Quebec City: Plus s’il vous plaît [more please].

Now that it’s winter, let’s jump back to 5 months ago when it was still summer and we were in Quebec.

We spent four days exploring the historic streets of Quebec City at the end of July.  It was probably a sufficient amount of time to visit most of the key spots on our list, although we would have loved to stay longer and savour its unique flair, historic roots, and bountiful culinary offerings.

We put together a bit of a ‘Breno & Mel style guide to Quebec City’ (a list of everything we would love to experience over again because they were so enchanting).  Here it is:

Visit J.A. Moisan, the oldest grocery store in North America.  The prices are cheaper than you’d think, and the selection is unbelievable.  Pick yourself out some nice Quebec cheese, some smoked meat, and a few other edible delights and have yourself a picnic on the Plains of Abraham.

On the topic of cheese, we sampled a few Quebec cheeses during our stay, and our favourite was a 2 year goat cheddar- surprising because neither of us are usually a huge fan of goat.  We were recommended the cheese by a friendly man waiting in line at a fromagerie.  He told us he was going to a party that evening, but wasn’t allowed to come without that cheese.  We were convinced to try it, and were definitely pleased we did.

Picnic on the Plains of Abraham, the site of the great Battle of Quebec in 1759 between the French and the British, led by General Montcalm and General Wolfe.  Pack a tasty feast of local delicacies and marvel at the rich Canadian history that took place on the ground beneath you.

For a brief recap on the battle, click here.

Watch the sun set upon the copper roof tops of Quebec City.  A nice spot is the West side of the Plains of Abraham, by the barracks.

Wander the quieter back streets of Old Quebec City and admire all the distinct colours and quaint details.  I could have spent hours doing this, imagining how life would have unfolded on these streets a hundred years ago.

Take the terry across to Levis, and snap some scenic views of the City while on the boat.  Climb the stairs and walk to Chocolat Favouris to indulge in some flour de del chocolate-covered maple ice cream (or any chocolate/ice cream flavour combo that you are feeling).

Take some time to explore Rue St. Joseph.  Not the commercialized end to the East.  The West part of Rue St. Joseph is MUCH cooler. 

You will find L’Affair est Ketchup, William J. Walter (a sausage & beer joint), and a good cafe called Nektar that served an excellent brewed coffee, among other gems.

Rue St-Vallier Ouest, close to where we were staying, was also a happening street.  It didn’t appear on any guides or blogs that we came across before our trip, and we probably wouldn’t have discovered it if we weren’t staying in an Airbnb place close by.  There were some cool looking restaurants & cafes, along with this neat vintage shop called Si Les Objects Pouvaient Parler.

Rue Saint-Jean, the very first street we explored in Quebec City has some spots you should hit up too, including some cute bakeries and bookshops, as well as the aforementioned J.A. Moisan. Jupon Presse is a cute vintage boutique along this road.

Strolling the Petite Champlain area will make you feel like you are in Europe, especially if the musicians are out, serenading the passerby with melodies on the violin or accordion. Many local artisans have set up shop in this area, and we had some neat conversations with a few of them.

Say yes to the maple taffy on a stick.

Concluding thoughts.

Because of its smaller size, Quebec City was easier to get to know than its larger Quebecois counterpart, Montreal.  I was surprised by just how much it felt like Europe (or what we would imagine Europe to be like, as we have yet to visit that continent.)  We feel proud and very fortunate to have Quebec City on our home soil, and think that every Canadian should really get out here at some point in their lives to heighten their understanding and appreciation of French Canadian culture, as well as to visit firsthand the many sites that are significant to our history as Canadians.  We would love to go back for a round 2 of this fine Canadian gem.

Merci beaucoup, Quebec, for a truly enchanting time, and to Little Al, for accompanying us on our Quebec adventures!

Montreal: More than just smoked meat [though you should definitely still eat the smoked meat].

Little Al (ma soeur) flew out to meet us in Montreal.  We collected her at Atwater Market and the adventures unfolded from there. 

For anyone planning to visit Montreal in the near future, we’ve put together a list of our recommendations. 

When in Montreal:

Rent bixis.  It’s a super easy, affordable, and efficient way to get around the city. $7 gets you as many 30 minutes rides in 24 hours as you can fit in. 

Wander the charming cobblestone streets of Old Montreal.  Admire the historic architecture, and stop in to enjoy a croissant, a crepe, or some other tantalizing French delicacy along the way.

Fireworks. Check out the impressive fireworks on Saturday nights during the summer.  Best viewed under the big green bridge. 

Hit up the markets.  Jean Talon Market is the more extensive one, and would be recommended for the “true Quebec” experience, but if you’ve got time, a stroll through Atwater Market is lovely too, and a great place to pick up some local cheese and produce for a picnic.

Climb Mont-Royal for enchanting views of the city.  It’s an easy & lovely 2.2km trek up along a paved path.

Visit both St. Viteur and Fairmount and make your vote for the best bagel in the city.  The consensus among the group were that Fairmont was the winner.

For an extensive selection of bean to bar chocolate, look no further than Tablette.  Ask nicely, and you may just have the chance to sample pretty much any bar in the room.  There is a cafe in house as well, for those of you who like a bit of coffee with your chocolate.

If you’re looking for some inspiring boutique shops, we DON’T recommend you follow Design Sponge’s recommendations for Montreal- they are quite out-of-date and many of the recommended spots are nonexistent.  (We found this out the hard way.)  Instead, what we would recommend is strolling the charming streets of Plateau & Mile End to uncover your own gems (there are lots to be found.)  A few of our fav finds were: Buk & Nola (our favourite), District 54, Raplapla, and Unicorn.

Eat Schwart’z smoked meat.  Don’t think twice.  Just do it.  The long line out the door will be worth the wait once you sink your teeth into a bit of their tender smoked beef.  If you’re in a hurry, the line up to the take-away shop next door is usually just a fraction of the line to sit and enjoy your Schwart’z in the restaurant.  

*Side note: The pickle, which normally comes WITH the Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich when ordered in the restaurant causes EXTRA when ordering take out.  We still recommend getting the pickle.

For an after-dinner treat (or let’s be serious, whenever you feel like a bit of sweet indulgence) look no further than Juliette et Chocolat.  I was super impressed with their selection of chocolate in all forms, many of which are gluten free.  We highly recommend the fleur de sel brownie (which comes with a pitcher of salted caramel sauce on the side to drizzle at your leisure), as well as the fleur de sel chocolate pot.

Eat at Au Pied de Cochon.  Or not.  In case you haven’t heard of it, Au Pied is a very renowned restaurant.  A chef friend of ours flew in for a weekend to eat everything on the entire menu.  Many people had raved to us about it, so we considered it a must-stop.  To be honest, we were actually quite disappointed with our experience at Au Pied.  Not with the food, but with the service.  We were quite neglected by our server, and the restaurant was very loud.  Though the food was very tasty, the overall experience was dampened by the low quality service.  I suppose it goes to highlight the importance of good customer service in a dining experience.  (In case you’re wondering, Brendon ordered the “duck in a can,” expecting it to be the richest thing he had ever eaten.  It was.  The dish surpassed his expectations in richness, actually, making the overall dining experience quite unforgettable.)

Speak French as much as possible.  Seize the opportunity to practice your French with the locals!  Ne pas être timide (don’t be shy)!  Even if you encounter a few locals who are rude and criticize your French skills, don’t let that stop you.  There needs to be a bit more camaraderie between the French and the English in this country.  Let’s just all be friends, ok?

Seek out some good coffee.  We found the coffee scene in Montreal to not be overly impressive, but there is some decent coffee to be found.  You just might have to do a bit of seeking it out.  We’ve saved you some of the trouble and have a few cafes to recommend:

Pikkilo (there is also a cool stationary shop right next door that you should check out).

Flacon Espresso (in Plateau).

Pay a visit to Point G for an impressive selection of maracrons.  We highly recommend the lime-basilique.

Take advantage of Air B&B.  Montreal has an amazing selection of cool apartments for rent on Air B&B for very reasonable rates.  We had a fantastic experience staying at Manuel and David’s beautiful 4 level apartment.  Our favourite feature feature was the rooftop terrace.

Thank you, Montreal, for an invigorating and tasty time in your lovely city!  We definitely got our exercise uncovering your many hidden gems, and we are happy that you are in our country.

Toronto: Speechlessly good.

The big city of Toronto reunited Brendon with his beloved Jays (go the Jays!), but most importantly with our dear Kiwi friends, Kyle & Bea. 

Kyle and Bea road tripped through the States last summer, landing in Toronto in October.  We always knew a Canadian reunion was immanent, and were looking forward to this time for months. 

While in NZ, we journeyed very closely with these two, sharing a meal together nearly weekly.  We’ve missed these times.  We hold these times and these people very dear to our hearts, and so sharing this time together in Toronto was very special.

We were blown away by Kyle & Bea’s hospitality, and felt so thankful for the times and memories we could share together on Canadian soil.

Toronto was one of our favourite cities for the following reasons:

The Jays.

At the age of 7 in 1992, young Breno went to watch the Jays play at the Skydome.  (Can you believe the child above is NOT mini Brendon??)

He recalls having an epic moment of walking out into the staduim and seeing the grand expanse of the Skydome in front of him, and being overcome with a sense of awe. 

Watching a Jays game was a must, so we went to 2.  Brendon watched the Jays game with the joy of his 7-year old self, shouting “Chicken hot dog” out at Colby Rasmus, who scored a home run while we were there. 

It was cute seeing how happy he was when the Jays beat the Red Sox 6-1.  Brendon was so proud of his Jays.

The boutiques. 

Oh my goodness.  The boutiques.  I kind of have a thing for cute design shops.  You know, the ones that carry a mix of cool stationary and prints, locally-made jewellery, home decor items, and potentially even some unique but practical household items?  I find them very inspiring.  Anyways, Toronto is FULL of amazing shops like this.  In all of our travels this summer, I didn’t come across a city that even compares to the volume of inspiring boutiques and design shops we encountered.  Bea was kind enough to do some scouting ahead of time and map out their whereabouts on an adorable set of cue cards, which detailed some extremely well-thought out routes for day trips around Toronto.

The beaches. 

Toronto has beaches, people.  And being a bit beach-deprived this year, I was all over them.  We took the ferry over to Toronto Island (which is worth the excursion just for the views of the city), found ourselves a nice beach and enjoyed a glorious afternoon in the sun.  They’ve got a great, little organic cafe over there on the island too.

Sugar Beach is another place beach lovers should be aware of.  This adorable slice of paradise is located directly beside the Redpath Sugar Factory.  The wofts of caramelized sugar that float by are heavenly, and the pink umbrellas are super cute, aren’t they?  And so what that it’s man-made?  It’s super cute and super accessible.  If you work downtown, you can totally beach here on your lunch break.  I mean, I would! 

We walked to the beach nearby Kyle & Bea’s place, and took in the peaceful glow of the evening light on the Lake.  Amazing to have a gorgeous body of water so accessible from multiple places.

The coffee. 

Toronto’s got a solid coffee scene.  Favourite spots included:

Te Aro- a Kiwi-founded coffee company.

Crafted Coffee (Te Aro), where a brief Transcend reunion occurred.

Sam James- discrete espresso bar set up with a few locations around the city.

Rooster

White Rabbit (they serve a generous affagato)

Early Bird

The parks. 

The way that Toronto does parks was something that really struck and appealed to us.  And the parks are SO accessible.  Green space is very well & purposefully used.  It was neat to see the local parks well-utilized by people of all ages, and for various purposes. 

Bicycle polo.  Wood fired pizzas.  Mud pits.  Community fire pits.  Skateboard park.  One evening while strolling through Dufferin Park, we happened upon a hipster “storytelling” gathering around a fire pit. 

Toronto’s slogan “A City Within a Park” is such a neat concept.  Though perhaps their green space is not as plentiful as other Canadian cities, it is extremely well utilized.  Located within the heart of Toronto, one can pop in to grab a coffee at a reputable cafe, then walk a couple blocks and enjoy their coffee.  We think Toronto is on to something with their parks.

The street art. 

I have yet to visit a city that displays and celebrates street art as much as Toronto does.  There is inspiring street art everywhere, and often in places unexpected. 

Kyle & Bea’s friend Jeff was commissioned to paint this bear, among many other pieces featured downtown. 

The car-lessness. 

Toronto is a city where one can definitely live without a car.  We didn’t use our car once during the week we were in Toronto, and loved it.  Our feet, and the occasional use of the subway or streetcar got us any place we wanted to go.  It was a wonderful way to be able to get to know and feel the heartbeat of this vibrant city.  

Other Toronto gems:

Soma Chocolate- A local chocolate-maker who produces produces bean to bar chocolate.  Go there.  And pick up a Stratus Bar.  Do it.  It could change your life.

Kensington Market- an eclectic, multicultural gathering place of artisans, vintage shops, cafes, & cultural food vendors.  There’s a definite vibe and energy to Kensington Market, and it’s a good one.  

Electric Mud BBQ.  Not quite the same as Kansas City BBQ, but with a southern feeling and all the meat and mess of any of the best BBQ joints of the deep south.

Blackbird Bakery- a relatively new bakery located in Kensington Market, which specializes in delicious, artisan breads.  Brendon recommends the Toronto Sourdough.

Fat Pasha- we enjoyed a mind-blowing Jewish feast of colour and flavour on their enchanting backyard patio.  

Bluegrass Brunch- what could be more enchanting & cozy on a Sunday morning than enjoying a family-style brunch while listening to bluegrass tunes?

Smock- an inspiring cafe/children’s art space.  

Kid Icarus- an inspiring stationary/design shop located in Kensington Market.  I visited numerous times.  I couldn’t get enough.

The Distillery district- I totally could have spent more time wandering the red brick streets and perusing all the cool shops tucked away in the Distillery district.

Toronto, why do you have to be so cool?  Keep this up and we could easily be persuaded to move there… it’s currently Brendon’s retirement dream to live in a condo in downtown Toronto and attend every single Jays game.

We absolutely loved our time in Toronto, especially because of who we got to share it with.  Thanks, Kyle & Bea for showing us an AMAZING time in your super cool adoptive city.