Any Indian store will have it, but I always buy this product at Akhavan at NDG. It's a key ingredient in green chutney (a popular Indian snack).

I believe I have the perfect venue: Café Griffintown. The food is delicious and inventive, not too too expensive (menu, with prices, is online), and it's close to the Bell Centre (about a 10-minute walk). The atmosphere is very warm, with brick walls, high ceilings, friendly people. The only thing is, it will probably be a little quiet on a Tuesday, as many of your fellow game-goers will unwittingly choose one of the nearby tourist traps, Irish pubs, sports bars, or all-around terrible restaurants for their pre-game feasting.

Make sure you go to the one at 1378 Notre-Dame Ouest as there is another place with the same name a little further west, on the same street. Not saying that's a bad place, but I haven't been there and it's more of a café.

All of the places/areas suggested by wilmagrace and unlaced are all really great, but perhaps not as close - I always find googlemaps is my best friend for gauging walking distances in strange cities.

Have fun!

I second Bombay Choupati - it's a gem.

Thanks for the report! Did you get any indication whatsoever, while you were there, as to the reason for the name?

I'd recommend Tandoor et Grille, an Indian BYOW on Sources (I understand they have recently moved so pls call them to confirm their address). On a recent visit with my family (who are of Indian origin) we found every dish we tried to be flavourful and made with fresh ingredients.

Have been going, this past Sunday included, to Tong Sing, corner de la Gauchetiere and St. Dominique. Mon Nan is right underneath.

Passed by last night at the end of the night and had a drink and a really lovely tiramisu which was NOT served in a martini glass - how novel. Menu looks promising - will try it out soon and report back.

Have you ever tried Q tonic? It's all natural and pretty tasty, but quite a bit more $ than regular tonic. I know they sell it at La Vieille Europe on St-Laurent, and it's served at a few Mtl establishments.

If you're walking around Old Montreal and want to get a delicious but pricey sandwich and soup, and see where the local go on their lunch break, go to Olive & Gourmando (351 St. Paul West). It gets VERY busy at lunchtime though and I think they are closed on Mondays. Another cute place (and a little less pricey) for lunch in OM is Cafe Luna (469 St. Francois-Xavier). The proprietress is super sweet.

For dinner, I very highly recommend Cafe Griffintown (1378 Notre-Dame West). They have a fun menu, a very pleasant ambiance, and it's within your price range. It's a short metro or cab ride away. Go early on a Friday evening and hear some blues along with your meal.

Finally, my favourite pho spot in Chinatown is Pho Bang New York (1001 St. Laurent) but I haven't strayed much from there.

Enjoy Montreal!

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Pho Bang New York
1001 Boul Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2Z1J4, CA

Thanks for the tip, and sorry for the misinformation!

Wow, thanks for all the recommendations! I'll definitely check out some of these places.

For those near Atwater or JTM, though, I do recommend the nuts stands there. I think they are both called "Les noix du marche".

You're right about the cheese - it definitely could have been hotter. It wasn't so much 'grilled' as it was 'carelessly seared'. And I'm glad to hear we weren't alone in our underwhelmed-ness about the service. Any resto can have a bad night, but it's sad when a good place (as evidenced by all the rave reviews above) shows signs of lack of care.

Have been buying cashews and pecans at Akhavan in NDG, and sometimes going for the flavoured nuts from the nut guy in Atwater Market. I have also heard good things about a little wholesale place near Marche Central. Can anyone recommend other good spots for nuts in the Montreal area? Looking for the elusive price:quality ratio.

Gave this place a try last night as it had been on 'the list' for a while. I have to preface my comments with the admission that we called at 8:45 pm on a Saturday night to ask if they had place, and were told to come at 9. The place is obviously wildly popular, and the later kitchen hours probably play a role. There were quite a few large groups.

Impromptu Saturday night reservation notwithstanding, I thought the service was a little unfriendly. Our waiter almost seemed exasperated when telling us they were all out of the beef tartare (served only on weekends), telling us, "ben, vous etes trop tard!" He also appeared impatient when we hesitated only slightly in choosing the wine. He was obviously extremely busy, especially as he had several groups, but I have a hard time enjoying dinner when I feel like I'm getting in the waiter's way. We observed the couple beside us making similar remarks. It wasn't terrible at all, and he seemed to get friendlier as the night went on (perhaps dipping into some arak in the kitchen?) but just not the warmest of welcomes. It was a little slow too, what with all the groups, but that was quite understandable.

We enjoyed the food: though. Basturma was strong and heady and perfectly accompanied by a mound of labneh, mouhammara was good but will never compare to my friend's Syrian mother's, the grilled cheese mezze (name escapes me) was interesting and subtle, and much improved by a squeeze of lemon. The kefteh was fantastic - perfectly spiced and piping hot. Meal for 2 with a bottle of wine was $90 with taxes but not tip.

I think the next time we're in the mood for Syrian food (and my friend's mum isn't available), we'll probably make the trek to Le Petit Alep, given the very warm and friendly service we've experienced there before.

Have just returned from there, and am thrilled to report that it's really them! They've been in this new location (989 Jean-Talon O.) for 3 months. Apparently they were in the Gazette not too long ago.

The food was very tasty and fresh and seemed to be of the same high quality as at the old DB. We had channa samosa, a very rich and flavourful chicken tikka masala, vegetable jalfrezi, a lovely buttery naan, and mango lassis. The three staff members we met were all sweet and pleasant - servers at other, far more expensive restos should take a lesson. Prices still very fair. And the front window is adorned with a large quantity of festive coloured lights.

I will be back very soon.

Are you serious?! This is fantastic news indeed. Will check it out tonight. Thanks so much, chililala!

Tried this place today, for a colleague's birthday lunch, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

On the plus side, it's a really nice space, and they had great music playing.

Each of us really enjoyed our main courses - mine was a "midi express" special (cotelette de cochonnet with roasted vegetables and mustard sauce) and others seemed to be really happy with their burgers and beef tartares. The fries were a standout.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that there is a missing link at the customer service level. I was first tipped off by the carelessly scrawled chalkboard menu (is it so hard to write legibly?) and the blast of cold air assaulting our table - we made a couple of jokes about being cold but the waitress didn't seem to notice or care. Those are small, stupid things but the skepticism peaked when the soup arrived (see image below). Billed as a "butternut soup", it was watery, essentially flavourless, and contained a truly minuscule amount of bacon bits (why bother, if you're going to include such a quantity?). To add insult to injury, it was served in massive bowl, despite containing exactly 8 spoonfuls of soup (my boss counted). Several of us asked the waitress - "where's the rest of it?" and she enthusiastically replied that it just looked tiny because of the big bowl.

The main course redeemed the experience somewhat, but it's the little things that unfortunately taint an experience.

BBQ Montreal
372 St. Paul West
Old Montreal

- Cafe Luna D'Oro (469 St-Francois-Xavier) (cute spot painted yellow and owned by a very nice lady. good coffee and small selection of pastries made on the spot.)
- Le Petit Hotel (168 St-Paul ouest) (it's a hotel, but they make wonderful coffee! not a bakery though)
- Another vote for Olive & Gourmando (351 St-Paul ouest) (great pastries and croissants - sandwiches too, overpriced coffee, cozy decor)
- Marche de la Villette (324 St-Paul ouest) (French-themed spot, a little cheezy, but they have French pastries on hand and accordion music always playing, if that's your thing)
- Cafe Bistro Serafim (393 St-Paul est) (interesting spot, eveything is made there, heavy emphasis on organic products. the zucchini cake, though a bit pricey, is absolutely delicious)

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Serafim
393 St Paul E, Montreal, QC H2Y1H3, CA

Cafe Luna
9181 Boul Maurice-Duplessis, Montreal, QC H1E6M3, CA

I agree about Globe - pretty mediocre food, but probably a good scene for a bachelor party. A better choice, in Old Montreal (please don't say "Old Town"!) is L'Orignal, which has great regional food, fun atmosphere, and is usually a great place to stick around for drinks and merriment. It's close to Garde Manger (mentioned in above post) but they have more space and could easily do a group of 10. If you don't make it there for dinner, go for a late-night poutine (the late menu starts at 11pm and ends when the restaurant closes, usually around 3). It's a bit pricier than the fast food joints on St-Laurent but you will not be disappointed.

http://www.restaurantlorignal.com/

A great spot for brunch on Sunday would be Cafe Griffintown. If anyone in the group hasn't done sufficient damage to their arteries by that point, they could try the breakfast burger, homemade with half beef, quarter duck, and quarter lamb, and topped with cheddar and onions. The rest of the menu is great, the atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious, and they know how to make caesars (the Canadian, and dare I say better, version of a bloody mary, made with clamato, and the perfect hangover antidote).

http://griffintowncafe.com/

I would have to warn against Holder - the food is really not that great.

I was just in Naples where I had the best pizza of my LIFE, recommended by a Napolitan friend. If you go, stick with the basic toppings (marinara or margherita) and you may not be mercilessly ridiculed by locals.

Pizzeria Sorbillo
Via dei Tribunali, 32 80138 Napoli (Campania), Italy

I would not recommend eating in Sorrento - I think each and every restaurant in the town caters specifically to English tourists.

Montreal has quite a few Portguese rotisserie chicken spots.
This board should be teeming with suggestions.

Have you tried Vieille Europe?

Agreed. I work around the corner and always groan that we are having yet another office lunch there.

No - sorry! But how was it?

I second Rumi - they have a very nice brunch.

I also love Griffintown Cafe (the one at 1378 Notre-Dame West, just west of de la Montagne). They have a few tables in the back.

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Rumi
5198 Rue Hutchison, Outremont, QC H2V4A9, CA

The one at the Lion is quite good.

Seconded! I love this place.
They have some sort of Sunday brunch buffet too for an obscenely low price, like $10.

Two spots that come to mind are Le Local (740 William St) and Cafe Ferreira (1446 Peel St), but I'd recommend going to check out the rooms to see if they fit your vibe. Good luck!

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Le Local
740 rue William, Montréal, QC H3C 1P1, CA

Amazing Chinese food at Golden Stone - 1439 St. Mathieu St., very near to where you're staying, and if you haven't tried soup dumplings, check out Qing Hua Dumplings (1676 Lincoln St.), also nearby.

Another Montreal institution near where you'll be is Boustan (2020 Crescent St.) - have a shish taouk sandwich, or ask for "the creation" (not on the menu, I don't think).

If you like pad thai, there is a fantastic one in the Faubourg Ste-Catherine, at Bangkok Express.

Enjoy Montreal!

We just ate at a place called L'Echaudé. http://www.echaude.com/ The ambiance was warm (more local than non), the service impeccable, and the food outstanding.