The Urban Sugar Shack

Sorry for being MIA lately, I have a real life job outside of blogging, so when deadlines loom in my real life job, that takes priority.  And there are moments when I come home from work, I just don't want to turn on a computer.  I know I can post on a regular schedule if I plan ahead, but blogging is really just a hobby for me at this point (I basically go week by week instead of planning 6 months of posts).  Blogging is a great creative outlet to channel my energy into something else and a great way to share my thoughts about new discoveries, but again blogging is currently just a hobby for me.

Enough with rant and on to what I have been doing lately.  Did you know Montreal had a pop-up urban sugar shack? If you don't want make a trek out to a real Cabane à sucre but still crave a maple syrup fix, then the urban sugar shack is a must go.

The urban sugar shack has popped up at the Wellington Promenade the last few years. How did I not know about this?! Pros to the urban sugar shack: 1) it's in the city, 2) it's a family event, kid friendly and pet friendly, 3) a bunch of local tasty restaurants participant in the urban  sugar shack, and 4) food is priced very reasonably everything was either $2 or $4.    The cons of the urban sugar shack: 1) it only lasts one weekend and 2) food is on a first come first bases, if they run out of food they basically close up shop.

It wouldn't be a sugar shack experience, without snow shoes!

Warning this is a picture heavy post:

My Last Mac&Cheese Pit Stop

Mac&Cheese week is wrapping up, if you guys haven't hit up a any of participating restaurants, you still have time, tomorrow is the last day.

So it turns out I managed to fit in a 3rd mac&cheese. My last mac&cheese was at Burger Royal

How have I never heard of this place, I love burgers!

Pit Stop #2 -Mac&Cheese Week Continues

I love food themed weeks in Montreal, it gives you a little extra motivation to get you butt to a restaurant that has always been on your "I gotta eat here" list.  It's also a great way to discover new restaurants.  So my second stop in my mac&cheese week happened to be

Mac&Cheese Week

Montreal is a foodie mecca, there is tasty scrumptious food at every bend. I met one couple from Toronto, who basically planned their whole trip to Montreal based on their reservations at Joe Beef.  Yes, our food is that good!

I've been quite spoiled as a foodie  Montreal, to the point when I travel I find the food just doesn't compared to the meals I've had in Montreal. I really love it when the "... week" rolls around in Montreal.  We've had burger week, poutine week, and now this year for the first time ever there is a mac&cheese week!

Secret Suppers

By chance I had caught the documentary Secret Suppers of Vacouver on CBC.  It caught my eye 1) because one of my best friends B just moved to Vancouver and 2) it's about food. It's a win-win, if you want to watch the episode click here.  Basically secret suppers is an underground restaurant scene, where talented chefs literally pop up restaurants in the most random places, their apartment, someone else's apartment, basically any where there is an available kitchen.  These underground restaurants provide an opportunity for talented chefs who are unable to open a restaurant to cook for foodies. Who says you can't learn anything from TV!

I think the underground restaurant concept is relatively new to North America, in Hong Kong, this is a hugely popular concept.  Even my mom knows about underground restaurants in Hong Kong.  She claims, that the only way you'll really get a great meal.

The first secret supper I attended was the Vegan Secret Supper (VSS).

Why Does Poutine Week have to Coincide with the Coldest Month?

 February is coldest month in winter, but the first week of Feb has become synonymous with Poutine week in MTL.  For those who aren't aware of what poutine week is, let me break it down. In my books poutine is what Quebec is known for, like how Florida is known for it's oranges. I think of poutine when I hear Quebec, that and maple syrup.  Poutine week, is where a series of restaurants vye for your votes by creating a one of a kind poutine that is available only for that week. At the end of the week, a winner is declared, you can check out the list of restaurants that participated and their poutine concoctions here.

Last year, I tried 4 of the poutines, this year I figured I would have some restrain so I opted for 2.  First up was

My Last Mtl à Table Stop

Tonight, is the last night of the Mtl à table festival, so if you don't have any plans and your tummy is starting to grumble, I would high suggest hitting up one of the restaurants participating in Mtl à table. It a very good way to try new restaurants on the cheap. My last stop was Guru-Bristro Indien (AKA Indian food).

My Mtl à table experience has made me realize that St. Denis is filled with tons of yummy restaurants hidden behind unsuspecting signage. My last 2 Mtl à table restaurants were located on St. Denis within walking distance of each other and both times I was like, what there is a restaurant here?

MTL à Table Stop #2

I know eating 2 dinners  out on the weekend is pure gluttony, but trying good restaurants on the cheap is too good to resist. So pit stop #2 on the MTL à table train was La Fabrique Bistrot.

 

Sorry for the grainy pic, I was in my car about to drive off...opps

MTL à Table...Let The Eating Begin

The MTL à table event just kicked off this past weekend and runs til Nov 9 (Oct 30-Nov 9).  For those who don't know the what the festival MTL à table is, it's basically an eating extravaganza. I kid, but I think it can be for some with extra cash to burn and has a clear schedule for the next 2 weeks.  It is very similar to the Happening Gourmand festival, but in my opinion so much better. Instead of being limited to restaurants in the old port who basically all owned by the same group, it is a series of restaurants around Montreal that are offering you set menus on the cheap. Menu prices range from $19, $29, and $39 and consist of a 3 course meal.

First stop

Molecular Gastromony...My Work X-mas Dinner

Last week was not only the week of my work X-mas dinner, but it was the week that kicked started the continuous holiday eating that pretty much occurs at my workplace every year. Tuesday was a sad but happy good bye lunch for one of our nurses, we ordered in Greek food. Then our X-mas dinner followed, which of course will be followed by our office pot-luck. And if you follow me on instagram you may have seen the insane amount of baked goods/gift baskets/chocolate that also makes its way into our department. 

Let the journey of over indulgence begin  or how one of the MDs put it "are they trying to kill us with a really good slow meal?"

This Can't Be True...

I have been patiently waiting for this event since last March, I even set the daily reminders on my iphone so I would not forget.  Yesterday I checked their site and saw this:

This can't be true cupcake camp is cancelled!

♥ Viv

Some "Chill" treats to have

Hey guys,

So summer has officially hit the city and at the moment were going through a heat wave, or at least it feels like it. To cool off in this insanely warm weather, I personally think a great treat to have is an ice cream and/or Tim Hortons' Ice cap. In my case, I had both and it was refreshing. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! :)

♥ Lily

My food week

Didn't get a chance to post much last week, I really should plan a head.  It was so much easier to post daily, when I wrote 2 in a day and saved one as a draft. But I was MIA mainly due to the fact I was celebrating my bday. So here is a quick recap of that week.

Week started with the bday of a coworker (her bday happened to be the day before mine) so cake #1.

Ignore the fork holes, we wore trying to figure out if the white cream puff was a marshmallow. Sadly it's not!

Usually at work we lump bdays around the same time together, but she was sweet enough to buy me a cake the day after.  Which also happened to we administrative assistant day, which we sorta kinda of turned into a our department day and ordered Greek for everyone! Sorry no pic. I was a little pre-occupied... with eating.

My food budda moment

Montreal is one of those cities where it is illegal to sell food from a truck (damn it!). During certain festivals the  Grumman'78 taco truck rolls in the Quartier des Spectacles; providing you a a brief window to sample their yummy tacos. Finally Grumman'78 set up shop in the Le Faubourg, an odd place but I guess a wise business choice since the Le Faubourg is within walking distance from one of my old stopping grounds: Concordia University. You're bound to find lots of hungry university students there! 

I'm such a foodie at heart and I have always wanted to walk into a place where I can just say "I want one of everything" like the Food Buddha does on his show.  I was able to do that  since The Grumman's 78 taco menu only consisted of 5 tacos and 5 appetisers. We did a few  strange looks from by-passers since it was just CW and I, but I was not ashamed! CW was a little embarrassed but she's a trooper (she almost made me sit in the corner, but settle for next to the tree).  Our top picks: the fried sweet potatoes with feta cheese (are to die for!), the salmon taco, followed by the lamb and curry taco and the turkey taco with gravy.  Their fried chicken was pretty tasty as well.  But I do have to warn you that if you like traditional tacos, avoid Grummen'78 because there is no such thing as a traditional taco.

Since it was my bday, I decided to splurge a bit, maybe a went a little overboard? But in my defence that was Holt Renfrew's fault.  They had a weekend event where a certain percentage of your purchases was given back to you via gift card.  Hard to resist when they are practically giving you free money back!

Gifts to myself... Wondering what's in the Jo Malone bag?

I tried booking a table at Joe Beef, a restaurant I have been dying to try especially after seeing it on an episode of the layover with Anthony Bourdain. But they are completely booked until June 2!  Why can't I be famous? or be married to a celebrity, it would making eating at yummy restaurants so much easier. Another thing that annoys me with certain restaurants, is that limit group sizes to 6!  Who do you sacrifice when you're a group of 8?  Do you tell your friends sorry you can't invite your significant other? or dis-invite yourself?

So we decided to dine at Jane's Restaurant, which was also on my list of restaurants to try. Jane's restaurant is known for their pizza, so I had the taco pizza, which tasted ok there (nothing special), but morning after the left overs tasted so much more yummy!

I was really surprised by presents from my friends, I was really just looking forward to a yummy dinner!

Presents!

♥ Viv

Cupcake training is what I would call the perfect excerise.

How the hell did I miss Cupcake Training day?  But that's O.K, the cupcake training day is only the prelude to the most important day of the year....

Cupcake Camp Montreal, has been scheduled for Nov 18, 2012;  for those of you who are new to the concept.  Cupcake camp is a fundraiser, where their motto is raising money through our love for cupcakes. The event is completely run by volunteers and 100% of the proceeds are donated to the kids help phone and the La Tablée des Chefs.  You can participate by either volunteering your time, your baking talents, or best of all your appetite. 

I have been anxiously waiting to go to the cupcake camp since its conception in 2009. I think in 2009 it was on a much smaller scale and the event happen to be on a weekday, which normally wouldn't be a problem except that I had this pesky thing called a job. Then the cupcake craze really caught on in 2010 and it was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Apparently so many people showed up they had to start turning people away! Which is not surprising especially if there are 20,000 cupcakes on site.  Yet again work got in the way (I started a new job around that time and I couldn't exactly request a day off because I needed to go to the cupcake camp). There wasn't one 2011 for some reason, so I'm banking on attending it in 2012.  I don't know what prompted me to google it today, but I did, only to find out that since the cupcake camp didn't happen on 2011 they decided to have a cupcake training day in the attempt to take the edge off for the long awaited cupcake camp 2012. How the hell did I miss this? and by 3 freaking days! My tummy muscles could have used a little stretching.

No worries, I already saved the date on my iphone, only 256 days left until Cupcake Camp 2012! Where their goal is to receive 50,000 cupcakes donation, attract 5000 people, and hope to raise $100,000.

Checkout these great photos on flicker of Cupcake Camp 2010 .

♥ Viv