville Dinerbar on Stanley and I immediately changed directions.

For those who have never been, Deville is a blast from the past. From the bright pink neon sign, to the old school menu items, Deville offers a fun dining experience like no other. Their menu offers an array of dishes from Crispy Mac and Cheese Stuffed Wontons to their Lobster BLTA. They also have quite an original drink menu with daily specials that will make you want to try each and every cocktail.

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Table for one, drinks for two

Our waiter, who was just as beautiful as the diner (I swear Montreal restaurants only hire good looking waiters), was very attentive and provided really great service. He would constantly bring us napkins because when I say the burgers were juicy, I mean JUICY. Like you bite-into-it-and-it-squirts-onto-your-phone juicy. And the matchsticks fries were the perfect side dish to the enormous burgers.

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Dat burger tho

Needless to say, we were pretty stuffed but their dessert menu looks absolutely heavenly. If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be at Deville slipping into a food coma after eating their Oreo Cookie Crusted Nutella Ice Cream Sandwich that has my name all over it.

 

Definitely Instagram Worthy: Trou de Beigne

Posted on by Em

Something you should know about me: I love doughnuts.

Like love doughnuts.

I’m the kind of person that will buy the whole office doughnuts just because I’m craving a chocolate Boston Cream from Timmies.

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered Trou de Beigne, and learned THAT THEY DELIVER. So it’s like getting amazing doughnuts with the least amount of effort which is a win-win for me.

But then came the difficult part: choosing the doughnuts. If I could have, I would have ordered a dozen of each. Trust me.

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If this doesn’t look amazing I don’t know what does

Here’s a breakdown of the heavenly goodness we got:

 

  • Blizzard: I’m pretty sure Oreo and Lindt white chocolate are a match made in heaven
  • Nutella Banana: Anything with Nutella is a good idea
  • Blueberry & Dark Chocolate: It has fruit so it’s technically healthy?
  • Classic: Simple yet tasty
  • Cookie Dough: I basically became the cookie monster when I saw it
  • Green Tea Matcha: Once again our attempt to be “healthy”
  • Maple Bacon: This really doesn’t need an explanation
  • Speculoos: My Belgian coworker pounced on it
  • S’More: I’m all about that chocolatey marshmallowy goodness
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Look at that S’more deliciousness

Needless to say, it definitely made our afternoon a little better.

Gourmet Burgers and Fancy Oysters: 155 Fahrenheit

Posted on by Em

(Photo source: http://bit.ly/1otfsVb)

This is slowly becoming a food blog

After an amazing evening at BLØME, my best friend (A.K.A. my partner in crime) was blond, I owned a new pair of sunglasses, and we were hungry.

Kim, the amazing co-owner of BLØME recommended the restaurant next door: 155 Fahrenheit. As soon as you walk in, there is the most incredible vibe: it’s the type of restaurant where you want to sit and eat for hours (and trust me, we did).

Having opened only a few weeks ago, 155 Fahrenheit offers a casual dining experience in an upbeat environment. We felt very welcomed by our waiter (did I mention he was hot, cause he was hot), and the food was to die for.

Now here’s a funny story. The first time I ever had oysters I was in France with my cousin and she decided to order some because they’re supposedly amazing. Me not knowing how oysters worked, I decided to chew it. WORST. DECISION. EVER. And I haven’t had oysters since. Until 155 Fahrenheit, where we ordered they Lucky Lime Oysters and dang, I felt lucky. We also ordered their classic burgers served with delicious crispy fries and homemade ketchup.

We were 2 drinks in but didn’t feel like leaving just yet so we decided to order more food because YOLO. We followed up with their charcuterie and cheese board and it was divine! Our hot waiter (I do need to emphasize that point) offered to bring us more croutons and kept checking up on us which was nice.

Overall, our experience was amazing. We also overheard the owner say they will be opening up a terrace in the summer and nothing makes Emily happier than cocktails on a terrace. Needless to say we will be return customers.

Comfort Food and Cute Bartenders: L’Gros Luxe

Posted on by Em

(Photo source: http://bit.ly/1TYyxMN)

I’m a pretty simple girl. Food and alcohol are basically the two things I need to be happy. So what better way to spend my Saturday night in good company and delicious food.

I finally had the opportunity to visit L’Gros Luxe this weekend and needless to say, it definitely lives up to its name. Not only is the atmosphere perfect for a cozy date night, but the food is incredible. Looking over the menu, I just wanted to order one of everything until I remembered I was in public and eating enough food for an army isn’t cute.

We started off with a pitcher of sangria because even though it isn’t summer, sangria is my and my best friend’s go to drink. Filled to the brim, the pitcher was topped off with fresh lemons and lime and let’s just say, they don’t cheap out on their alcohol. For the first time in a long time, I had sangria that tasted like it was actually made with red wine.

Our food arrived as soon as our buzz began to set in. We may have gone a little overboard, but it was definitely worth it. I would definitely recommend their pulled pork sliders with jalapeno peppers and coleslaw. We also ordered their Mac N’ Cheese du Moment and Poutine L’Gros Luxe. The mac n’ cheese was the perfect amount of gooey and filled with delicious bacon and crispy onions. The poutine had a Mexican twist to it and was filled with tortillas, peppers and topped with fresh guacamole. If there’s a way to my heart, it’s through guacamole.

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(Photo source: http://bit.ly/21Ub54D)

As if we hadn’t eaten enough, we decided to get some dessert because why not. Imagine vanilla ice cream. Now imagine it with chocolate sauce. Sounds good? BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. The ice cream is surrounded by deep fried cookie dough balls. Yes you read that right. Deep. Fried. Cookie. Dough. Needless to say, we died and went to heaven.

Staying true to the title of this blog, I was incredibly happy when I got the check. The whole evening cost less that 40$, which made this broke girl super happy.

Drinking beer doesn’t make you fat, It makes you lean…. Against bars, tables, chairs, and poles

Posted on by Em

Montreal is a great city and is known for its incredible nightlife. Because of our young legal drinking age, the clubs that line Crescent and St Laurent street are always jammed pack.

Once you’ve finally made it into the club (after paying a ridiculous amount for in cover charges) you strut over to the bar and order a round of shots for you and your squad. The bartender smiles at you, fills up these tiny little plastic “shot” glasses and then you realise you basically have to sell your kidney to afford your round of shots.

Clubs are known for selling their alcohol at insanely inflated prices. I’m talking charging 150$ for a bottle of vodka that you could easily get for 30$ at the SAQ. You can always try negotiating with the bartender and club promoter or you can become friends with the people with the most bottles at the club. They won’t notice if one goes missing right?

A better alternative to clubs in my opinion is bars. They care less about the dress code, the vibe is a lot more relax and you won’t need to take out a loan to afford a drink.

A personal favourite of mine is Moose Bawr.

The Canadian Pub, located downtown on Sainte-Catherine street, is home to great food, amazing sangria and a good time. Their pitchers of sangria are priced fairly at 15$-16$ and come in a variety of flavours. They also serve diner inspired hot dogs that will make your mouth water. The atmosphere is very laid back and they play everything from SPICE Girls to Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s the perfect opportunity to get a good bang for your buck.

So for your next night on the town, consider going to Moose Bawr. You won’t be disappointed!