The practice of gratitude everyday

Gratitude is just one of the many latest self-development buzz words, but the practice of being thankful for even the most simplest of things in our lives is something that barely enters our conscious minds day to day. It's far easier to complain and moan about what isn't right in life, then to stop in random moments and acknowledge just how perfect things actually are, that we are where we are meant to be - and to give thanks for even the smallest of gifts. Like rain after a spell of dry weather, a smile from a stranger that lifts your spirits after a hard day, or the guy who replaced the inner tube on my bike tyre the other day and didn't charge me for it.

I have spent a fair portion of this year searching within myself about what it is to be happy and how I can project it and also attract it into my life. I'm not perfect at it by any means but what I have learned along the way is that the simplest path to a greater sense of happiness and fulfillment in life is to be thankful for what you have and not focused on what you don't. Wayne Dyer the late self-help guru said "You become what you think about all day long", thinking about what you don't want leads to more of receiving the same. And so for me it has become the realization that I will find whatever it is I choose to look for. If I want happiness I have to look for it in my life.

I began a daily gratitude writing ritual where every day I would journal 5 things that day I was thankful for. It allowed me to really see that even in the most mundane aspects of life there is something of good that can be garnered - if you choose to look. My gratitude journal has really served to highlight that I have a good life. I recently got inspired to take my gratitude journal further when I listened to Hayley Bartholomew's talk 365 grateful. Similarly, she was in a space in time where she wasn't really happy and didn't quite know why. Through the practice of taking a photo every day of things that she was grateful for helped her to re-design how she viewed her life. The simple message is it's not so much what you see when you peer through the looking glass - but how you see it. As 2017 draws to a close, I feel today is as good a day as any for me to begin my own photographic gratitude journey and reflect on what my life means to me. Shall we begin?

Raw Snickers Cake

I love cooking, I don't however enjoy baking and quite frankly I suck at it. I once tried to make pavlova and I am positive the egg white discs could have been used at Olympic level discus throwing. Raw is more my thing. Moreover raw, and refined sugar, dairy and wheat free. Like this snickers cake which actually used hazelnuts and not peanuts. I doubled the recipe below to make a super decadent and LARGE cake for a dinner that we divided with a ruler at the end of the night to ensure fairness to all. If you like me double the recipe for maximum WOW factor use one of the high 30cm loose base tins as the ingredients will take the cake right to the top (this includes taking the base right to the top of the tin).

BASE INGREDIENTS: 155g cashew nuts, 60g shredded coconut, 2 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 3 tbsp coconut oil melted, 1 tsp vanilla extract, pinch salt

SNICKERS FILLING: 240g macadamia nuts soaked for 2 hours then drained, 250ml almond or coconut milk, 125ml coconut oil melted, 12 medjool dates pitted, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 70g hazelnuts toasted and lightly crushed, 50g cacao powder, pinch salt

TOPPING: 125ml coconut oil melted, 3 tbsp cacao powder, 75g almond butter (or nut butter of your choice), 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 60g hazelnuts toasted and lightly crushed, cacao nibs or grated dark chocolate to serve.

Step 3 (I need to find more photos!!)

METHOD:
1. Line your baking tin with baking paper (both base and rim).

2. Place all BASE ingredients in food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Press this into the base (and if doubling ingredients) all the way up to the rim of the cake tin, making sure the layer is even. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.

3. For the filling pulse the macadamia nuts, milk, coconut oil, dates and vanilla in food processor to a fine paste. Pour half of this into the base, and spread the hazelnuts over the top - re-freezing the mixture for 20 minutes.

4. With the remaining BASE filling, add the cacao and pulse again. Remove the tin from freezer and pour this layer over the base and hazelnut layer. Return to freezer to set.

5. For the TOPPING place the coconut oil, cacao, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt in food processor and pulse until it's smooth and creamy.

6. Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the chocolate topping over the top of the cake in one layer. Scatter the top with the hazelnuts and cacao nibs or grate dark chocolate over the top. Chill in fridge or freezer until read to serve.

7. Remove from freezer 20-30 minutes before you serve, and from fridge around 10 minutes.

This keeps really well in freezer for at least 1 month. Probably best to cut into slices at the time you are serving it before re-freezing though as it's awfully hard to cut frozen.

Montreal the best of the rest

Well, well, well. It's been a while. My 2015 resolution is to "stay connected". Hence this blog post. I remembered I hadn't finished my blog post about Montreal from 2014 and thought I really owed it to the city to continue. Here I am. A mish-mash of the rest of the finest Montreal has to offer that you simply must see.

Number one ranking goes to Pho Lien in Cote De Neige, a family run Vietnamese restaurant which is known to have customers queuing up outside even in the deep dark bowels of Winter. This restaurant is local, local, local and completely off the tourist track, and for me that's what I find exciting about travel. Dining where the locals eat, and really immersing yourself in whatever culture the city offers. You are either going to find brothers Tan or Long manning the cash register and occasionally Mother Lien, to oversee.

The Pho is the specialty here, piping hot broth laced with star anise, cinnamon and *secret weapon ingredients* I would most likely have to kill one of the Lien family members in order to discover the recipe. The Pho comes in small, large and extra large sizes, and protein choices of chicken, beef (also rare) pork are available. The usual suspects accompany the soup, Thai holy basil, bean shoots and lime. The broth is out of this world. Clear like a consomme, and addictive as ice. You WILL be left wanting more, and in the famous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, you WILL be back.

 I must be admit I had been a devout and faithful Pho disciple, until I discovered a dish on the menu which I can only describe as a "Vietnamese Poutine". I first ordered the rice pancake out of food envy when I saw it being delivered to another table. It's a dish of rice noodles shaped like fries and scrambled with egg and served with pickled carrot and radish, and a vinegar dipping sauce. I know it doesn't sound so appealing, I get that. But trust me, believe in me - I would never lead you astray on our foodie journey together. Order it. Now. Everything just blends harmoniously, with none of the ingredients crying out to lead, rather all are just happy to hold hands together and sing "Kumbaya my Lord".

Following a spirit cleansing and soul uplifting bowl of Pho, you are probably going to want to put your fast food hat on. And, if you like fast, good, food then you are in luck. Momesso's in Notre-Dame-De-Graces (NDG) does amazingly good subs, pizza and has beer on tap. It's inconspicuous and set down a small flight of stairs so don't be concerned if you can't initially find it. I was almost beside myself firstly because we couldn't actually find the shop front and finally because when we did I thought it was closed.

You are going to want to go for the sausage sub their biggest seller. Sausage with tomatoes, onions, coleslaw and hot sauce. We also ordered the Steak with peppers, tomatoes,lettuce, onions, mushrooms, cheese and hot sauce, and split them in two. And don't forget a side of onion rings if you really want to make your arteries work hard for the evening.

If you can handle any more saturated fat following Momesso's, then you are definitely going to want to head back into downtown for a spot of Lebanese. Boustan is open to 4am, just the thing after a boozy night out on the town. You can order a plate like chicken shawarma with pickled vegetables and salad or just have a shish taouk (chicken) in pita. Either way it's all good. I also really enjoyed the kibbe (spicy meat and pine nuts enveloped in a cracked wheat casing) which was really crunchy to the bite.

 

If you aren't into Lebanese food, you have to enjoy a burger. Everyone likes a good burger right? Best of the best for fast food has to be Five Guys Burgers and Fries. There are a handful dotted around downtown, the most central is located at 468 McGill. They do handcrafted burgers, hotdogs and fries. If you are more in the market for a sit down meal, you know posh it up a bit, then m:brgr on Drummond does excellent burgers and fries. Go with an appetite because the servings are big, and you get a side of coleslaw and mayo with your meal. The sweet potato fries are insanely good. They also play a lot of the big matches (hockey, NFL) on big screen TVs so if you aren't going to a game, then this is the next best place - beer, food and atmosphere.

 

Now you have woken up from your saturated fat coma, you are thinking about breakfast right? Ok, maybe you're still not hungry, but by the time brunch rolls around you're tummy is gonna need to fill the void from the night before. I have just the place, but only for the non-germaphobes. Cosmos. If you do decide to visit this place, leave all your food hygiene expectations at the door when you arrive. The snack bar was started by Greek immigrant Tony Koulakis sometime in around, oh I don't know last century. The man was so famous, or infamous he had a documentary made in the 80s in his honour, titled "Man of Grease" (pun). The place is now run by Tony's son, Nick. If you happen to check their Facebook page (The famous Cosmos) you will find out that poor Tony was killed some time back by his mentally ill son. It's a sad story, but from what else I read about Cosmos it seems Tony really touched a lot of people during his time manning the grill. And on a positive note, apparently they don't smoke now while they are cooking your food. Hygiene baby steps.

Of course you can order basic, you know a couple of eggs and a side of bacon and toast. But why not throw caution to the wind and try their signature dish the "mish-mash", essentially a mix of a lot of eggs, potatoes, onion, peppers, mushrooms and bacon all mished and mashed on the grill till the outsides are burnt and crispy but a veritable delight of vegetable meat and egg meets you in the middle. The British might call this dish stodge. I call it heaven.

I bet you are asking yourself why, when posting about fast food in Montreal I don't do a lengthy piece dedicated entirely to Poutine. Chips, gravy and cheese curds constitutes fast food right? Bien sur!
Well here goes. I've been told La Belle Province does a mean poutine, although I have never been, and I also previously reviewed La Banquise, which was okay. But to be frank, my poutine heart lies outside of Montreal at a place called Chez Ashton's in Quebec City. "So fresh and local!" So fresh and local, according to the servers at Chez Ashton - they cannot set up a store in Montreal because the "freshness" simply wouldn't last the distance between the two cities, some 3 hours away. And you wonder how you can tuck into those USA cherries in December in Australia?

Chez Ashton's is a double edged sword for me. I love it, but I hate their "freshness" philosophy because it has ruined my ability to eat at Chez Ashton's EVERYDAY. If you happen to be in Quebec City and its surrounds in the Winter you are going to love Chez Ashton's even more. They run a Winter special where they discount the price of the meal by the temperature outside. I am certain it's the only time ever that Quebecers (or anyone for that matter) ever actually wishes the temperature in Winter should nose-dive further. We were very lucky to be blessed with a -22 degree day, and a 22% discount on our meal. Although secretly I had hoped it might dip to -25, even if briefly.

Now I am a big advocate of the original poutine, that is, just chips, gravy and cheese curds, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that the chicken poutine (replete with chicken and peas) may just be the best damn chicken dinner I've ever eaten (sorry nan). Oh, please do try.

In light of the above, you might well ask, "What does one do after reaching foodie heaven?". Reminisce. Reminisce.

So what about duck, do you like duck? I'm going to let you in on a little secret about where to get the best (and cheapest) plate of Peking duck in all of Montreal. As you would expect, it's near Chinatown in St Laurent and is called Fung Shing. Anyway enough rambling have a look at this plate of duck.

It's true Montreal is a foodie mecca. You can go upmarket, or eat where the locals eat at a fraction of the cost. That's the beauty of visiting such a multicultural city with abundant deep roots, and be all the richer for the experience. Bon appetit!

The Plateau and Mile End, Montreal, Canada

If anyone from Montreal should actually chance to read these posts, know that I am geographically dyslexic. So if I say a restaurant or place of interest exists within a certain geographic location, understand that in my mind that is a proposition of fact. Is anything in Little Italy or North of Boulevard St Laurent in the Plateau? Strictly speaking, probably not, but I never said reading maps was a strong suit of mine.

There is nowhere else to start but the smoked meat capital of the North East, Schwartz's Charcuterie Hebraique. Located on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, no matter the season, no matter the time, the place draws a crowd.

Previously owned by the Schwartz family since 1928, it was sold in 2012 and is now in the hands of a consort which includes French-Canadian crooner Celine Dion. There were concerns that Dion would begin franchising, in effect creating substandard clones of the one-of-a-kind restaurant. That fear has only been partially realised since the company started stocking supermarket shelves with mass manufactured Schwartz brand smoked meat products. 

Schwartz's Deli is a Montreal institution and may I be so bold to say to think of not visiting is kind of like going to Rome and by-passing the Sistine Chapel. Okay, okay, dining at Schwartz's will not elicit epiphanic moments, granted, but you will come close to identifying with the "Hungry Bear" scene in the movie Bridesmaids.

Schwartz's smoked meat is cured with salt, sugar, peppercorns and aromatic spices and you can order your meat lean (no fat) medium, old-fashioned or fat. I prefer medium, where you have a mix of lean and fat meats, first to add another layer of texture to the meat, and second fat is flavour. Personally, I can do without the peppers. But absolutely and most definitely, dill pickles and mustard are not optional.

There is some kind of star-alignment that takes place when you invite slices of smoked meat onto light rye and add some mustard and the crunch of dill pickle. It leaves you with a calming sense that all is really right in the world, even if only for a brief bite.

Fast food joints abound in the Plateau, so if you are looking for a quick fix of barbequed chicken or even poutine you've come to the right spot. La Banquise on Rue Rachel is a 24-hour fast food restaurant which serves twenty-five different kinds of poutine. Now to the uninitiated, poutine has been routinely described as a "heart attack in a box", containing french fries dripping in gravy and smothered in fresh cheese curds. There are of course variations on the theme, the addition of chicken, vegetables or beef, or if you are Chuck Hughes of Garde Manager fame - even lobster.

I have tried a few variations on poutine now and probably prefer the traditional version of french fries and gravy with curds. There are many arguments on where the best poutine is to be found, and I am sure every Montrealer will have their own Number 1. I have heard La Belle Province does a good version, but my pick is Chez Ashton in Quebec City, which unfortunately will not open up a store in Montreal because they cannot assure the "freshness of the product because of the transportation involved in shipping the local produce". Yeh, I think international foreign trade is a farce too.

The best barbeque chicken in town is also a hot debate amongst Montrealers. Cote-St-Luc Bar-B-Q is a front runner for no-nonsense crispy skinned barbequed chook and gravy you could drink by the cup load. But if you are after spicy Portugese style chicken cooked over charcoal, and a) don't mind spending half your lunch break waiting in line or b) the smell of wafting barbeque smoke lingering in your clothes and hair then Rotisserie Romados on Rue Rachel is a good choice.
 

Ramados lunch option

If fast food ain't for you and you are after a sit-down option where the food is unpretentious, authentic, and serving sizes are just like Yiayia would give you, then try Ouzeri at 4690 Rue Saint-Denis. The grilled octopus with lemon juice, capers and olive oil is a must try, but they also do a fabulous boozy version of pan-fried saganaki cheese with flambeed ouzo, but be sure to douse the flames out before you dive in, and don't be greedy and attempt to dip your bread into the pan juices at the end, lest you want your taste-buds to feel like the dance of the flaming assholes.

Close to Ouzeri and still in the Plateau is African/Ethiopian restaurant Le Nil Bleu or The Blue Nile. Silent Diner and I ate there on my most recent trip to Montreal and were secretly pleased at our ability to find new and exotically authentic eateries...that was until an African taxi-driver told Silent Diner that Africans don't actually eat there.

Perhaps this is because the place is upmarket, and maybe lacking in the rustic qualities that African food is founded on. Admittedly the place was a little odd, replete with a cascading water feature en route to the bathroom (the sound of running water an encouragement nonetheless) baby grand piano in the middle of the dining room (no doubt reserved for rowdy renditions of Paffendorf''s "Welcome to Africa") and various decorative pieces such as a formidable looking African Tribeswoman and native animals plucked straight from a game park.

 

Decor aside, I found the food to be very flavorful with a great use of spice, and the discovery of the African spongy flat-bread called "injera", which was served with all our dishes was a true food epiphany. Made from teff flour, the bread forms an integral part of the meal, being both the plate food is served on, and with pieces being broken off and used to scoop the meal up becomes your eating utensil too. The saying goes, once the tablecloth is gone the meal is over. As you can see, spoons are also "available" should your skill at eating with injera need further refinement.

Try the tasting menu, at $26.99 per person it is good value and allows you to try a bit of everything

A little further East from Le Nil Bleu on Avenue Duluth lies a restaurant that may, when reading the next few paragraphs, require a dose of cholesterol and blood pressure medication. Disclaimer: We take no responsibility that the following information may cause extreme hypertension and instant hardening of your arteries.

Owned by Martin Pickard Au Pied De Cochon, the decadent French inspired restaurant with a nose-to-tail philosophy has to be on the list of any foodie's mecca. To dine at PDC is to have a once in a life-time experience that will transcend beyond having paid "Le Facture" and most likely remain with you at midnight when you are lying in bed cursing your heart burn and nursing your fatty liver.

If you want to get a snapshot of the craziness that is PDC then leaf through the restaurant's self-titled cookbook,  the homage paid in picture form to squirrel sushi (p344) and hare with orange and maple syrup (p352) is truly a sight to beholden.

I had a game plan when I dined at PDC. I was starting light, with a salad. I chose the bacon, endive and goats cheese on warm bread. The bacon fat formed the dressing. At that precise moment the bacon fat started to congeal on the plate, I knew I was out to sea without a life jacket.

 

Silent Diner and I decided to share PDC's signature Foie Gras Poutine.There are not enough synonyms for the shameless excess of french fries, cheese curds, cream and foie gras that meets you on the plate, except maybe the name Jordan Belfort (AKA The Wolf of Wall Street). The dish was calorific-ally moreish, although being in such a saturated-fat induced haze I honestly can't remember if we finished the plate. My instinct tells me it was licked clean, generally because I have a psychological disorder instilled in me by my father, thank you very much, that one does not waste food, and one always eats what's on one's plate.

But I was getting seriously full. And too late as we had already ordered the rustic lentil, saucisson, foie gras and lardo casserole for two. Initially, I misheard the waitress say the "special of the day" was $17.00. I figured, well how big can it be, for $17.00 right? A couple of mouthfuls a piece? Closer inspection of "Le Facture" revealed I had a hearing problem which was precisely $53.00 short. The dish was huge and at this stage after bacon lardon entree and shared foie gras poutine I was trying hard not to channel Monty Python's Mr Creosote meeting his fate with a wafer-thin mint.

Needless to say and much to my psychological self-flagellation, a "sac de chien" (doggy bag) was requested, and unsurprisingly neither Silent Diner nor I had the desire or the stomach for the signature sugar tart dessert. After a series of heart palpitations during the night, I recovered the left-overs from the fridge the following day to discover the residue fat from the dish had somehow managed to escape the plastic container and completely saturate the brown paper bag so that it became almost iridescent. I made the sign of the Cross and said a quick prayer my arteries had narrowly escaped the worst of it.

If you stay in Montreal long enough to recover from the heady excesses of Au Pied De Cochon and want to try a great pizza joint head North up Boulevard St Laurent to Pizzeria Magpie, a funky restaurant with small bar where you can order a drink and wile away some time waiting for a table. I haven't tried anything else on the menu bar pizza and a menu staple kale salad, but both have kept me coming back time again.

The menu is basic, with around 10 pizzas to choose (usually one special of the day and the staples). The meatball pizza with three cheese and mushrooms should be your number one pick, but if you prefer try the fennel salami pizza with red onion and red pepper. If, you are so lucky to have the smoked meat pizza on as a special of the day do order it. Smoked meat, pickles and mustard. Sounds like a food experiment gone bad right? Wrong! The rich paper thin sliced smoked meat offsets beautifully against the crunchy tart pickle and the creaminess of the wholegrain mustard all nestled perfectly on a crispy thin wood-fired pizza base. There is nothing else this pizza needs, but the restaurant offers chilli oil at the table. The chilli oil is so good, I am willing to risk ass burn as I unabashedly and shamelessly drown my pizza in it every time.

Smoked meat pizza

Exploits aside, my favourite dish at Pizzeria Magpie has to be the kale salad. It is quite simply divine, and it has been my benchmark for experimenting, replicating, and finally perfecting a similar kale salad at home. Tossed with kale, toasted pecans, fresh ricotta and apple, the crowning glory is a gloriously runny poached egg which sits atop with pride.

Final pit stop on this whirlwind Plateau tour is Baldwin Barmacie. Situated at 115 Avenue Laurier Ouest, it is technically in Mile End, but I think my initial disclaimer and title of this post explains the anomaly. The place is groovy with mood lighting and hip clientele, but it also has a good cocktail list, bar snacks and a happy hour. They even have a resident DJ who plays songs I've never heard by artists I don't know. It's that kind of on-trend place. Plus they have these amazing leather backed chairs which are half-cut out wine barrels. Worth a visit for that reason alone.

Don't you just wanna look hip and cool in these chairs

Kick Ass Kale Salad

It's taken some time to perfect this salad. I have tried it with pecans and walnuts, ricotta and fior di latte and even buffalo mozarella. I have added radishes, taken radishes out - and finally I think I have nailed it.

Just thinking out loud I like this salad equally with either pecans or walnuts so its purely personal preference. I prefer to eat it just made, as I like the crunchy texture of all the ingredients mixing and mingling slowly together like steamy tango partners, but Silent diner prefers this salad the next day when all the players are like old mates who have played footy together for a few seasons and understand the play. Again, personal preference and your choice - but I do hope you like it!

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (stem and vein removed) and finely sliced
One small bunch of radishes finely sliced from whole (around 5-6 radishes)

250 grams of fresh ricotta broken into bite sized pieces
1 gala apple halved and finely sliced
2 cups picked parsley leaves roughly chopped
1/2 bunch chives snipped

Place all the salad ingredients in a big serving bowl - but wait to add the ricotta till after you have added the nuts (next step down below) and the salad dressing.

Spiced nuts
250 grams of walnuts or pecans
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp icing sugar, or honey or dark brown sugar
Pepper and Salt
Olive oil to coat

Toss the nuts with all the ingredients making sure they are evenly coats and place on a lined baking tray and into a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to toast. Watch them as they will burn quickly if left unattended. When done, leave to cool and break apart if they have stuck together - removing any excess "caramel" that may find itself hanging on to any nuts. Set aside.


Dressing
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 french shallots finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste


Whisk dressing together. Add the nuts to the salad mix then the dressing, being careful to add the ricotta at the end so it doesn't break up too much through the salad. Toss with your hands so you maintain the integrity of the salad. Leave to sit and let the flavours develop for 30 minutes, or if in a hurry eat straight away!

Montreal, Canada - Outremont

I just recently came back from my fifth trip to Montreal. That's a lot of frequent flyer points right there! Montreal is Silent Diner's hometown and so scuttling back and forth is kind of a necessity. I've decided to break this post into parts in fairness to the City as there is so much to see, to do, and more importantly to eat, I don't want to leave anything worthy out. Also, the seasons change Montreal so drastically that it is really almost like being in a different City from Summer to Winter.

My first trip to Montreal was in April 2012. I was told "it's getting warmer but bring a jacket just in case". It snowed. I remember going for a run to Mont-Royal and seeing a light falling of (what looked to be) leaves - but for all my ignorance were actually snowflakes. One day it was like 2 degrees. I said to Silent Diner "This is the coldest I have ever been" he replied "Think about the difference between this and plus 30 degrees and that is how much worse you are going to feel when it's minus 25 degrees".

Fast forward to December 2012 and the Super snowstorm. The single biggest dump of snow to hit the North East since 1973. Let's just say I would rather engage in blood sport than have to shovel a car out of snow with a sand spade again.

And in the most severe form of animal cruelty (dressing a pet up in human-like clothing) even the dogs were forced to wear jackets outdoors.

Silent diner lives in Outremont. Aside from young professionals and trendy types, there is a densely Hasidic Jewish population which makes up a large part of the demographic and the area is rich and vibrant with restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops. It is around a 50 minute walk into the downtown area or a short bus ride along the North-South running Avenue Parc, aptly named because it runs alongside Parc Mont-Royal (for reference the Number 80 bus stops outside the YMCA on the corner of Parc and St Viateur). A walk down Avenue Parc reveals a number of fruiteries. My favourite is the Mile-end fruiterie. They stock their fruit and vegetables outside in the Summer months, and keep everything indoors when the temperatures plummet. They also stock my favourite smoked Chipotle tabasco (I could drink this stuff).

The first real food stop in Montreal has to be St Viateur bagels. It is a Montreal institution alongside smoked meats and poutine. Of course there are other bagel houses around, but I love going to St Viateur as they always grab bagels from the fresh baked batch at the back, and there is nothing, nothing, like a fresh baked and piping hot bagel with a slightly crispy exterior and soft chewy inside to keep your heart more aflutter.

Just down the road from St Viateur bagels is one of the best (if not only) Peruvian sandwich shops in Montreal (if not the world). Called Rotisserie Serrano BBQ they roast their chickens whole in house and lay whole potatoes underneath to soak up all the drippings and fat from the chickens as they cook. They do a mean pork sandwich replete with crackling (I defy you not to go back for another) and I have been there so many times now, I know just how I like my sandwich. Of course you can get either the chicken or pork all dressed (they will cut the chicken right off the bone in front of you) but I have decided the pork and crackling sandwich with hot gravy, lettuce, tomato, coleslaw and hot sauce is the best and to mess with otherwise would be a sacrilege.

Across from Serrano Rotisserie BBQ there is a small chocolate shop, Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois who hand-make all their chocolates in-house. You must try the bacon and pretzel balls, which aside from the novelty factor, the crunchy salty pretzel balances well off the sweet white chocolate and the smoked bacon gives that smoked and salty finish to your palate that confirms that everything does in fact taste better with bacon. The dark chocolate orange balls are also smack bang full of rich chocolatey goodness too.

If you are in the market for some high quality aged beef (at least you should be) you must try Chez Latina. They stock everything from fruit and vegetables to pantry items to ready-to-go meals. For Christmas, Silent diner and I bought a 40-day dry-aged beef fillet which the butcher tied, and I seasoned it with rosemary and sea salt and pepper and baked it according to Adrian Richardsons tips on how to cook the perfect roast beef.

Take home goods from Chez Latina

As you can probably see, I spend a bit of time in St Viateur. I tend to do a little circuit which usually starts with a bagel and ends with a coffee. The best coffee in the street has to be Cafe Olimpico, and no matter the time, night or day, it is always bustling with caffeine addicts. There is always a line-up, and sometimes if I can't be bothered to wait I head to Club Social which is just up from Cafe Olimpico. Italian-run the coffee is still good, but Olimpico has a cool buzz to it and the barista's employ a certain theatrical flair in their coffee making.

If you are not a coffee drinker (and for that I have genuine sorrow for you) and tea is more your thing, then you are in luck. Davids Tea is a Montreal originated tea-house which has branched out across Canada and Stateside too. You can find them next to St Viateur bagels. They do all manner of herbal teas, both caffeinated and non-caffeinated, and the versatile thing is you can enjoy an iced tea in Summer, and wrap your woolly mittens around a hot brew in the death of Winter. Their tea blends are also very good quality.

There is also some great shopping around Outremont. One of my favorites is Francois Beauregard on Laurier Ave. What I like about this boutique is the garments are all made in Montreal, so it's keeping the manufacturing industry in Quebec alive by keeping it local. Laurier has a number of sheeshy boutiques particularly West of Avenue Parc so hopefully your credit card is of the gold kind. There are some other great finds, Charlotte Hosten on Bernard Avenue for hand-made jewellery (find her here) and a great gift store also on Bernard which has some interesting finds is Kokoon. Of course if you really want to shop then the boutique lined streets of St Denis, St Laurent and Sherbrooke have some of the best shopping in Montreal - but that's for another post.

Back on Avenue Parc you can find all sorts of gems. Cafes such as Navarino (directly opposite the YMCA on Parc) who bake pastries in-house but also offer healthy salad choices - great for a quick bite without any attached guilt. Now I wouldn't be honoring my fellow countrymen if I didn't pay homage to the Tourtiere Australienne (or "Ta") further down towards Mont Royal. An Australian pie shop owned and run by a French-Quebecer and her Kiwi husband (even the Kiwi's want to claim Australian lineage). During Hugh Jackman's filming the X-Men in and around Montreal during the Summer of 2013 - he paid the pie shop a visit and ordered pies for the cast and crew. Newspapers reported he is a genuinely nice guy. Why not, he is Australian after all.

If you like Mexican then you have to try Ta Chido snack-bar Mexicain also on Avenue Parc, they do really tasty taco fillings and have some good lunch specials. Find them on their facebook page. Silent diner and I tried another Mexican restaurant called Tamalera on Fairmount when Ta Chido was closed over Christmas, and the food just didn't take the train to flavortown like Ta Chido's does.

Of course Outremont also does upmarket. Try Lemeac on Laurier who do a 10pm Fin de Soiree menu which is like 2 courses for $27.00. Pretty good value for an upscale restaurant, that is, if your stomach will forgive you at midnight.

The beef tartare at Lemeac 10pm sitting. 

This past trip the Silent diner and I found ourselves at "Le Deux Singes de Montarvie" which translates to "The two monkeys of Montarvie"...whoever they are. The restaurant is nestled between Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois and Cafe Olimpico on St Viateur and if you blinked as you walked past you might miss it. It is a very intimate and cosy setting, and for a local eatery the food is very good. In fact, and this is a big call for me, I ate one of the single most best mains of my life to date; Quebec lamb shank braised with lebanese spices, served over a saute of brown rice, swiss chard, and smoked bacon, with a garnish of mint pesto and candied pumpkin. Eating candied pumpkin is like one of those a-ha moments in life. You know nothing ever really existed before it, and life won't ever be the same again after it. The candied pumpkin is a recipe closely guarded by the owner, but on the night we were there the owners parents were also there. The owner's mother who is from Lebanon told me she would give me a jar next time I came in. Pity I was flying out the next day. However I have ascertained from certain Lebanese sources that the process of making candied pumpkin involves the use of limestone. I will not rest in my life's quest to find out more.

Now there is a bit of debate as to where Outremont ends and the Plateau starts. Because I want to include Wilensky's in this post, and strictly speaking Fairmount Street east of Avenue Parc could be considered the Plateau and not Outremont. I'm willing to risk being admonished by Montrealers.

I cannot of course talk about smoked meats without some considerable dialogue about Schwartz's on Boulevard St Laurent. But that of course is in the Plateau and I can't be too irreverent. Wilensky's is what's known as a "casse-croute" or snack-bar. Open since 1932 the shop inside is much the same as it probably was back and still run by the same family. I think it could be a cardinal sin to visit Montreal and not go to Wilensky's. Famous for the "Wilensky special" which is a beef salami and bologna sandwich with mustard and grilled on a flat roll similar to an English muffin. You can also get the special with cheese, but don't even think about getting anymore creative. Silent diner also enjoys the old fashion cherry-cola from the original soda fountain. Aah there is nothing like old-time nostalgia to feel all is well in the world right?

So if we are going to talk about Montreal Jewish institutions like St Viateur bagels and Wilensky's do we dare to venture into Mont-Royal territory and also give an honorable mention to Beautys Luncheonette? I dined at Beautys and personally couldn't see what all the hype is about, that is, with the exception of owner Hymie's flagrant disregard of La charte de la langue francaise, and his ability to work the young and out of shape employee Julius to the bone. They are renowned for their mish-mash (a glorified union of egg, potato, peppers and hot-dog or salami) and their bagel and lox.

Beautys included (if only to watch Hymie at work on Julius), Montreal has a lot to thank the Jewish community for, but no more so than for Cheskies Hamishe bakery at 359 Bernard Avenue Outremont. After trying many of Cheskies baked goods, there is no dispute that the Russian Chocolate babka is the go-to choice. Baked fresh daily, the babka is a flaked pastry that is densely layered with gooey rich chocolate, and quite frankly I would shank you with a home-made shiv for it if I had to. But if chocolate ain't your thing you could get an opium-high from the poppy seed rich rugelach which is also pretty special.

 

Chocolate babka glory

So right on so many levels

poppy seed rugelach

Keeping with Jewish tradition, a little further up the road on Avenue Bernard is Lester's Deli, which has been serving smoked meat sandwiches for over 50 years. Having also tried Schwartz's and Snowden's Deli, I must say I was not blown away by Lester's, however it is good to have the option of a local deli which serves smoked meat sandwiches, pickles, and fries without having to wait your life away in a line-up.

If all the rich food is getting too much for you, then try a healthy option like Maiko Sushi. Not only is the food good, but their plating could be considered edible art. The sushi is very fresh, and the place is frequently busy and most often full.

Maiko sushi on the corner Bernard and Hutchison, Outremont

Artfully plated

This past trip Silent Diner and I had dinner at Les Enfants Terrible on Avenue Bernard. It is a very popular spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The vibe is young and hip, and I really like how they bring their shop front alive for different festive occasions. During Halloween they go all out with a ghoulish display including a headless diner and carved pumpkins, and at Christmas they have wooden reindeer manning the windows.

Les Enfants Terrible is the kind of place that ticks a lot of boxes. Ambience is good, wait staff attractive, wine list reasonable, food on trend. You know what I mean. If I only had a week in Montreal, there are definitely other restaurants I would find myself in before this one - but as a local, it works.

Just up from Les Enfants Terrible at 1311 Avenue Bernard is Le Glacier Bilboquet. In Summertime the line winds its way down the street with couples and families with children yearning for the sweet delectable ice-cream and sorbet treats Bilboquet offers. In maple syrup harvesting season (April-May) they offer a Tire d'erable which is a maple syrup ice-cream with maple taffy chunks. If you ate a triple scoop of this stuff you might be right to feel you could now die complete. Ironically, in the middle of Winter the place looks like a Western movie after a shoot-out and actually closes for a time during December and January. Although don't fret, the Deppaneur on the corner still stocks Bilboquet tubs of ice-cream if Cheskies doesn't manage to satiate your sweet cravings.

Outremont is bounded in the north-west by one of the most special places in all of Montreal, Parc Mont Royal. Majestic in every season for different reasons, you can run, hike, cross-country ski, snow-shoe, toboggan, skate and just have plain old fun no matter what the weather. Parc Mont Royal is the jewel in Montreal's crown and the place I look forward to spending time in every time I am in Montreal. You can head to Beaver Lake in Summer and feed the ducks, or in Winter hire a pair of skates and get your Torvill and Dean on. There are tonnes of trails, and you can literally get lost if you are not careful.

There is always a road less travelled

In the Summertime every Sunday afternoon hundreds of urban hippies gather around the monument to listen to the beating tam-tams. A colorful collection of  dancers, drummers and vendors selling all sorts of legal and illegal fare. Just follow your nose to work out which is which.

In the Winter time, if you want to know how it feels to have your sartorius muscles being ripped off of your hips as you propel yourself up the mountain, and then find terminal velocity just trying to avoid falling off the mountain, then cross country skiing is for you. Don't be fooled by the various skiers who make it look easy, you WILL look and behave like an out of control banshee and vow never to participate in this ludicrous activity people call leisure sport, again. 

But to appear so negative is unbecoming. There is definitely something magical about Mont Royal in Winter, and Montrealers certainly have intestinal fortitude when it comes to enduring cold harsh weather. The average Montrealer just says "Screw you Mr Polar Vortex, because I am gettin' out and livin' my life!!" and they do. Two classic scenarios I have witnessed with my own eyes, a guy jogging in shorts in -14 on Mont Royal and a couple cross-country skiing down Avenue Bernard during the Super snowstorm of Christmas 2012. Just don't get me started on the potholes.

Blistery conditions don't stop Montrealers

The Cross at the top of Mont Royal

There ain't a better way to navigate these mean Winter streets