Olive & Gourmando

For Day 2 in Montreal, we decided to stay close to our hotel.  Hence, our plan for the day was to take the short stroll into Old Montreal and spend the bulk of our day there.  So to begin on the right note, we headed over to the popular Olive & Gourmando on the Western end of the old town.  Sure enough, much like any other popular establishment in any city, there was a wait.  Not bad though as it was only 30 minutes.  We ended up sitting in a 2-4-2 configuration due to their lack of large tables.  

Viv sat with our daughter and ended up sharing the Mr. Miami consisting of Smoked Beef Brisket, roasted onions, cilantro pesto, Havarti, pineapple and jalapeño salsa.  This was sure cheesy with an overloaded amount of melted Havarti.  Not that we were complaining though!  Despite the presence of many different ingredients, the whole sammie was overwhelmingly cilantro-tasting.  Hence, I only got a background hit of spiciness from the salsa whereas I did not taste the pineapple nor much of the tender beef.  They also shared an Apple Tart and Le Killer Chocolate Cookie. Sweet and slightly tangy, the apple tart sported flaky and buttery puff pastry.  As for the cookie, omg, it was outstanding.  Crisp with a moist interior, the intensity of the dark chocolate had a lingering taste.

Costanza ended up with the Cubain with pancetta, roasted pork, raw milk Gruyère, lime, cilantro, chipotle and pickle mayonnaise.  Beyond the crunchy exterior of the grilled bread, there was a deliciousness about the sandwich that is hard to explain.  It was almost as if the umaminess of the flavourful roasted pork and saltiness of the pancetta were so impactful, there was nothing else needed.  However, the creaminess of the ample cheese and multitude of flavours from the mayo brought it altogether.  My son went for his standby being the O+G Grilled Cheese consisting of caramelized onions, Raclette, Gouda Beemster XO and served with house-made ketchup.  This was no ordinary grilled cheese as there were layers of flavours including the creamy and nutty cheese as well as the sweet onions.  The tart ketchup provided a nice balance.

For myself, I had The Majestic consisting of a bacon+cheddar sausage, apple coleslaw, pickled corn + jalapeños, fried shallots and creamy mustard served on a Hof Kelsten's bun.  No, this was not merely a hot dog with toppings.  Rather, it was a firm sausage sporting a cheesy saltiness accented by an equal amount of sweetness, tartness and spiciness.  This hit all the high notes in terms of different tastes on my palate as well as textures including the snap of the sausage and firm crunchiness of the bun. The only blemish was the Green Salad as it was rather weird-tasting as the raw veggies and especially the herbs were overly pungent.  The salty dressing didn't really seem to bring the salad together.  Something more tart and bright would've been more effective.  Salad withstanding, the rest of the eats were solid and definitely a good way to start our day in Old Montreal.

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- Simple, but effective
- The limited amount of baked goods we tried were good

The Bad:
- Not the most comfortable place to sit
- Constant lineup
- Didn't like the salad  

Au Pied de Cochon

Long before we even booked our hotel and transportation for our stay in Montreal, Costanza only had one thing on his mind (no, it wasn't that!).  He zeroed in on a bucket list item which was dinner at Au Pied de Cochon.  He's always been impressed with the no-holds-barred decadence offered up by Chef Martin Picard.  Featuring heavy Quecbecois cuisine focused on foie gras and pork, we were in for some serious eating as well as serious spending.  Whatever, we were on vacation - calories and money spent do not count right?  

We started strong with the Charcuterie Board for 4 (and reasonably-priced at $36.00).  It consisted of Lardons, Spicy Pork Pate, 2 types of Pork Sausage, Prosciutto, Cornichons and grilled bread.  This was a lot of food for an "appetizer" as the amount of meat was heavy.  I particularly liked the spicy pate as it was meaty with a hot sauce  taste being vinegary and peppery.  The pork sausages were also on point with a natural meatiness complimented by mild seasoning.  This was followed up by something a lot smaller in the Fried Squash Blossoms.  They were crunchy and light while accompanied by an aromatic tarragon mayo.

We also ended off strong with our last appie being the Foie Gras Poutine.  Wow, this was super rich and decadent.  The duck fat fries were full-flavoured (being nutty) and lightly crisp.  On top, there was a rich and silky sauce that was appealingly gamy with a finish of brandy.  The liberal chunks of foie were seared nicely which provided a textural contrast to the inherent butteriness.  I couldn't imagine eating this all-by-myself as we probably needed a defibrillator nearby.

Moving onto the mains, I went with the Hot Chicken since the Pied de Cochon was not available.  It sported 2 pieces of aggressively battered deboned thighs sandwiched in between fried bread.  The whole thing was drenched in a creamy and spicy gravy with a good amount of peas.  I found the chicken to be nicely brined where it was succulent and flavourful.  The batter was crunchy and peppery, yet some of the chicken skin wasn't rendered.  Viv ended up with the Tuna Burger that really didn't looked like one at all.  Rather than featuring a tuna steak, the patty was processed tuna that was breaded and fried.  Hence, it was super crunchy while the meat resembled beef in some ways.  It was sauced with a peanut satay and topped with avocado.  The bun was fried polenta cakes and to finish the whole thing off, we had 2 onion rings.  Again, this was heavy and she only ended up finishing half.

Elaine chose the Fig & Foie Gras Pizza with prosciutto as her main (which ended up to be the "lightest").  This was excellent featuring a firmly crunchy and thin crust.  We found that the flavours really worked here with the sweetness of the fig contrasting the saltiness of the cured meat in addition to the fatty foie.  Sure, the amount of foie was excessive (yes it was), but it was sure enjoyable.  Costanza had the most interestingly served item in the Duck in a Can.  Prepared in a tin can and opened table side, it consisted of a duck breast and a huge hunk of foie with roast garlic, buttered cabbage and thyme in a balsamic demi.  This was super rich and difficult to finish as the whole dish was oily and of course decadent.  The duck was beautifully medium-rare while the foie was fatty.  There was a nice depth which made things even more heavy.

For the kiddies, they got a couple orders of the Gnocchi & Bacon finished table side in a hollowed out wheel of Parmesan (along with flakes of Manchego).  Hence, the dish was cheesy and gamy, but the significant amount of basil (including the fresh basil in the dollop of ricotta), brightened things up.  The gnocchi itself were little ovals of tender pasta that still had an elasticity.  The final dish we had was the Sheppard's Pie and yes, your guessed it, it was super-heavy.  It featured tender chunks of beef that was meaty and nicely seasoned by the thick gravy that bordered on salty.  The whipped potato topping was thick, yet creamy and cheesy-like. At this point, we couldn't even think about dessert.  Personally, I couldn't get over the heaviness of the meal.  In many ways, it decreased my eating enjoyment.  I do realize that is the point of the restaurant, but it just isn't my cup of tea.

The Good:
- If you like foie...  they don't hold back
- Attentive service
- Creative dishes

The Bad:
- Too heavy for me, as it made things inedible after a few bites
- Creative yes, but didn't always work  

Schwartz's Deli & Rotisserie Romados

So far for this trip, certain lineups at popular restaurants have eaten up much of our time.  For instance, we wasted almost 2 hours in the ridiculous lineup at Carnegie Deli in NYC for mediocre food (yes, this wasn't lost upon me, but whatever).  Then we waited and waited at Momofuku as well (also not as good as we imagined).  Let's not forget the almost 3 hour wait at Neptune Oyster in Boston too (but that was tasty).  So we were not willing to stand in the Schwartz's lineup in Montreal.  Rather, we got take-away and went around the block to Romados and did the same.

What we ended up with was the classic Smoked Meat Sandwich that was modest in side, yet at the same time, modest in price (under $10.00).  I found the rye bread to be on point for the sandwich as it was soft, yet still stood up completely to the mustard and meat.  Since it was a leaner cut, the smoked meat was a bit chewier and drier.  As for the flavour, it was really good with many different layers including a noticeable pepperiness.  I also decided to get the Smoked Meat Poutine as well.  This was a large portion of crispy fries (with a soft potato centre) smothered in a saltish gravy with a modest amount of squeaky cheese curds.  It was topped with plenty of smoked meat that featured a lot of the bark which meat it was even chewier and more peppery.

As for Romados, I got the 1/2 Chicken Combo that was completely stuffed with a large and meaty 1/2 chicken, salad, rice and a tonne of fries.  I got the peri sauce in mild as the kiddies were sharing the food.  I thought the chicken itself was nicely marinated and completely tender including the white meat.  The sauce added a nice sweet saltiness as well as a mild spice.  The fries were also very good, being even better than the one from Schwartz's with a crispier exterior.  Lastly, I had a Portuguese Tart which sported a crispy and thin shell where the custard in the middle was on the thicker side, but still smooth and creamy with a purposefully amount of sweetness.  Even though there were 4 adults and 4 kiddies, there was still a ridiculous amount of food (2 chicken combos, 2 smoked meat sammies and the poutine).  Good value eats with the only negative being the lineups.

The Good:
- Lots of food for the money (both places)
- Chicken was tender and flavourful
- Fries were on point (both places)

The Bad:
- Stupid lineups
- The lean smoked meat was rather chewy (should've asked for medium)  

Première Moisson

Our first full day in Montreal began very early as we decided to hit up the Jean Talon Market for breakfast.  When we arrived, vendors were setting up their booths full of various goodies including a bevy of fresh fruit and vegetables.  However, we were looking for something more substantial, so we walked all the way to the back where Première Moisson was located.  Viv tried her best to order in French and it turned out quite good, but she had a hard time keeping up with the reply from the staff.  In the end, we got what we needed as we were famished.

We decided to give the basics a try first with the Butter Croissant and the Cheese Croissant.  Flaky and shattering beautifully on the outside, the croissant was definitely buttery and delicious.  Inside, the buttery goodness continued where it was moist and slightly chewy.  A solid croissant to start the day.  As for the cheese croissant, the texture was different on the inside as expected  In addition to the chewy cheddar, there was more of a crunch near where the cheese oozed out of the croissant.  It was also more aromatic and salty due to it as well.

The double-baked Almond Croissant was softer thanks to the buttery almond filling. On the outside, it was crispy and had some laminating, but overall less crisp than the butter croissant.  As mentioned, the filling was buttery, while aromatic and appealingly sweet.  It was really heavy though and it was hard to finish.  Costanza didn't care it was 8:00am in the morning and continued with the sweets with the Eclair (both regular and chocolate).  We enjoyed the fresh creamy and light filling which was purposefully sweet while the choux pastry was also light, a bit crispy on the outside and completely moist and soft on the inside.

Viv and I shared a Croque du Jour which was focaccia with egg, bacon and cheese.  This was simple yet tasty at the same time.  The sea salt on top of the soft focaccia added bursts of flavour and crunch while the egg was fluffy and the bacon was thick and meaty.  In the end, the stuff we tried at Première Moisson was pretty good and reasonably-priced.  Not bad for a chain of stores.  Service was definitely hurried though, but they were very busy.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonably-priced
- Plenty of seating

The Bad:
- Service is a bit rushed (but they are busy) 

Dunn's Famous

As much as we have a Dunn's Famous in Vancouver, we decided to visit the original one in Montreal for a couple of reasons.  First, it would be a good comparison between the 2 and second, we really needed something relatively fast and casual.  Yes, it wasn't lost upon me that it was a really touristy thing to do since THE place would've been Swartz's (that's coming up) and also Snowdon Deli.  Remember, many of the places we have visited on this extended trip had been circumstantial due to the 4 kiddies in tow.

We were able to snag some seats quickly and got down to the ordering.  Of course I had to get the Super Combo Smoked Meat in medium with fries, coleslaw and pickle.  This was pretty good with hand-sliced buttery meat that almost melted-in-my-mouth, yet still had a certain meatiness.  It was flavourful and rich without being overly salty.  I thought the fries were pretty good but could've been crispier.  Viv ended up with Dunn's Famous Poutine which was similar to the one in Vancouver except for the fries.  I actually prefer the ones from Vancouver more as they are crispier.  The gravy was nicely thick and flavourful while the cheese curds were mostly melted.  Loved the amount of smoked meat on top.  Made the entire thing rather hearty.

My son went for his standby being the Bacon Cheeseburger that sported a really large patty.  We asked for it to be prepared medium-rare, but it came out to more like medium-well.  Despite this, it was full-flavoured and moist with an appealing meaty texture.  The bun, on the other hand, was a fail for us as it was cold, dense and overly chewy.  My daughter went for the Kid's Spaghetti and it was more or less a obligatory children's menu offering.  The pasta was a bit soft while the sauce wasn't overly flavourful.  It had a spicy finish tough.

Costanza ordered a Quebecois Pizza with bacon, cherry tomatoes and red onion.  Surprisingly, it was actually decent with all things considered.  The crust was relatively thin while the toppings were plentiful.  The middle was pretty soft though while the edges were crispy.  In the end, Dunn's served its purpose where we were filled with food when we needed it most.  The smoked meat was pretty decent wile the pizza was  surprise.  However, everything else was rather mediocre.

The Good:
- Lineup is not remotely as long as Schwartz's
- Decent smoked meat
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Other food mediocre
- Seating is tight   

Restaurant La Maison Kam Fung

There we were, fresh off our Holland America cruise and arriving in Montreal.  What is the first thing we did beside checking into our hotel?  Head for the closest Dim Sum joint!  Yah, we realized it was pretty pathetic, much like my Dim Sum for dinner in Boston prior to the cruise, but we just needed some comfort food.  Hence, our expectations were pretty low (especially since we have been spoiled by Vancouver Dim Sum).  With that in mind, we settled on La Maison Kam Fung a few blocks from our hotel.

Since they still employed push carts, we got almost all of our eats all at once.  I guess the enthusiastic (maybe a bit pushy?) Dim Sum ladies ensured we would fill our entire table.  I decided to try the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) first and I wasn't a huge fan of the thick and dough dumpling skin.  Inside, the meaty shrimp were aggressively seasoned while completely overwhelmed by the bamboo shoots.  As for the Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling), it was pretty stiff and dense.  Therefore, the texture was more meaty than the classic tender bounciness.  It was mildly seasoned where I could taste the bits of shiitake.

On the same note, the pork filling in the Bean Curd Skin Roll was very similar being dense and somewhat dry.  I found that it tasted rather porky with only a tad of seasoning.  Since the bean curd skin itself was also dry and mostly chewy, it further exacerbated the textural issues.  Compounding it all was the lack of sauce as well.  Arriving in a very dark red hue, the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) were not bad.  Although a tad overdone, where the tendons underneath were on the verge of melting, the rest of it was tender, buttery and well-seasoned (being on the sweeter side).

One dish that was mostly a fail was the Steamed Bible Tripe.  There was nothing wrong with the seasoning as it was the classic ginger and onion.  Furthermore, there was no gaminess since the tripe had been properly rinsed.  The real problem was the texture.  It had not been properly tenderized and hence, the tripe was chewy and not in an appealing manner.  At the request of Costanza's son, we got the Steamed Spareribs on Rice.  The ribs were decent being a chewy tender while adequately seasoned especially with garlic.  However, the rice was too soft bordering on mushy.  Also, it didn't benefit enough from the flavours of the ribs on top.

My son really wanted the Donut Rice Noodle Roll which was also prepared to his preference without any greens nor dried shrimp.  Although the donut was a little on the denser side while not being crispy at all, the rice noodle itself was quite good.  It was thin and soft while retaining an elasticity.  That texture continued with the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll as well, but the addition of green onion and cilantro didn't make much sense as it totally overwhelmed the shrimp.  With that being said, the shrimp was the beneficiary of a meaty snap though.

One of the larger dishes was the Deep Fried Smelt where some of them were filled with roe.  We were fortunate enough to score some freshly fried ones and they were pretty good.  Soft and moist on the inside while crispy on the outside, they were wok-tossed in a good amount of salt, garlic and chili. We were actually finished our meal when the kids noticed we had not ordered any Spring Rolls.  Since it was a push-cart operation, we had to wait until they were available.  It was worth it as they were hot, crunchy and filled with well-seasoned and tender chicken.  Yes, no shrimp here, but good nonetheless.  Considering that this was our first Chinese meal since Boston, we thought it was serviceable with all things considered.

The Good:
- Most items available within the roaming carts
- Serviceable
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Tight seating arrangements
- Pushy cart ladies