Parmacafe is a cute Italian snack bar and Pret-A-Manger named after the quaint town of Parma that serves authentic Italian food that will knock your socks off. It is the original home of Parmigiano cheese, prosciutto, cured meats and balsamic vinegar. Now, Parmacafe has a branch in the Montreal’s downtown core.
Open from 7AM until 10PM during the week and 9AM until 10PM on weekends, Parmacafe is always there for you. This cafe is open seven days a week, perfect for satisfying your Italian cravings. It is the ultimate comfort food place and the decor is neat.
Amongst all the baked goods here, my favourite is the Nutella Horn Pastries. The Cannolis are great too.
The coffee is delicious too!
The food? The portions are huge so come hungry. The arancini is my favourite in town and that stood out the most to me. The sandwiches are also up there.
All in all, Parmacafe is rad for snacks and coffee. It is a great place for quick office lunches and for a slow cup of coffee when it’s not busy. It isn’t one where you would go to impress someone but somewhere you would take someone you are already comfortable with. I would certainly return for the coffee. Food wise, it is the place for you if you’re super hungry or love carbs.
Hà currently has three branches of restaurants and a bar in Montreal. Hà is a tribute to Mr. Hà, the Vietnamese chef who inspired it all but passed away in 2015.
I personally am not the biggest fan of pho – it’s everywhere, and it’s kind of boring. You can find beef noodles in a lot of other cuisines – Malaysian, Taiwanese… so I am glad that Hà has more to their menu than just pho.
Hà’s menu in fact, is a mesh of Mr. Ha’s Vietnamese classics and Chef Ross’s Laotian culture. Food is also inspired by seasonal produce, other South East Asian flavours (hoping to see more Malaysian/Singaporean twists!), and of course, Montreal.
Vieux-Montreal Entrance
Inside Decor
Hà strives to create an authentic atmosphere for their guests with the traditional Vietnamese concept of the BIA HOI. What is BIA HOI? They are casual street-side restaurants where you eat and share a kitchen.
Saigon Sour #2 ($13) and Pandan Mojito ($13)
Watermelon Cooler ($13)
Here were our drinks. From the left to right, we had the Saigon Sour #2, Pandan Mojito and the Watermelon Cooler (all $13) as recommended by the staff. They were all perfect for the summer and refreshing. My favourite was the Pandan Mojito, it reminded me of home. Back in Malaysia, my mum would lay out pandan leaves in our cars as air freshener. I absolutely love pandan.
Red Tuna Steak ($28)
Tom Yum Salmon ($23)
As for our small plates, we had the Red Tuna Steak ($28) and Tom Yum Salmon ($23). The Red Tuna Steak was served with wakame salad, fresh vegetables, marinated shimeji mushrooms and spicy tamarind sauce. It was our favourite out of the two because of Tuna was well-seared whilst the Salmon lacked the Tom Yum taste – Tom Yum should be super rich in flavour in my books, it’s how I’ve always ate it.
Lemongrass Grilled Chicken ($21)
Coco Curcuma Rice ($4)
As for the main meal, I had the Lemongrass Grilled Chicken ($21) with vermicelli. Although I am not a huge fan of pho, I am a huge fan of bun cha so naturally this would have been my order. The chicken was tender and the vermicelli wasn’t soggy but it wasn’t outstanding in flavour.
You could taste the lemongrass and the fish sauce, but yet there was nothing special about these basic ingredients when they were combined. It was an averagely good bun cha. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either.
We also ordered the Coco Curcuma Rice ($4) because we thought it would be similar to our coconut rice in Malaysian nasi lemak to go with our Hanger steak (below) but it was a let down – the rice weren’t strongly flavoured at all and was dry.
1855 Grilled Hanger Steak ($24)
The 1855 Grilled Hanger Steak ($24) is served with satay sauce, crispy broccoli and spiced peanuts. It was the best dish of the night. The steak was tender but the satay sauce didn’t go as well as I hoped it would with the steak. It may be because I am simply too used to having satay sauce with satay!
Coconut Tapioca ($7)
To round off our meal, we had the Coconut Tapioca ($7) for dessert. It is served with fresh fruits, matcha ice cream and caramelised peanuts. It reminded of the street-style desserts you would find in South East Asia so dessert lived up to our expectations.
Overall, we had a pleasant experience at Hà but it wasn’t an extraordinary one. The food was not totally authentic. Sure they used authentic ingredients, but the bowl of bun cha did not remind me of anything I ate in Hanoi or Hoi An. Hà – great to try but hard to return to.
If you are even thinking about giving up carbs for your 2019 summer body already – stop. I don’t believe in the no/low-carbs diet and I find it very hard to follow. I love carbs. If I didn’t convince you, Signor Vino will!
Signor Vino is a classy Italian restaurant in the heart of Little Italy that has been making a name for itself in this lovely neighbourhood and beyond. It is one of my top 5 places in Montreal to go for Italian now. It is a wine bar that serves food that goes hand in hand with everything they have sourced straight from Italy!
Aperol O’Clock
bread for starters – excellent olive flavour to start the meal
fresh and well-marinated salmon tartareplatter of cold cuts and cheeses – they serve excellent cheeses that go hand in hand with the wine!slightly smoked veal with thinly sliced potatoes and vegetables – the veal was cooked perfectly!some good ole’ pasta made from scratch – mmm mamma mia!amazing lamb skewers – meat was beyond tenderdessert for days – chocolate lava cake oozed amazing hot chocolatethe classic tiramisu – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right?
Overall, the menu doesn’t boast creativity. It has definitely stuck to a lot of Italian classics but that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s good to just go back to basics because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
The service was excellent and they had so many wine recommendations. Their passion really shone through. They also had a deep knowledge of all their wines which was nice to learn about. Decor wise -they’ve kept it minimal and classy. The music isn’t too loud. Perfect for an evening date or a birthday. I 100% recommend Signor Vino for your next wine night. Make sure to check if it’s open (listed below) – the opening hours vary.
A super late post – sorry for the hiatus folks! I ate at Bighi Curry a couple of months ago with a friend and in terms of curry in Montreal, I strongly believe that this is the place for it. A legit curry house in Montreal, say whaaaat?!
I’ve been meaning to write about Bighi for a while and this is me finally doing it! It’s located in the Gay Village area and has very cute decor. It has a very homely vibe that reminded me of the curry houses you could find along the tiny streets in Japan. I absolutely love the mural right by its entrance too.
Pakora ($6)
We went for lunch because we knew they had a great deal. $15 for an appetiser, a main course and a drink. This was our choice to start off with – a plate of fried vegetable pakoras which was very, very fluffy on the inside but crunchy on the outside!
Chicken Katsu Curry ($16)
The Chicken Katsu Curry was really delicious. The curry was thick and smelled like the curry you would find in the small curry stalls tucked around Dotonbori, Osaka. The katsu was also very crispy. We loved that they kept the picked daikon which is hard to find in Montreal!
We also tried the pickled mackerel which was really yummy too! We loved the way it was presented. The dish was very different from the curry – it is similar to Assam Ikan which we have in Malaysia and reminded me of food that you could get at the hawker centres. The fish wasn’t overly pickled and had a good amount of sourness.
Overall, we loved Bighi Curry and will swing by any time again. They even serve Malaysian and Burmese curry from time to time which I am excited to try. They also have brews and cocktails to go with your curry. What’s better than curry and a beer for a meal, eh? Price-wise, it’s very fair – especially for lunch. Worth every penny – we came out full and satisfied. And I wasn’t kidding when their decor is cute – look at the wood furniture!
The first time I went to Mayfair was in my second year of university here in Montréal. My initial thought was that it was a speakeasy but people were dancing so I thought it was just a club because I only went there to dance. However, I have come to learn that it is also a cocktail bar, an alcoholic tea lounge and a restaurant.
Ask anyone who loves cocktails and nightlife in Montréal and they will tell you to go to Mayfair. It is just something that you have to strike off your Montréal bucket list. It has a cool Victorian-era vibe that would be perfect for the modern-day Cinderella. It even has great music, which most bars lack.
The venue looks completely different in the daylight. It looked less of a speakeasy and more of a place where you could have dinner and light conversations with a significant other or a best friend. We started off the evening with cocktails.
Nuit D’Eden ($14)
The Nuit D’Eden was something the manager recommended. I loved the fizzyness of the Aperol. This cocktail was refreshing and had hints of nuts and fruits because of the almond syrup and grapefruit flavour.
Black Dahlia ($14)
The Black Dahlia was light and fruity too. It had hints of fresh apple juice and maple syrup. It looked really pretty as well and it is definitely a cocktail you want to take a picture of and with!
Saffron Sour ($14)
And last but not least we had the Saffron Sour which had hints of passionfruit. It isn’t like any whiskey sour you’ve ever tasted before.
Then we got cracking on our dinner. We were greeted by a platter of delicious-looking salads. The presentation was amazing.
Salad Platter
This was a salad platter to try. Not all of them made it to the new menu. Our favourite was unanimous. It was the cauliflower.
Cauliflower Salad
We loved every bite we had of it – the cauliflower was crunchy and the sweetness of the pomegranate seeds was a perfect combination.
Salade de Bruxelles / Brussel Salad ($9)
This is our second favourite and it did make it to the menu. This brussel salad had oyster mushrooms and was showered in a generous amount of Parmesan, vinaigrette and topped with a quail egg which we loved.
It had a slight sour taste which really woke your taste buds in time for the main courses.
Criss-cross FriesSliders au Poulet Croustillant / Fried Chicken Sliders ($11)
After, we had the Sliders au Poulet Croustillant. They were so delicious. The chicken is crispy and although they claim it to be spicy, I didn’t find it spicy at all.
The mayonnaise was light and you could taste the freshness of the vegetable. The criss-cross fries that accompanied it was also warm and crunchy.
Gravlax de Saumon ($10)
Then, we had a palate cleanser to continue the night. The Salmon Gravlax was beautifully presented but could have been less salty. Nonetheless, the tzatziki softened the saltiness. The yogurt-like texture also added a Greek twist to this Nordic dish.
Bavette de Boeuf / Beef Flank ($17)
We kept going with the Bavette de Boeuf. This flank beef is cut from the abdominal muscles or lower chest. The meat was marinated with chimichurri sauce that could have been less salty too but gave a good jalapeño kick. Other than that, the beef was quite tender.
Surprisingly, I found myself more fond of the mashed potatoes. It was buttery and smooth. It certainly made the dish.
Pâtes Fraîches Maison / House Pasta ($12)
We were a little disappointed with the Gravlax and the Bavette but the House Pasta set Mayfair back on track. The cavatelli was al dente. The mozzarella was excellent. Although this dish won’t remind you of a nonna’s cooking, it is the ultimate modern-day comfort food. Served with bread, the House Pasta is guaranteed to fill your belly up.
That was our last main course and we moved on to dessert.
Brownie ($9)
The desserts are really pretty and the brownie was no exception. This deconstructed brownie was served with strawberries, basil and some mousse.
Although it looked really pretty, the brownie was not as warm as we hoped. It didn’t stand out as much as we hoped because damn, look at how pretty it is!
Crémeux aux Argumes / Cream with Fruits ($9)
And finally, we had the Crémeux which was also deconstructed. The random blobs of meringue was delicious. Beet powder that was sprinkled over it was very interesting too. We preferred the Crémeux over the Brownie.
To end the meal we had another round of cocktails!
Goji Kiss ($14)
The Goji Kiss was a great cocktail to have at the end. It is sweet but calming because of the Chai tea added to it.
And to cap it all off, we had Noble Intentions!
Noble Intentions ($14)
Noble Intentions was another calming cocktail. The subtle taste of hibiscus and pomegranate was refreshing. We were glad we ended the meal on this note.
Generally, I love the vibe at Mayfair and I’ve been to Mayfair more than one occasion before this collaboration. I would definitely come back for the drinks because it is certainly one of the best bars and probably the only alcoholic Victorian tea lounge in Montréal. I love how English it looks.
As for the food, I’d come back for the pasta or a salad if I am ever getting a drink before 9pm. There is definitely room to improve. The drinks were certainly superior. They are innovative and keeps you excited. Service is also great and friendly. Staff are very alert.
