montreal blog | Diaries of a Montreal Girl

Dolla Dolla Oysters Y’all : Joverse

Posted on October 25, 2016 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.

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.

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.

“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 October 3, 2016 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.

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.

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.

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 September 13, 2016 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.

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.

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 June 14, 2016 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.

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

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 April 3, 2016 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.

Source: http://bit.ly/1TujDNK

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 March 7, 2016 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.

(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 September 23, 2015 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!

A Girl’s Gotta Eat

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Em

People may have different food preferences, but we can all agree on one thing: free food is the best type of food. The best way to get free food has to be samples.

Samples are your best friend. And the best place to get samples is hands down Costco. It might not be a fancy 5 star restaurant, but man are their dumplings good. Although it can get pretty packed on a Saturday around lunchtime, that’s when they get their prime samples out. Plus, if there’s a lot of people, they won’t notice you coming back for seconds.

If you don’t feel like fighting your way through a mob of shoppers to try cheese and cracker samples, festivals are also a great way to get food sample.

September 5th to the 7th, Montreal held the second edition of the YUL EAT festival.

This major gastronomical festival brought together foodies, well known chefs and musicians to Montreal’s famous Clock Tower. Not only could you eat your way through the festival thanks to the numerous food trucks present, you also had the chance to participate in different culinary seminars that took place throughout the 3 day festival.

I must say that my favourite part of the festival was the Maille tent. Not only could you sample their different mustards, but they were handing out macarons and cocktails. At first I couldn’t make the connection between the sweet macaroons, lovely cocktails and mustard until I realised THEY WERE MADE OF MUSTARD. I have to say that it was one of the greatest macaroons I’ve ever had.

Needless to say the festival was a great success and I definitely plan on attending next year!