We had planned to venture out of Montreal on Saturday and go for a walk in one of the national parks nearby, but we woke up to quite a bit of snow. The way it was snowing, it looked as though it was set in for the day. As much as we love a snowy walk, we didn't want to get stranded and therefore decided to leave our exploration for another day.
The walk could still happen but it was just going to have to be closer by. There are still many many streets we haven't explored yet, we decided we would go and investigate some of them. We had spotted a nice-looking coffee shop a while ago (it was just after we had drunk a horridly strong coffee at another place...we walked a minute down the street from that coffee shop and stumbled upon across this one - always the way.); and decided to make it our goal to find it once more.
We set out in our ski trousers and winter boots thinking it would be similar temperatures to the previous day, but it was (plus!) 1 degree and not the minus double figures it had been just sixteen hours previously. To our dismay, we were the only people wearing such serious clothes; everyone else was in jeans and 'normal' clothes. Spot the foreigners.
The walk could still happen but it was just going to have to be closer by. There are still many many streets we haven't explored yet, we decided we would go and investigate some of them. We had spotted a nice-looking coffee shop a while ago (it was just after we had drunk a horridly strong coffee at another place...we walked a minute down the street from that coffee shop and stumbled upon across this one - always the way.); and decided to make it our goal to find it once more.
We set out in our ski trousers and winter boots thinking it would be similar temperatures to the previous day, but it was (plus!) 1 degree and not the minus double figures it had been just sixteen hours previously. To our dismay, we were the only people wearing such serious clothes; everyone else was in jeans and 'normal' clothes. Spot the foreigners.
From virtually the first week we were here, people have been telling us about a couple of bagel shops; their eyes lighting up when they realised that we lived quite close by to both of them: Fairmount Bagel and St. Viatuer Bagel. A Montreal Bagel is on our list of local delicacies to try, but we haven't got around to trying much - by that I mean any - of the items on the list yet. We had bought a pack of bagels in the supermarket on our first day in Montreal, but weren't very impressed with them and hadn't purchased bagels since.
Bagels are readily available virtually worldwide these days, I hear you say. Well yes, New York Bagels are, Montreal Bagels are not. The Montreal Bagel is denser and sweeter than the New York Bagel, as well as being smaller with a larger hole.
Walking along the street of Fairmount with my head down against the flurry of snowflakes, I walked straight past the namesake bagel shop, but T had his wits about him and noticed it. It was starting to get embarrassing when we said we hadn't tried any local bagels, especially as it was only less than a twenty minute walk from home both bakeries, so we thought we better go and buy a couple just so we could say we have sampled them. This Fairmount Bagel shop had been providing locals with freshly baked bagels since 1919 - it must be doing something right to have lasted for over ninety years! We stepped inside, the non-descript shopfront which gave way to a tiny space with a small serving counter. Behind the counter, there was a huge bustle of activity: a long wood-fired oven stretched along the back wall, and people were mixing dough, rolling the bagels by hand, putting them in the oven, taking them out when cooked... It looked to be quite a process.
There was a pretty impressive choice of flavours: ranging from the more traditional plain, poppy or sesame, to blueberry, pumpernickel and 'meuslix'. We stared open mouthed at the board, trying to decide which to try, before eventually settling on a sesame, onion, an 'all-dressed' (onion, garlic, poppy and sesame seeds, caraway and salt), and a chocolate one.
No sooner had we stepped back onto the street with our haul, then we tucked into the chocolate one.
Wow!!
It was amazing!!
The dark chocolate wasn't too sweet and there was just the right amount of it; there was also orange running through it...mmm delicious - we had found a new love!
Why hadn't we tried them before now?? A whole four months had passed where we could have been eating these rings of heaven!
The difference between these Fairmount bagels and the store ones we had bought was exactly the same as a loaf of freshly baked bread from a bakery and a sliced-white supermarket loaf. You could eat one on its own, without butter or cream cheese or jam; or toasting or any other interfering with: it was perfect just as it was.
And to top it all off, the bakery is open 24 hours a day, meaning you are able to satisfy your bagel-craving, whatever time of day or night!
There was a pretty impressive choice of flavours: ranging from the more traditional plain, poppy or sesame, to blueberry, pumpernickel and 'meuslix'. We stared open mouthed at the board, trying to decide which to try, before eventually settling on a sesame, onion, an 'all-dressed' (onion, garlic, poppy and sesame seeds, caraway and salt), and a chocolate one.
No sooner had we stepped back onto the street with our haul, then we tucked into the chocolate one.
Wow!!
It was amazing!!
The dark chocolate wasn't too sweet and there was just the right amount of it; there was also orange running through it...mmm delicious - we had found a new love!
Why hadn't we tried them before now?? A whole four months had passed where we could have been eating these rings of heaven!
The difference between these Fairmount bagels and the store ones we had bought was exactly the same as a loaf of freshly baked bread from a bakery and a sliced-white supermarket loaf. You could eat one on its own, without butter or cream cheese or jam; or toasting or any other interfering with: it was perfect just as it was.
And to top it all off, the bakery is open 24 hours a day, meaning you are able to satisfy your bagel-craving, whatever time of day or night!
High on our discovery, we carried on walking and found the coffee shop: La Couteau/The Knife. The cafe, with its white walls, solid dark wood benches and wooden floor, had a great relaxed atmosphere, and was exactly our kind of place. I was especially excited as it was the kind of place I could go and write if I wanted a change of scenery; there were young people with laptops working away. For once, there was no pressure on us to order brunch, and no one looked at us strangely when we ordered just two coffees on a Saturday morning. The coffee was a bit more expensive than in other places, but boy was it good!
So far, I think Canadian coffee is something my palate needs to get used to. We have been spoilt with coffee, I have to admit. Being so close to Italy (and the city being called the northernmost Italian city), there were many places where you could grab a nice strong coffee in Munich.
In Sevilla, the coffee was different to Germany, it was much stronger but delicious also - and cheap - a small cup would most of the time cost about €1.10, whether it be from a cafe, a roadside service station, or at the airport. (It was more expensive in the city centre.) The size was perfect, as any bigger and you would have been on a caffeine high all day.
So far, I think Canadian coffee is something my palate needs to get used to. We have been spoilt with coffee, I have to admit. Being so close to Italy (and the city being called the northernmost Italian city), there were many places where you could grab a nice strong coffee in Munich.
In Sevilla, the coffee was different to Germany, it was much stronger but delicious also - and cheap - a small cup would most of the time cost about €1.10, whether it be from a cafe, a roadside service station, or at the airport. (It was more expensive in the city centre.) The size was perfect, as any bigger and you would have been on a caffeine high all day.
The other thing about this coffee that got me excited - and I hadn't realised was missing in coffees out here until this point - was the decoration on top. (I told you, Munich did spoil us). For the most part of the time, we would be served with pretty patterns on top of the coffee. If I went out with T, he would get the leaf-type swirl and I would have a heart. It's not important in the grand scheme of things I know, and there are far bigger things to worry about than art on your mug of coffee, but it was a nice touch.
We slid back home in the snow, glad that we had stayed put in the city, as the flakes were quickly building up on the pavements and roads. Getting back into normal clothes, we had what was left of the bagels for lunch. Powered by these, the afternoon was spent constructing a huge chest of drawers and then unpacking all our - ahem, all my - clothes.
Albie helped out at first, but after half an hour of chasing screws and running off with the drawer knobs, he then decided we were taking too long on the project, and kept trying to go to sleep on us. But we didn't get the hint, and selfishly kept moving and waking him up...