24 hours in Montreal
Sparrow: House-Smoked Trout
The very first entry in our 24 hours to Munch series explores the super diverse Montreal. Below we break down the best meals and where to get them if you only have one day in the city.
Brunch: Sparrow
Located in Montreal's Mile End, Sparrow is on the quieter end of Saint Laurent but you'll spot it instantly because of the line. We missed the herd by a mere 2 minutes before a small line up spilled out of the restaurant and snaked it's way a fair bit onto the sidewalk.
Some stand outs on the menu included a Breakfast Banh Mi and the Turkish Breakfast Plate - a smorgasbord of sweet and savoury bites like feta, olives, flatbread and sour cherry jam. We opted for the House-Smoked Trout and the Shakshuka. The trout was nestled on top of a spinach and green onion pancake accompanied with soft boiled eggs, beet salad and whipped creme fraiche. The pancake was fluffy but not too heavy and the the trout had a subtle smokiness which was nicely complemented by the sweet beets. The Shakshuka (a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chilli peppers and onions) was simple but so tasty and the side of super crusty bread was perfect for sopping up the runny yolks from the egg. If you're drinking, get the Basil Gin Gimlet, it's not too sweet and it's great with the Shakshuka because it cuts some of the acidity from the tomato sauce.
Lunch: Drogheria Fine
Second lunch is very much a constant in our lives especially when travelling, with such little time in one place, we always want to try a little bit of everything. We had our second lunch at Drogheria Fine while exploring Mile End and what we got was a hefty Chinese takeout container filled with fluffy puffy gnocchi swimming in tomato sauce with Romano cheese. Don't let the weight of the container fool you, the gnocchi is surprisingly light and at $5 bucks a pop you can't go wrong.
Drogheria Fine: Gnocchi in tomato sauce
Dinner: Park Restaurant
Since we were in Montreal to celebrate M's birthday, I wanted to go somewhere special and Park came highly recommended. Park is a stunning restaurant and the kitchen is right out in the open, a stage of sorts where the bright lights focus on chef Antonio Park and the exquisite morsels of food he and his staff so delicately assemble.
We ate mostly different assortments of maki and nigiri (we were still full off second lunch) and it was all delicious. The fish is some of the freshest fish we've tasted outside of Japan and the koshihikari short-grain rice, house-made soya sauce and the sharkskin-grated fresh wasabi really elevated the experience of the whole meal. What Park is most known for is their omakase tasting menu, we couldn't try it this time around but it's always our favourite way of eating sushi, try it if you can!
Park: a selection of nigiri
What are some of your favourite places to munch in Montreal?