paperfree's Profile
Plateau Grocery Stores
I lived at Carre St. Louis this summer, and now live just a few blocks away. Most of the stores I shop at in the neighborhood have already been mentioned, but I just wanted to add a few things.
The produce at Segal's is often questionable, but I've gotten delicious apples and oranges and grapefruit there, as well as perfectly fresh local vegetables in the growing season. So don't discount their fruit or vegetables entirely. They also often have very fresh bean sprouts, for unknown reasons. Their tofu and yogurt are very cheap as well, not to mention the soymilk, bulk beans, breakfast cereal, and commensal dinners.
Frenco can be expensive, but you can also save money there. Their flour is actually cheaper than at Segal's, and if you like to buy spices in small amounts you'll save a lot over other places (like the health food store at Jean Talon, whose spices are expensive and often tasteless).
The Marche Richelieu on Ontario is really depressing, and the prices aren't cheap for anything as far as I can tell. I prefer the Provigo on Parc or even the 4 Freres.
Also, that McGill article says Segal's has free delivery, which is not true. They have delivery, but you have to pay for it like everywhere else.
High End and Veg Friendly
I also got roped into going to PdC with a carnivorous crowd, and ended up with a salad, fried squash blossoms, and a tart of some sort. I didn't care for any of the dishes, or even the dessert I tried. I wasn't hungry afterwards, but that's about the best I can say for it, from a vegetarian perspective.
Montreal - 4 star vegetarian? vegetarian poutine?
An older but not old on this same topic: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/405475
Which cupcake shop?
I recently got a chance to try two cocoa locale cakes at a dinner party: the chocolate lavender and chocolate chai. Now, I love a rich, chocolate cake more than most people, and almost always finish chocolate cake, no matter how standard or rich, but I didn't finish either of these. I found the cakes dry, not flavorful enough, didn't care for the icing... No one else at the dinner party seemed to care for them that much either, as there was lots of cake left on people's plates at the end of the night, and the pieces weren't particularly large.
Which is the best CSA?
All the ones on my list had melons in the summer, and most had berries too, and apples in the fall I believe. I think one offered pears.
Which is the best CSA?
I found it: http://organiccampus.blogspot.com/
There's not a whole lot of information about the CSA, but I suppose it's an option. It sounds like it would be a bit more expensive than one of the other CSAs, as I can't imagine a $10 box designed for one student has much in it. I'm vegetarian and I eat a lot of produce, so I'd have to get two shares at least. Did anyone get this box last year? Any more thoughts about it?
Which is the best CSA?
I'm looking for a CSA with a droppoff between McGill and the lower plateau, or that general vicinity. These are the ones I've found that look most convenient:
Les Jardins de Tessa
www.jardinsdetessa.com
Metro Beaudry
Les Jardins du Petit Tremble
www.lesjardinsdupetittremble.ca
right at the mont royal metro
Potager Andre Samson
www.potagerandresamson.com
a drop not too far from Laurier metro, and another at Parc and Milton near McGill
Farm Cadet-Roussel
www.fermecadetroussel.org
droppoffs are a bit far from the metro in the plateau
Glenorra
http://glenorra.com/paniers.html
dropoff is pretty close to mcgill, on st. urbain near duluth
Can anyone tell me anything about any of these CSAs? I'm looking for one that grows more gourmet and heirloom vegetables, ideally, or at least some less common ones up here like okra and collards and jalepenos.
Which is the best CSA?
Is equiterre missing CSAs? I don't see La Ferme Zephyr on their list, although I do see his website. I aslo don't see Glenorra (http://glenorra.com/paniers.html) there, although they sent me an email telling me they're currently taking subscribers. I seem to remember their being more CSAs in the plateau and city centre last summer?
4 vegetarians on a road trip
I really want to like Lola Rosa as it's the closest restaurant to my work, plus it's vegetarian and oh-so-cute. However, my experience with the food has been mixed. I was first taken there for lunch when I came to Montreal to interview. I ordered the four cheese vegetable lasagna. It was extremely rich and greasy but tasted awful. I wanted to send it back but didn't want to make a fuss on my interview. However, so many people have raved about the lasagna since then I decided to give it a second shot, and indeed they've changed it substantially. It's still quite rich but much tastier, and has detectable vegetables. It comes with a pleasant "caesar salad" which is actually made with a tahini dressing.
The next time I went I tried the hemp burger, which wasn't terrible but I wouldn't recommend it, and the bread was blah. The little bits of beet and chickpea salad that came on the side were very tasty though. My friend ordered the veggie burger and seemed to have the same reaction to it as I did to the hemp burger.
I've had the lola rosa salad which is pretty heavy: lots of feta, olives, avocado, and a nice tahini dressing. The first time I had it I quite enjoyed it, but last time it was way overdressed, and sodden.
The borek is a spinach and feta filo-dough pie (the Turkish version of Spanikopita) which my turkish friends have made for me many times. The Lola Rosa version wasn't nearly as good as my friends', but it was fine. It seems to have changed since I had it, however, as it's now in one large piece rather than 6 mini triangles. Hopefully they've improved the recipe as well as changed the presentation.
I've tried a few of their tex-mex style dishes but would not recommend any of them, though I'm from Texas and have pretty high standards when it comes to Mexican or even psuedo-Mexican food. Clearly these dishes are popular, as they're what everyone else in the restaurant seems to be ordering.
Lola Rosa also offers a curry dish, a tagine, and a few other "ethnic" dishes which I haven't gotten a chance to try yet.
Overall, although the quality of the food is mixed, and the preparation seems inconsistent, I really enjoy the restaurant, especially in the summer when the front is opened up, the air is breezy, and everything is lit by natural light. The prices are a bit high for lunch but that's the price of convenience I suppose.
Taiwanese
I live near Yuan and I'm a vegetarian, so it was one of the first restaurants I tried when I moved here. I went there with the Vegetarian Meetup group for a Saturday lunch buffet. Although most of the folks at the meetup raved about it, and many said it was their favorite vegetarian restaurant in Montreal, I thought the food was generally pretty awful. I don't know that I've ever had Taiwanese food before but I've had lots of Chinese food and this place ranks pretty low. Despite my negative experience, I decided to give the buffet a second try today for lunch again, because I was starving, the place was pretty packed, and quite a few items on the buffet looked really good. Unforunately, however, my experience was almost the same as the last time 6 months ago.
They started me off with a bowl of won ton soup, which I enjoyed both this time and last time. The broth was clearly made with fresh celery, and was quite delicious--an unexpected surprise since vegetable broths are often tasteless or overpowered by MSG. They also have hot and sour soup which isn't bad tasting, but is too cornstarch-y for my tastes. It has a lot of nice mushrooms, but some of them are very tough.
Most of the hot dishes are made with various kinds of fake meats. Now, I don't have anything particular against fake meats (I really love the mock duck at Chu Chai for instance), but I found most of their fake meat dishes to taste odd and have strange textures. The sauces were generally no better: they were too oily, too sweet, neither distinctive nor tasty. The vegetables were almost uniformly overcooked and tasteless. (Of course, overcooked vegetables are to be expected in a buffet situation and they might be more crisp when ordering a la carte.) I think I tasted 8 hot dishes today, but with one exception I only took one bite of each. I did go back for a bit of yuba from one of the dishes (I'm a sucker for yuba).
In addition to the fake meat dishes there was vegetable fried rice and some fried noodle dish. Both were greasy but flavorless. They also offered egg rolls, which had a nice light, relatively non-greasy wrapper, but unfortunately the filling was (again) totally tasteless.
Yuan also has a cold section of the buffet which includes cold vegetables salads, veggie maki rolls, fruit and desserts. Last time they had a fresh sesame asparagus salad that I quite enjoyed. Today there was a zucchini salad which was fine but not exciting, a too-old tomato and cucumber salad, and a seaweed salad which I didn't try. I liked their maki rolls quite a bit both this time and last time, as well as their rice balls covered in yuba (tofu skin). They even had pickled ginger and wasabi. For a place that doesn't specialize in sushi I thought their maki rolls were surprisingly good.
The baked desserts are uninteresting, but I enjoyed the fresh pineapple and especially liked the very thinly shaved sliced of green mango that they served today. I'm not sure whether or not it was supposed to be unripe, and it didn't taste anything like mango, but it had a lovely balance of sweet and sour that helped to counteract all the grease and salt I had just ingested.
The only dish I've ordered a la carte is a bowl of peanut noodles, which were fine. I wouldn't recommend them but I might order them again in a pinch.
The front of the restaurant where the buffet is located is rather boxy and although it's decorated with all kinds of Chinese tchockes it doesn't have a lot of ambience. However, when I went to the restroom today I discovered that there's a very large section in the back of the restaurant with booths, low tables and cushions, almost Japanese in style. There was nobody there, and it didn't seem like you were even allowed to sit there, but it seemed quite pleasant and more atmospheric than the relatively boxy front. Perhaps it is used for private parties?
I'll probably head back to Yuan just because it's so convenient, but I won't try the buffet again. I'll get a bowl of soup and some maki rolls, or perhaps try something off the a la carte menu. If anyone can recommend any particular dishes that would be helpful.
Sala Rosa or Club Espagnol?
Hey, no problem. Everyone has different tastes, and other vegetarians often have a different opinion than me (as is evident by all the rave reviews of Lola Rosa). I just figured I might as well share my review since the more info people have the better.
Regarding veggie recs, I haven't been eating out much, but I'll keep writing reviews of any place I try in the future. I would definitely still recommend Chu Chai, but I guess that's kind of obvious.
Sala Rosa or Club Espagnol?
Lagatta has been talking up Sala Rosa on all the vegetarian threads here on Chowhound, and I finally got a chance to try it last night. She's right that the menu is quite extensive in terms of vegetarian choices. I went with 2 friends and we ordered 4 dishes: the goat cheese with honey and carmelized onions, the fried potatoes with rosemary, the rapini with garlic, and the asparagus tortilla. I was also interested in the carrot salad and the spinach croquettes. Overall, although the atmosphere was nice the service was extremely slow (albeit friendly), and the food didn't excite me.
The goat cheese was quite a large portion, and tasted fine, but I was disappointed in the bread, and I felt like the ratio of cheese to honey was off--it certainly wasn't as good as the toast and goat cheese and honey appetizers I've had in Paris. My friends, however, seemed to really like it, enthusing about the smoothness of the cheese.
The rapini was not bitter at all, but neither was it garlicky enough, and it was a bit undersalted, and rather small for the price. The potatoes were tasty when slathered with enough mayonnaise and rosemary, but I thought they were way too dry and fluffy--they tasted like the fries I got at the cafeteria as a kid.
I've never had a spanish tortilla before, and so wasn't sure what to expect. When the tortilla finally came, I thought it looked quite beautiful. The shape was sort of like a sunken cake, and the surface was uniformly browned. Unfortunately, however, given its good looks, it tasted quite bland. It came with some diced tomatoes that didn't seem to help. Now, perhaps all spanish tortillas are bland, but it still seemed strange that we couldn't really taste the asparagus (although we could see bits of asparagus).
Overall it was a pleasant evening, but I wouldn't recommend any of the dishes or order them again, although with the help of mayonnaise everything was tasty enough that it got eaten (except the remnants of the tortilla).
I might come back on Flamenco night, but I wouldn't recommend this place as a destination for out of town vegetarians.
Fresh Tofu Market
I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years before moving to Montreal, and I used to walk down to the strip from Oakland all the time when the weather was nice.
Obviously in my post above I mean T & S, not h&s. Has anyone tried their tempeh?
Fresh Tofu Market
I know exactly what you're talking about as I've purchased tofu from that Chinese market in Pittsburgh many times. It's so fresh it's still hot! I've found a tofu that is similar in texture and flavor at Segal’s. It comes in small 5 ounce blocks, in a big round tupperware, maybe 6 to a package? It's labeled Les Aliments Wah Hoa Inc. It’s a soft silky tofu that’s quite tasty. I couldn’t find anything about this company on Google, except that their address is in Montreal. Although not still hot off the presses, it generally tastes quite fresh to me. I've purchased it many times and never had a sour batch. I've also seen it at other stores around town, but can't remember where. Maybe Merci Vrac at Jean Talon?
I’ve also been meaning to check out h & s, based on what I read at this blog:
http://www.ethicurean.com/2007/03/14/montreal-profile-a-tale-of-tofu/?cat=2
Unique (but affordable!) dining experience to impress a date?
I really like many of the Chuchai dishes, but the one time I ordered out of the deli case at Chuch all three dishes were inedible, or close. However, at Chuch you can order off the regular Chuchai menu, which will be presumably be made fresh. Then you can get your BYOW. Of course, the atmosphere isn't nearly as nice as Chuchai.
Unique (but affordable!) dining experience to impress a date?
I've been to Petit Alep twice. Although I wouldn't say that the food is amazing (from a vegetarian's perspective), it would be a fun place for a date I think. The tables are small and cozy, and you can get lots of small dishes to share and taste. I particularly like their hummus and mouhamarra (I know I spelled that wrong, the dish with pomegranate syrup).
Unique (but affordable!) dining experience to impress a date?
I went to Nil Bleu once last summer, and although the atmosphere was very enjoyable, the service was terrible, and the food worse. I've had a lot of mediocre Ethiopian but this was the worst ever. Hopefully it's improved since then, but I've not gotten up the nerve to try it again. I'm vegetarian, and had the vegetarian sampler plate. Of the dishes on it, the red lentils (which are usually my favorite) were the worst: they tasted like they had ketchup in them. The injera bread was also pretty bad. The yellow lentils were the best, along with the salad which although made from sad iceberg lettuce and tomatoes was at least crisp and nice and tangy from the vinegar. If the food has improved then I think it would be a great place for a date, especially if you can snag a booth.
Delicious dining in Montreal - Latin Quarter
I've been to Laloux twice now with my husband. The first time, we both really liked it. The food was perfectly executed, and some of the dishes were inspired. We went again this week, and were quite disappointed. My husband was still infatuated with the desserts, but the rest of the meal was pretty dull. Certainly for a vegetarian, the options are slim and I would be hard-pressed to recommend it.
Some dishes of note: The first time we went, I ordered a green bean salad (not on the menu currently) which was simple but delicious--the vegetables were perfectly crisp, and there was an excellent balance of richness and vinegar, without being at all greasy. My entree, a pesto papardelle, was again simple but perfectly executed. The noodles were al dente, the pesto was fresh and flavorful, and it included plenty of perfectly cooked tasty vegetables. For such a common dish, I was surprisingly happy with it. This time we went, there was no vegetarian main on the menu, and the papardelle dish they gave me as a consolation was not in the same league as the previous papardelle. So far, the only non-dessert my husband had that he was terribly enthusiastic about was a scallop carpaccio appetizer, which is fortunately still on the menu.
Concerning the desserts, my husband loved all three of the ones that he tried: a chocolate pot-de-creme with caramel and salt, a pistachio shortbread with creamsicle sorbet and cream, and a somewhat bizarre dessert consisting of pecan ice cream, quince jelly, old cheddar, and butter cookies. He felt the last one, while scattershot, was an ingenious reinvention of the "cheese platter" (with nuts, jam, cookies, and cheese). Anyway, he would suggest that you go to Laloux just for the desserts and share a bunch of them (or better yet, to Pop!, the casual wine bar next door, which shares much of Laloux's menu, including the desserts). Personally, I think the desserts veer too far in the direction of "playful and innovative" at the expense of coherence of flavor, but I can see what he likes about them.
Review of Madre restaurant on Masson street
We went to Madre Friday night. My husband called ahead to make sure they could make me a vegetarian meal. They served me a celery root soup as a starter (the other option was a beet salad). The soup was surprisingly light, I almost think it was vegan. The soup was very simple, just tasted like pureed celery root. It was enhanced by the inclusion of some very flavorful and crisp diced cucumber, and some piquant red bell peppers. It was supposed to contain chorizo, which they left out for me, and that probably would have added a missing dimension. My husband had a "duck ceviche" which he loved, and even I agreed it looked interesting and delicious. The ceviche was seared duck marinated in a spicy amarillo pepper sauce (the bright yellow pepper sauce you get at a Peruvian store). It also had onions, parsnip puree, and roasted corn kernels (dried kernels that you use for popcorn). Definitely a winner.
For the entree there was no vegetarian option so the chef made me a homey South-American inspired pasta dish. The dish was a large bowl of cavatelli (which were almost gnocci-like in their chewiness) in a pesto sauce, topped with a sunny side up egg, a bit of queso fresco, and a garnish of pickled beets. It was fine, the flavors went together, but it wasn't exciting, and wouldn't look forward to having it again. My husband ordered the braised veal cheeks braised in beer and coriander, atop quinoa (a Peruvian grain). He said it was tasty but not an inspiring preparation, and he would have liked more of the pickled vegetable garnish.
For dessert there was only one option: a tres leches sponge cake, topped in a mango chutney and avocado ice cream. I liked the chutney but found the cake bland and the avocado ice cream was lacking in flavor (not salty or sweet enough). My husband tried both red wines that were available by the glass and said both were fine, but more options would be appreciated. The price before tip was around $110, similar to Laloux where we went earlier in the week. All in all, we had a similar overall experience to our meal at Laloux (not bad, but disappointing), but Madre's modest decor and (lack of) atmosphere definitely suffered by comparison.
Best pizza in MTL
My husband and I tried to go to Bottega tonight, but it's closed until January 7th. Then we walked by Napoletana but the line was endless. Next we tried Au Cinquieme Peche, but it was dark, with no sign on the door saying when it might open. So we ended up at Piazzetta (4097 St-Denis), a Quebec pizza chain. We ordered a 14 inch pizza, half pesto pizza (on a tomato sauce base), and the other half a spicy "diablo" pizza with a spiced tomato sauce, green olives, and peppers and onions. We both agreed the crust was not very good, but at least it was thin so detract too much from the toppings, which in the case of the diablo pizza were quite flavorful. The pesto pizza was not very interesting (I thought the pesto tasted canned), but it was not unpleasant. The pizza crust was very white, very thin, but not particularly crisp, and completely lacking in flavor. The 14 inch pizza was perfect for two people. We also ordered dessserts, both of which were not at all good.
Where to buy Moroccan preserved lemons?
I saw preserved lemons today at Jean-Talon Bazar (the "Indian" store) on Jean Talon near the Parc metro stop. They were the same brand I purchased last week at the little Mediterranean store on St. Laurent.
Curry leaves and fenugreek seeds
I travelled to this stretch of Jean-Talon today in search of my Indian ingredients. I found the chickpea flour, mung dal, dried chilies, and urad dal, but surpisingly neither Jean-Talon Bazar nor two of the small mom and pops had fresh curry leaves. As a matter of fact, they didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked for them. "Fresh?" they asked with confused looks on their faces, and tried to point me to the curry powder. I also couldn't find toor/toovar dal, although they did have whole pigeon peas. I forgot to look for amchoor, dried mango powder, or for tamarind paste.
Ethnic markets
Where precisely is Marche Bangkok? I wanted to get some kaffir lime leaves, and I know I can get them at Thai Hour, but I was wondering if Marche Bangkok was closer.
A restaurant with delicious but unusual desserts?
Should I not admit that I don't know what pain doré is? I tried doing a google search but only got back the bakery.
A restaurant with delicious but unusual desserts?
Oh yeah, I forgot that we went there last summer as well, for the tasting menu. I don't remember what we got specifically but I remember that it wasn't very memorable, taste wise. I think the fun of it was more in the concept than the taste combinations. But thanks for reminding me! I'm always willing to give a place a second chance. Can anyone else vouch for the desserts there?
A restaurant with delicious but unusual desserts?
I want to take my husband out for dessert, and he's particularly fond of unusual and creative desserts, especially a mix of savory/salty with sweet. We had a marvelous tomato/basil/shortbread dessert at Au Cinquième Péché last summer, and I might try going back there. I've heard good things about the desserts at Laloux, but when we went last summer although the food was delicious (even the vegetarian food), the desserts fell flat. But that was only one visit, perhaps I should try again? But before heading back to Au Cinquième Péché or Laloux I thought I'd see if anyone else has any suggestions for where to go for dessert. A romantic atmosphere, perhaps with live (but low key) music, would be a plus, as it's for our anniversary.
Where to buy Moroccan preserved lemons?
I went there this evening. It's called La Mediterranean or something like that. They had to search and search and finally they pulled a jar out of the back. They weren't what I was expecting. Before when I made preserved lemons I sliced them and stacked them with salt (and sometimes vinegar), but these were whole (but tiny) lemons, floating in salt water, no vinegar at all. Is that what I should have expected?
Where to buy Moroccan preserved lemons?
I know this is an old post, but I stopped by Lobo and couldn't find any preserved lemons. The guy working there said they never have any. I was glad I stopped in, however, as they had a number of other items I was looking for. They have a surprising number of foods you'd find at a natural foods store, along with all the middle eastern products.
Curry leaves and fenugreek seeds
Can anyone else confirm regarding Jarry?
Thanks Carswell for the Plamondon area info. I'm going to try the Jean-Talon locations first, but if that doesn't suffice I'll head in that direction.
Curry leaves and fenugreek seeds
Thanks, I've never been to that stretch. I'm going to check it out!
