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In addition to congee, wonton noodles and dim sum, there are a few other things we crave while on vacation. One in particular is Chinese baked buns and pastries. Call it another one of our comfort foods, but really, we need BBQ Pork Buns to survive! As much as our kids enjoy hamburgers, pasta and grilled cheese sammies, they still have some Asian left in them... LOL... So before our day in Old Montreal, we sauntered over to Pâtisserie Harmonie which was in nearby Chinatown.
We did indeed get BBQ Pork Buns since that is one of the standards that all Chinese bakeries are judged. Well, they surprisingly passed with flying colours. Fairly large in size and exhibiting a good filling-to-bun ratio, this ate well. The pork was lean and the sauce was balanced. I found the bun to be light and airy while not dry. This was more than decent. It goes without saying that the Custard Bun shared the same qualities. The picture doesn't show it, but the bun was equally airy. It got squashed as we were ripping it apart. Inside, the custard filling was a bit meager though. It wasn't too sweet and could've been lighter.
Another bun we just could not leave without was the Pineapple Bun. Again, there are no pineapples used to make this, rather, the crispy sugar topping "looks" like the outside of a pineapple. Like the other 2 previous buns, this was also good. As evidenced in the picture, the topping was uniform and covered the entire bun. It was medium-thickness and crispy. With the same airy bun, this impressed the kiddies (as well as the adults).
Onto something other than buns, I decided to try their Sponge Cake. It was more or less a typical version which was neither very airy nor too dense. It was lightly sweet and eggy. Moving onto something more robust, I also got some of the Walnut Cake which was predictably more dense and a little more sweet. It was "wetter" too, but not in a bad way. This was pretty filling compared to the sponge cake. Overall, we thought the things we tried at Pâtisserie Harmonie to be more than serviceable. In fact, we thought they were above-average and comparable to Vancouver/Richmond. A real nice find in Chinatown and close to our hotel!
The Good:
- Soft and airy buns
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent selection
The Bad:
- I thought the buns were better than the cakes (not the whole cakes because we didn't try them)
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
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
Posts
In addition to congee, wonton noodles and dim sum, there are a few other things we crave while on vacation. One in particular is Chinese baked buns and pastries. Call it another one of our comfort foods, but really, we need BBQ Pork Buns to survive! As much as our kids enjoy hamburgers, pasta and grilled cheese sammies, they still have some Asian left in them... LOL... So before our day in Old Montreal, we sauntered over to Pâtisserie Harmonie which was in nearby Chinatown.
We did indeed get BBQ Pork Buns since that is one of the standards that all Chinese bakeries are judged. Well, they surprisingly passed with flying colours. Fairly large in size and exhibiting a good filling-to-bun ratio, this ate well. The pork was lean and the sauce was balanced. I found the bun to be light and airy while not dry. This was more than decent. It goes without saying that the Custard Bun shared the same qualities. The picture doesn't show it, but the bun was equally airy. It got squashed as we were ripping it apart. Inside, the custard filling was a bit meager though. It wasn't too sweet and could've been lighter.
Another bun we just could not leave without was the Pineapple Bun. Again, there are no pineapples used to make this, rather, the crispy sugar topping "looks" like the outside of a pineapple. Like the other 2 previous buns, this was also good. As evidenced in the picture, the topping was uniform and covered the entire bun. It was medium-thickness and crispy. With the same airy bun, this impressed the kiddies (as well as the adults).
Onto something other than buns, I decided to try their Sponge Cake. It was more or less a typical version which was neither very airy nor too dense. It was lightly sweet and eggy. Moving onto something more robust, I also got some of the Walnut Cake which was predictably more dense and a little more sweet. It was "wetter" too, but not in a bad way. This was pretty filling compared to the sponge cake. Overall, we thought the things we tried at Pâtisserie Harmonie to be more than serviceable. In fact, we thought they were above-average and comparable to Vancouver/Richmond. A real nice find in Chinatown and close to our hotel!
