Review: Cafe Souvenir

Ahh, brunch! One of my favourite meals of the weekend (you just can't do brunch on a weekday can you?) Our regular place in Montreal is Cafe Souvenir, in Outremont. Consistently excellent food and, though they modified their menu and increased their prices recently, still damn good value!

In this picture you can see a recent feast - I had a friend visiting from London and we went a little crazy ordering all of our favourites! Pictured in the foreground is an omelette with bacon, spinach and brie, with baguette on the side, homemade confiture (jam) to the left and a small bowl of fresh fruit. The bacon in these omelettes is amazing - they cook it before adding it to the eggs, so it is nice and crispy - delicious! They are also served straight from the pan at the table, a nice touch!

Another favourite - pain dore (French toast) which is served with little bottles of real maple syrup at no extra charge. This is actually a rarity in Montreal which is unbelievable given than Quebec produces about 80% of the world's maple syrup. For our visitor we also ordered a side of feves au lard, Quebec-style baked beans. I have never liked British-style tinned baked beans, but fèves au lard are completely different - meaty, smokey with a touch of sweetness. Yum!

Also recommended: the breakfast burrito, the Mandarin Melba (yogurt, granola, mandarin slices and berry coulis), the Niçoise salad and the sweet potato fries that can be ordered with the hamburgers.

Brunch at Cafe Souvenir is served until 4pm. Around 1pm there is often a line up, though, if you are willing to sacrifice the terrasse, you can normally score a table inside.

Cafe Souvenir
1261 Avenue Bernard
Outremont, QC H2V 1V8
www.cafesouvenir.com/