Rumi (5198 rue Hutchison): I'm a big fan of dinner from Rumi. This summer, one of our favourite go-to lazy meals was ordering a bunch of dips for takeout (muhamarra, labneh, baba ghannouj, etc) and eating them out on the balcony. I'd heard good things about Rumi's brunch, so we finally decided to try it out. The restaurant was strangely empty. Normally an empty restaurant is slightly uncomfortable, but because the place is so warmly decorated with hanging plants and Turkish quilts and things, we weren't bothered by the empty tables. In retrospect maybe we should have taken it as a sign. Despite being the only customers, our orders took forever, and, when I finally got my food, we were told that the chef had overcooked Andrew's eggs and he would have to wait another 5 minutes. The 5 minutes stretched into 20, and by the time his food arrived, I was practically done my meal. The waiter didn't ask us once if we wanted any more coffee to drink, or bread or even how we were doing, and only at the end of the meal when I asked if he could waive the cost of the coffee because of the wait did he take the time to truly apologize. His excuse: "It's harder to serve when you don't have any customers." Really? I rarely get annoyed with waiters at restaurants, especially at brunch - I understand it's a shitty shift. I've read enough Anthony Bourdain to know that most restauranteurs hate brunch, period. But this experience really rankled me, to be honest. It was the worst brunch I've had in Montreal, and that's saying a lot.

Cafe Comme Chez Soi (107 Fairmount Ouest): Last year at this time my favourite brunch find was La Cantine. I'm still fond of the place, but in the past few months, some of the details that made it so good have lost their shine. Luckily there are about 5 million brunch options within a 15 minute radius from home, and, ladies and gentleman, Andrew and I have found a new favourite. Cafe Comme Chez Soi is a tiny, tiny place, just up the street from Fairmount bagels. The food isn't gourmet like The Sparrow, but it's still pretty perfect and you don't have to wait 45 minutes for a table. The Comme Chez Soi breakfast has the maple syrupiest baked beans I've had in the city and they're never stingy with the fruit. The eggs benedict is wonderful, and today I watched as the cook whipped up the hollondaise sauce on the spot at the small stove in the back. Bonus: the people who work at the restaurant are kind and friendly. Guys, go here for breakfast! But don't go all at once - like I said, it's pretty small. And don't steal our table either.

The Sparrow (5322 blvd Saint-Laurent): This relatively new spot is insanely popular for many good reasons. The food, most importantly, has been impeccable the two times I've been (between myself and my dining companions we've had salmon scrambled eggs, chanterelles + eggs + soda bread, an English pub breakfast (including boudin) and banana chocolate donuts). A pricier brunch, but worth every additional dollar. The decor is warm and cozy, all dark wood and wallpaper in that charming gastropub kind of way. Unfortunately its popularity means that wait times are a little out of control on weekends. We tried going for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and by the time we arrived (10:30ish), there was already a long line of people, and we were told that a table for two would take 40-45 minutes. I love brunch and I love good food, but there are too many other options in the neighbourhood to wait that long. I'm looking forward to trying dinner here or coming in the evening for a drink when the lineups are (hopefully) more manageable.

La Cantine (212 Ave Mont Royal E): I'm almost hesitant to write about this place because it's such a treasure. It opened in the past few months, and we can still walk over and get a table right away, and I like that. The fact that it calls itself a "bistro boutique" and has a cool, kind of loungey decor might not make you question whether they prefer style over substance, but don't be fooled. The brunches here are wonderful and... psst, even better - they can be cheap. Let me show you what you get for $6.50:

Eggs, potatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese, fruit and toast. Sounds pretty typical, but it's rare that you get these breakfast foods cooked so well. The eggs were perfect. The cheddar was old and sharp and got all melty when piled on the toasted baguette. Andrew had ham instead of bacon, and it wasn't your regular processed breakfast ham - it was actual porky chunks of real meat. They also have more atypical brunch foods, like a creme brule yogurt or pistachio french toast or grilled cheese with apples. The coffee is excellent. We've even come here for dinner and weren't disapointed (you can actually get mini Pogos!). So, go, especially if the lineup at L'Avenue is way too long!

Pâtisserie De Gascogne (237 Laurier O): This is now a 10 minute walk from my apartment, which is a little dangerous. This bakery is divine, and for those mornings where you don't want a full out brunch, it's nice to drop in and pick up a chocolatine or pastry and a cup of delicious, strong coffee and walk around the neighbourhood. It feels a little fancy. They also do their own version of the breakfast sandwich (croissant, egg, ham = YUM).

L’Avenue du Plateau (922 Ave Mont Royal E): I can’t believe I haven’t talked about L’Avenue on this site. This is the kind of breakfast place that is ridiculously popular, and if you try going on a Saturday morning around 11 am, the line is certain to be snaking out the door, even in the dead of winter. So I prefer to go as early as possible, like 8:30 or 9 am (I can only usually motivate myself to be up and out on a weekend morning if I have guests or if I’m jet lagged). But L’Avenue is good. The breakfasts, whatever you choose, are always delicious, the waiters are always cute, and even if you’ve used their bathroom multiple times, you are always surprised by it (it’s kind of trippy).

Le Cagibi (5490 Blvd St Laurent): My favourite thing to get at Cagibi is not breakfast. It’s a warm Rachel’s Remedy (a delicious, medicinal drink composed of ginger, whiskey and honey) with one of the ethereal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. The earliest I’ve had this combination is around 1 p.m., so perhaps it could fall into the "brunch" category, but if you want something a little more substantial, Cagibi also serves things like breakfast burritos and tofu scrambles. I know a tofu scramble may not sound like the most exciting thing, trust me when I say they’re good. A must (if not for brunch, then at least a drink or baked good, or a burrito) for your visiting vegan indie rocker friends.

Beauty’s (93 Avenue du Mont-Royal Ouest): This is another Montreal institution, but the lineup is always so long that I never have the patience to wait it out. It’s all retro and diner-y. I’ve had wonderful pancakes here, and you can buy the maple syrup in cute little bottles that you can bring home as a souvenir. To tell you the truth, I would probably rather go to Bagel Etc, which isn’t too far away.

La Grand-Mère poule (1361, ave Mont Royal E): There are a few locations scattered throughout Montreal, but I’m most familiar with the one on Mont Royal. A cute little place that looks like it was indeed decorated by your grandma who lives in the country and does needlepoint. You can get a good, cheap eggs and bacon or pancake breakfast, but I personally always go for the rostis. My favourite is the Geneve, which is a delicious, heart-attack inducing mess of fried potatoes, sour cream, bacon and spinach. The spinach makes it healthy, obviously.

Chez Cora (various locations): If you’re visiting Montreal for a short period and only have time to do one proper brunch, don’t go to Cora’s, dude. I mean, yeah, it’s fun and decent, kinda like going to a Golden Griddle or IHOP or Denny’s or whatever, but there are so many other options in this city! That being said, I think Cora’s is better than Golden Griddle/IHOP/Denny’s, so if lineups for other places are too long and you’re on a schedule, you’ll probably get a table at Cora’s much quicker and you won't regret it. I’m a sucker for the French toast (topped with bacon!) or a ham and cheese crepe. But in terms of Quebecois breakfast chains, I prefer Eggspectations.

Eggspectations (various locations): My co-workers and I often go to Eggspectations on Fridays for lunch for our end-of-week treat. Breakfast for lunch on a Friday makes you feel like the weekend has already started. I am a big fan of the Bagel Eggspectations: bacon and egg on a bagel, with home fries on the side.

Senzala (4218, rue De La Roche or 177 Bernard): There are two locations, but I’ve only been to the one in Mile End. Senzala is a Brazillian restaurant and the brunch portions are huge. Think: an entire avocado split in two and topped with poached eggs in each half, smothered in cheese sauce. Add a a side of potatoes, grilled fruit and plantains. These big meals have the potential to turn into a big soupy mess on your plate, which can be unappetizing, but generally I’ve left feeling full and ready to take on the weekend. You also get a fun carafe of coffee at your table. And afterwards you can visit the Drawn and Quarterly store down the street.

Los Clasicos (4561 St-Laurent): The brunch that made me think, "God, I need to update my blog so I can write about this place". This Mexican restaurant gave Andrew and I the most satisfying brunch ever: huevos rancheros, chilaquiles (my favourite: fried tortilla strips that are simmered until soft, slathered in salsa, topped with eggs and queso.) Good coffee, nacho chips and salsa to start, and the friendliest staff. Prices were reasonable. I am predicting many trips here, and I haven’t even tried their dinner.

Breakfast at home: Now that the weather is nicer, there is something satisfying about a nice weekend breakfast at home, puttering around in pjs, windows thrown open, sunlight streaming in. Saturday morning, pre-market, I noticed we had a half loaf of day old bread, a few eggs and not much else. So, French toast via the lovely Everybody Likes Sandwiches blog.



And then on Sunday it was warm bread, butter and grape jelly.



Warm, homemade bread, thanks to Jim Lahey's no knead bread, which I finally, finally, got around to making this weekend. At about 6 pm last night I was convinced the dough was dead and flat (I've been scarred - my last bread making attempt was at Christmas, when I accidentally misread the recipe and added 3 TABLESPOONS of sugar to the flour). I resigned myself to bread making failure and drank a glass of white wine. I had used active dry yeast since I didn't have instant, and assumed this was my mistake. So, I was surprised Sunday morning when I realized that the dough was actually yeasty and springy. I folded it for the second rise, and low and behold it rose again. When it emerged from the oven, I was triumphant. I took pictures of it like it was my first child and held my head close to the crust to listen to the crackle of the bread as it cooled. And then we ate it.

Reservoir (9, avenue Duluth Est): Reservoir is a thing of beauty: all gorgeous rustic wood and big, sunny windows looking onto Duluth. Most people come here for the microbrewed beer, but Reservoir also serves these amazingly gourmet brunches. For instance, their take on the classic bacon and eggs is sophisticated: perfectly fried eggs with lurid, bright yellow yolks paired with thick slices of smoked lard. Smoked lard has a pillowy fatness to it that can be a bit much for people, so be prepared. I’ve had a nice thick stack of pancakes topped in a banana caramel sauce here once, and freshly baked brioche another time. It’s spendier than most brunch places, so you probably won’t be coming every weekend, but it’s perfect for those mornings where you’re feeling a little indulgent.

A Reservoir meal:



Don’t be fooled by the photos – the portions make look small, but the food is rich.

It’s sugaring off season in Quebec and after a scoop of tire à l'érable ice cream from Bilboquet earlier in the week, Andrew and I had maple syrup on the brain. We woke up late on Saturday morning and decided that the best way to kick off the weekend would be a traditional cabane à sucre lunch. We did a little bit of Internet research to avoid a place teeming with bus loads of people, that wasn’t too expensive (because face it, whether the meal is $15 or $25, we knew we were going to feel ill by the end), that wasn’t too close, but wasn’t too far. So, Erablière La Tradition in the Lanaudière region it was.

A traditional cabane à sucre meal is not for the faint of heart. Especially the vegetarian faint of heart. We settled into one of the long benches and started tucking into the food.



Soft rolls spread with cretons (let the pork begin!). Packaged rolls are kind of gross, but occasionally we get cravings for them.


The only flash of colour in the meal came from the pickled stuffs.


The lightest course: pea soup and coleslaw.


Pork rinds, fèves au lard and whole roasted potatoes. Despite my love of fried, horrible foods, pork rinds are just a little too much for me. Andrew happily chowed down, though.



More pork! Oddly mushy and unattractive sausages that I strangely enjoyed, especially drizzled in syrup, ham, and eggs.


Just in case you're still craving pork, a nice porcine stew.

And don't forget desert! Fried dough with maple syrup and maple tarts (the tarts not pictured).


When we left they were just preparing the tire sur la neige, which we ate despite full bellies.


With all that food in our systems we were ready for a day of chopping wood or heavy farm work, but instead we drove back to Montreal and napped until it got dark. Whoops!