life in the east coast.: joulukuuta 2010

It was great to have a little Finnish independence day party! We managed to get all the Finns, we were actually eleven, and couple Swedes, Danish and other Europeans to enjoy 'Linnanjuhlat' as well as some traditional foods. Mm. Karjanlanpiirakoita + munavoita, salmiakkia, joulutorttuja, lakuja, minttuu, glögiä, perunarieskoja, kettukarkkeja (lemppareita!) ja gingerbread cookies :D A great little speech from Salla, food and staring at the linnanjuhlat reception. Linnanjuhlat were well narrated by Viktor, who was best at picking out all the hockey peeps. Also found were Aino's gymnastics teacher, a mikkeli student, paleface's tennis shoes, Karita Mattila's boobs and Sallan kaupungin edustaja. Below some pics.

Jeesh, we finally did it. Visited some of the cafes and bars we had been meaning to check out (at least some of them). We don't have to go home thinking 'that place looked really nice, too bad we never had time to go there'. Well some of the places we went to were quite horrible and some very awesome. I must say that even though going through these was exciting, it was hard work and tiring too haha

The first place Fruits en Folie (Rue st-denis/roy) we went to was No.2 on Lonely Planets list 'things to do in Montreal'. The place resembled a 'ruokala' from a hostel or an elderly home, smelled like grandma, waitress looked like from Jersey Shore, crowd 40+, sticky menus. However, TV was showing a bear documentary, that was nice. Yogurt with fresh strawberries and mysli was goood!

Second place was called La Maison les Cyclists, (Rue Rachel/Parc la Fontaine) you can't go wrong with a cafe specialized in bikes and biking. The place looked super cute from outside, nice chalkboard menus in front of the door and warm, since it was starting to be a bit rainy. The Chai was too strong, the muffin old, and the berry pastry made of dates (huge disappointment). The waiter recommended to visit St. Catherine street, thanks for the advice! Never again.

At this time we had been quite disappointed with the cafes so far, so we decided to choose a wildcard before we went to have lunch. We chose Folies (Mt. Royal metro). The first impression was 50s furniture, Charlie Chaplin playing on tv, turquoise and purple color scheme, open kitchen, Jack Johnsson playing and a nice chatter from the young stylish crowd. The drinks we took were refreshing (limonade & berries) and the bathroom looked like inside a submarine. At some point the tvs were playing surfing movies. However, this was more of an evening place than a cafe we were searching for.

It was about 3pm when we left for lunch. We were quite hungry, so the next place Aux Vivres (St. Laurent/Villeneuve) a vegan restaurant seemed like a good option. Mm the place smelled like oranges and carrots and the look was mint-green and orange walls mixed with wood. Fake birds and chinese lanterns was an, well, interesting touch. The food was quite alright, my Chili was absolutely delicious but didn't like the spices on the dahl soup. We didn't feel like hanging out there more than just eating lunch, so we were off to our next destination.

This next place Juliet et Chocolat (Laurier) was definitely Natalie's pick. I'm not too fond of chocolate but wanted to give this a try. It had started Montreal-raining a while ago, so being soaked it was nice to go inside in this cozy looking place. It was all right, old rich people kept coming and going, the decor was Pentik, the raspberry cheesecake I had tasted like it had been sitting for a day and it was quite expensive. But Natalie's rich brownie with caramel sauce was yummmy!

After all that sweet stuff it was time for a beer. We had chosen a local microbrewery called Dieu du Ciel (Laurier/St. Laurent), which had been recommended to us couple of times. Ah this was a really nice place! We picked two different blonde beers, which turned out refreshing and tasty. Big plus on the candles on the table and a sneak peak into the actual brewery. Jazzy music + dj ! I would visit again and recommend this place.

It was only around half past six when we were on our way to the next place. So we decided to choose another wildcard, this time Plan B (Mt. Royal), a place that we've been walking by almost everyday. This place looks realy cozy from the outside but the interior is surprisingly plain and modern. Not as atmospheric as I had imagined all this time. Two ciders and a small jar of roasted almonds later, we quickly left to the final venue. This place was a bit of a let down and there's not too much to write about it.

The final place Billy Kun (Mt. Royal) was awesome. High ceiling, candles inside the walls, stuffed ostrich heads across the walls and live piano and guitar duet. We've been wondering when walking by this place would there ever be any room to sit, since it had always appeared really full, but the place was huge inside ! We got a glass of white wine and a czech cocktail, together with nachos. A must visit before we leave from Montreal.

Below some photos from our little cafe hunt! Right now christmas music, super breakfast-brunch with fresh baguette, cheese, fruits, berries, tea, black-out cupcakes and hanging out in the kitchen. Yay 21 days 'til christmas !!