Finding a popular brunch spot is mandatory when exploring any new city, and Montreal was no…read moreexception. We learned from the Two Gay Expats on YouTube that this was the place to try based on the charismatic chef Michael Tozzi and his renowned ricotta pancakes. Jamie W and I got here late on a weekday morning. Sure enough there was a queue.
Dame fortune must've smiled upon us because we moved to the head of the line as a party of two. Even though the threat of rain hung over us, we were seated in the front parklet and quite happily since the dining room inside looked packed. We started with a couple of C$6.25 Iced Maple Lattes because it felt like the Canadian thing to do.
They provided a welcome caramel-like sweetness to our refreshment (Photo 9). Jamie was more conscientious about his entree and ordered the C$26.99 Crunchy Sesame Chicken Salad, quite a mound of delights: romaine, cabbage, carrot, celery, shredded chicken breast, cashews, cilantro, fried wontons, and sesame chicken (Photo 8).
Both the textures and flavors meshed really well together. Of course you can guess what I ordered, the C$27 Ricotta Pancakes with brown butter maple sauce, lemon cream, and Quebec strawberries (Photo 10). Light and nicely aerated, the fluffy ricotta pancakes absorbed all the complimentary flavors really well. Dandy was indeed dandy.
FOOD - 5 stars...brunch fare done right, especially those pancakes
AMBIANCE - 4 stars... crowded but not overwhelming
SERVICE - 4.5 stars...nicely attentive
TOTAL - 5 stars...genuinely dandy
RELATED - Exploring Montreal? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/FfyEuBuqJB