Tag Archive for: Food

T Riman

Café Aunja – A welcoming experience in the heart of downtown

Café Aunja

Spotlight: Café Aunja – A welcoming experience in the heart of downtown

 

Located on Sherbrooke between Bishop and Mackay, Café Aunja is a unique and welcoming spot to grab coffee or tea and a quick bite, or to spend a relaxing afternoon working, studying or spending time with good friends.

 

As an Iranian café and tea house, Aunja offers the coffee and coffee beverages you’d expect in most cafes, as well as a unique selection of fragrant teas and cold drinks. 

 

For cold drinks, the hibiscus sharbat made with hibiscus syrup and basil seeds is an absolute delight, and the homemade lemonade with fresh mint is so refreshing. If you want something a little more decadent, you can’t miss the persian fog – black tea with milk, saffron syrup and pistachio. 

 

For something hot to welcome the cold weather, try a pot of tea latte – spiced black tea with milk and vanilla. Or try the borage valerian with persian borage, valerian, dried lime and rock candy. The ginger tea is served with fresh thyme and honey and the mint jujube just has to be experienced for yourself.

 

You can also opt for an expertly made filtered coffee, kick things up a notch with the black eye – a double shot of espresso blended with filtered coffee – or try Aunja’s version of a london fog which includes a hint of lavender.

 

And for food? If you go for breakfast, you’ll love the barbari bread served with every plate – a thick and hearty Iranian flatbread. We loved the traditional Iranian brunch that features walnuts, feta cheese, thick wedges of warm bread and homemade jam. For lunch, there are a variety of filling and healthy sandwiches to choose from, as well as a daily soup. There are several vegetarian options on the menu and everything is made fresh and deliciously.

 

What we really enjoyed was how welcoming the cafe felt, and how every dish and beverage looked like a work of art. With the heavenly scent of spices and beautifully decorated atmosphere, we truly felt relaxed and could easily see spending a morning or afternoon working here.

 

Café Aunja is located at 1448 Sherbrooke West, a stone’s throw from the Museum of Fine Arts, and has free wifi for customers.

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T Riman

SPOTLIGHT: Waffles (and more) on a Stick? Yes Please!

a wooden plate with 2 waffles placed on topPhoto by The Anchor on Unsplash

Main Image source: https://www.woodenearth.com/blogs/wooden-blog/how-necessary-are-food-trays

Pick. Dip. Top. That’s all you need to know to get heaven on a stick in the Old Port!

LApop is our favourite new hot/chill spot in Montreal for one simple reason: YUM!

It’s popsicles and wafflepops (not waffle cones… wafflePOPS!) where you pick (choose your base), dip (choose something amazing to dip in it, like white chocolate, maple, caramel, dark chocolate, nutella, matcha, cookies n’ cream…) then top (add yummy toppings like coconut, cookie crumbs, fruit and more to cover those dippings in decadence).

 

We really can’t say YUM enough.

 

Let’s start with the popsicles. These are not your run of the mill popsicles. They’re more like gourmet popsicles. Everything is made fresh, on the spot. The ingredients are all organic. Dairy and non dairy options abound. Sweetened only with raw, organic cane sugar. No artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or anything like that. Ingredients are even locally sourced as much as possible.

You know we like to help you out, so we bit the bullet and tried a few out for you (you’re welcome). If you’re on the dairy train, you can’t miss the strawberry cheesecake pops or the Oreo cookies and cream. If you can’t decide, just get both. You won’t regret it.

If dairy isn’t your friend, you can’t go wrong with mango, pineapple and ginger, passion fruit, blueberry lemonade, macha, coconut, strawberry… we could go on. And on. And on.

 

That’s the popsicles (Lux-sicles? Gourmet-sicles? Yum-sicles?).

Then there’s the wafflepops.

 

Homemade, warm, fluffy BELGIAN WAFFLES ON A STICK!

pop icecream montreal

And you also pick, dip and top your waffles. Although we tried them in the summer, we can only imagine that these are absolutely to-die-for, hot-out-of-the-oven, warm-you-up-fill-you-up awesomeness in the middle of winter. They were pretty freakin’ good in the summer too.

 

Speaking of summer, LApop should definitely be on your summer hit list because on top of serving up deliciousness, you kind of get to feel like a kid again in the shop. They have an indoor swing (that you can actually swing on) and keep the window shutters open so you can sit on the ledge (ground level, obviously) and dangle your feet as you dive into your sweet treats and people watch.

 

As if that weren’t charming enough, an LApop fan is also known as a #POPSTER and they have quite the following on Instagram and Facebook. Because who doesn’t like looking at pictures of amazing food all day?

 

LApop is located on Saint-François-Xavier, right across from the Centaur Theatre and close to Garde Manger, Stash Cafe, Porto Mar and several more great restaurants, so if you want to make a whole day of it, you can!

To life on a stick!

Main Image source: https://www.woodenearth.com/blogs/wooden-blog/how-necessary-are-food-trays

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Melissa Dawn

Torteria Lupita – Mexican Market Dining in Montreal

Mexican Market Dining in Montreal

 

Torteria Lupita

Mexican Market Dining in MontrealMExican Tortilla with veggies

If you’ve ever been to an authentic Mexican market (i.e. one actually within a Mexican city, town or village) you know that Mexican cuisine is nothing like what you typically find in Canada. The food you find in these markets is made with unbelievably fresh ingredients and is full of rich flavours and incredible textures.

 

The family behind Torteria Lupita is originally from Mexico City and is on a mission to recreate the Mexican market dining experience, as closely as possible, for Montrealers.

 

Inside this charming and cozy restaurant, the atmosphere is authentically Mexican, as opposed to Mexican-themed. The warm colours, natural materials and laid back, welcoming vibe will transport you to another place. And that’s just the beginning.

 

The menu is small, which is often a good indicator that the food is amazing. Small menus typically mean fresher ingredients, dishes made to order, more dynamic flavours and often more homemade elements. In this case, homemade chorizo, churros that melt in your mouth and agua fresca made on the spot.

 

The specialty of Torteria Lupita (in case the name didn’t give it away) is the tortas. Unlike the tacos, quesadillas and burritos many North Americans are familiar with, tortas are sandwiches served on white sandwich rolls. They’re brimming with deliciously spiced meats, vegetables and cheeses, like the Pastor featuring grilled, marinated chicken topped with grilled pineapple, smoked mozzarella, chipotle mayonnaise, red onions and cilantro. There’s also a veggie torta with avocado and marinated onions, a grilled steak torta with spicy pasilla mayo, a braised pork torta with coleslaw, a chorizo torta topped with a fried egg and more.

Inside of Torteria Lupita

Torteria Lupita also has a small brunch menu on Saturdays, while the absolutely irresistible churros are available all week long. You can also get enchiladas, or a variety of smaller plates such as soup, quesadillas and flautas. In addition to the variety of agua fresca, they also offer beer, coffee and hot chocolate (perfect for churro dipping).

 

The staff is incredible and so welcoming. You won’t want to leave!

Torteria Lupita is located at 4601 Notre Dame west, just down the street from Tacos Victor. Will we see you there?

Melissa DawnMELISSA DAWN : Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be | Corporate and Leadership Coach | Best-Selling Author | Speaker

I am Founder of CEO of Your Life, an organization helping individuals and businesses get clear on where they are, where they want to be and what they need to do to get there. Read more on Melissa

 

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T Riman
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Sumac Restaurant – Spiced to perfection

Montreal Tips Feature on SUMAC
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