Le Pistou (January 25th 2009)

Our second attempt trying Le Pistou (4489, rue de la Roché) in the Plateau was a success. (Not to be confused with the dinner version of the restaurant- "Le Pistou Bistro" located at 1453, Mont-Royal E) This busy montreal breakfast hotspot is really tough to get into if you arrive anytime after 11AM. We met there around 10AM to avoid the crowds are were not dissapointed.

I have to say, this was probably one of the best breakfasts I have ever had! I ordered the duck benedictwith golden fried apples and an "au jus" sauce. The balance of salty/sweet was a flavourful explosion in my mouth - an almost divine experience. A green salad, freash fruit and a mini banana muffin were also served with the plate. The salad dressing wasn't that great nor was the muffin...but the rest of the plate was deliscious. Sure the food was not cheap. My meal, plus coffee (It should be illegal for breakfast places to charge for coffee), plus tip rang up around 16.50$. But I think it was worth it!

The restaurant is a bright 2-storey long and narrow place. We ate on the first floor, but I recommend trying for a seat upstairs to avoid the cool breeze that comes in every time the door opens, and to also avoid sitting amongst the LONG line up of patrons hoping to get a seat.

This is certainly not a place I'd go to every weekend given the price and necessity of waking up extra early to avoid the crowd - but it was certainly a breakfast I won't soon forget.


Rating: 3.75 sporks on 5

The Breakdown:
Food (was it edible): 4.5/5
Value (was it worth the $$): 3.5/5
Ambiance (would you become "cool" just by being there): 3.5/5
Service (did they spit in your food): 3.5/5

Café Les Entretiens (Jan 13th 2009)

Situated on a quiet stretch of Laurier avenue, Café Les Entretiens was a great discovery (1577, ave. Laurier E). Not too crowded on a weekday morning and good value for the food and location.

This resto-café has a laid-back atmosphere with wooden floors and a gorgeous tin ceiling. The ceiling is about 20 feet hight so it feels really big and bright. Artwork adorns one wall and posters for local events the other. The bathroom comes complete with Confucian quotes.

I had a standard 2-egg breakfast with homemade fried potatoes, choice of bread, ham, cheddar cheese and coffee. They served the coffee with a side of warmed-milk. Nice touch. At 7$ plus tax this simple and delicious dish was well worth it. The chorizo omelet was also a good choice.

The service was also very friendly. The only drawback for me was that there was no wireless internet at the café - so it's hard to do work there. But for breakfast with friends, a great bet.

Rating: 3.75 sporks on 5

The Breakdown:
Food (was it edible): 3.5/5
Value (was it worth the $$): 4/5
Ambiance (would you become "cool" just by being there): 3.5/5
Service (did they spit in your food): 4/5

St-Viateur Bagel & Café (Jan 11th 2009)

The Breakfast Club ventured into the ever-busy Plateau neighbourhood for this week’s review. Places were packed and wait-times long so we finally settled on St-Viateur Bagel & Café situated at1127 av. Mont-Royal est.

The place was packed…but at least there was no line-up. The five of us huddled around two small round tables towards the front of the restaurant waiting to be served…after what felt like 30 minutes later, we finally were.

I’m actually not sure we should classify this place a “breakfast” joint. Yes there are bagels…yes there is coffee…and yes you can order an egg on a bagel…but this is where the breakfast fun stops.

Firstly, almost all the bagels on the menu are served as sandwiches with either soup or salad accompanying them.

I ordered the “jaws” bagel plate (a tuna salad sandwich) with an artichoke salad on the side. There is a large selection of bagels there and I chose the tasty “everything bagel.” Bagels here are cooked on-site in a wood oven (Just like at the original St. Viateur Bagel.) They are fresh, authentic and delicious. My meal was quite delicious although I found the tuna salad to be a little dry (-they served mayo on the side instead of in the sandwich?) Although my meal was tasty, it was really lunch fare – not breakfast. And, as with most lunch-places, coffee is not included with the price of the meal (a real-drawback in my opinion.) My breakfast with the coffee cost 13.75 + tip.

I have to say the service was quite lacking. While our waiter was a nice guy, it took forever to be served, and he also made several errors in the service (Ian did not get the drink he ordered and they forgot to put the pesto on David’s Turkey-pesto bagelwich).

Ambience-wise the place is nice enough. It is cool to see the bagels being cooked…but I felt like the place kind of couldn’t make up its mind what it wanted to be…French-style bistro, casual café, or chic loungesque plateau eatery. The combo of round marble tables, industrial-chic brick walls, and chichi crystal chandeliers was a bit nauseating. They should keep it real – you're serving bagels – decorate accordingly.

Over-all Rating: 2.5-sporks on 5
The Breakdown:
Food (was it edible): 4/5
Value (was it worth the $$): 2/5 (not good value for breakfast - for lunch it is fine)
Ambiance (would you become "cool" just by being there): 2.5/5
Service (did they spit in your food): 2/5

BAGEL ETC.
Debby's Review

10 minutes d'attente avant d'être conduits à une petite table au fond du restaurant. Oui, "Bagel Etc." a du succès, même si ce café-restaurant semble avoir été décoré par une grand-mère accro à la colle et à Justice. Le mobilier est un improbable bric-à-brac années 30, avec une touche bohème qui parait dire : ici on sert des brunchs authentiques et on se prend pas la tête.

Comme souvent, décor et habitants se ressemblent. Vous trouverez ici des bandes de copains affamés, des couples au saut du lit, des parents râlant mollement après leurs enfants en mâchouillant du bacon. En bref, une atmosphère relax, pas show off pour deux sous.

Seul vrai point noir : le bruit. Vieille bâtisse, plafonds hauts et absence totale d'isolation phonique. En cas de gueule de bois, la moindre remarque du voisin vous explose à la face comme un canon de Navarone, et ça fait mal.

Cela dit, l'assiette breakfast classique est honnête : un bagel, du beurre, deux œufs tournés cuits à la perfection (ni trop, ni trop peu) une tranche de jambon grillé, une bonne dose de pommes de terre sautées. Bref, une assiette fournie, roborative et goûteuse, avec mention passable pour les saucisses un peu trop grasses à mon goût.

...Tout ça pour moins de 10$, que demande le peuple ?

Rating: 3 sporks on 5

The Breakdown:
Food (was it edible): 3/5
Value (was it worth the $$): 4/5
Ambiance (would you become "cool" just by being there): 3/5
Service (did they spit in your food): 2.5/5

New Year's Brunch (Bagel etc. - Jan. 3rd 2009)

The Breakfast Club kicked-off 2009 at Bagel Etc... (4320 boul. St. Laurent). All members of the club, with the exception of a certain Mr. Shohet, were there. - But there to take David's place was our French food critic; the always-lovely, forever-sarcastic, and eternally-amazing Deborah.

Bagel etc. is a funky, art-deco café-restaurant serving up tasty breakfast eats. The place is an old haunt of musician/poet Leonard Cohen. In honour of Mr. Cohen, Bagel etc..., the New Year, and my resolution to have a more positive outlook for 2009, I'd like to post the following:

The Music Crept By Us

I would like to remind
the management
that the hat-check girl
has syphilis
and the band is composed
of former SS monsters
However since it is
New Year's Eve
and I have lip cancer
I will place my
paper hat on my
concussion and dance.

--Leonard Cohen

Here's to many good eats, new breakfast discoveries, and time spent with good friends in 2009!

Karen's Review
I like this place. It's very Montreal and close to my home - what more could I ask for! The decor is really cool - a mix of old garage sale finds, your grandma's old antiques, and art-deco light fixtures. Extra-points for the private bathroom. You might have to wait in line...but you can do your business in privacy. The coffee is decent and keeps coming (unless you are Ian who orders a fancy-pants coffee and is therefore not entitled to a refill). The Bagels are authentic and the food isn't too pricey. A great place to meet friends on Sunday morning and bump into familiar faces - or people you wish weren't so familiar. I had the Huevos Rancheros for 8.95$ - Cheap, spicy and served on a Bagel (Just how I like my men ;)

Over-all Rating: 4-sporks on 5
The Breakdown:
Food (was it edible): 4/5
Value (was it worth the $$): 4/5
Ambiance (would you become "cool" just by being there): 4.5/5
Service (did they spit in your food): 3.5/5