morgan + shen's fav frequents - mtl edition!!!
for exciting errands
super c (pie ix)
encountering hochelagans in their natural habitat.. reaching into the deep abyss on a noble quest to uncover their secret stash of quaker crispy minis w everything seasoning.. pulling out the gold ol' cost benefit analysis technique to decide between the express and the self checkout lane.. and taking advantage of their everyday low prices on grapes n carrots n baby cukes (n Meat For Morgan!!!!)
bulk barn (st. cat)
somehow spending $100.10 dollars here.. raiding the store right straight from the airport n shoving grubby handfuls of fuzzy peaches into our mouths for our first meal of the day at 4pm.. we reap what we sow!! other notable items attained include their salted pretzels, dark chocolate-covered pretzels, dark chocolate peppermint bites, giant sour keys, dried mangoes, n a variety of chocolate covered nuts. also is worth noting that student discounts are only valid on WEDNESDAYS. get ur 10% off, baby!! n if possible.. rainbow belts.. while u still can..
marché newon (downtown)
she boked my choy til i sum.. buying three bags of baby bok choy and eating them in three days.. getting through two bags of small purple sweet potatoes and enjoying every last minute of it.. demolishing a pack of pork belly in two days (no marination required).. all of which were thrown into one large checked perry ellis luggage bag.. grapes were also relatively firm n the abundance of miso paste readily available in the aisle u wait in for checkout is duly noted..
méga vrac (hochelaga)
visiting so often that item numbers were memorized.. emptying the dried mango boxes on more than one occasion.. translating n trying essentially every spice we see labelled with an unfamiliar french name.. highly recommend the vegetable chips n asking the poor workers to staple the bags when u go absolutely ham and empty the store.. u should also know that if u bring ur own container or buy more than 1kg of something u get a discount.. pro tip..
poissonerie ô
a hochelagan pescetarian's dream.. and a reminder of the State Of East Coast Fish Prices. getting "saumon fòndant atkins" and not knowing what it was even after searching it up but cooking it and eating a delicious meal anyways.. and buying normal salmon the next time.. featuring a super professional guy who sharpened his knife with a certain je ne sais quoi before cutting our fish and a wonderful tinned fish section.. also. cute little plants u can buy.. a great wine selection.. n enough shrimp (more than one..) to kill a man (morgan...........)
william j. walter saucissier (hochelaga)
imagine this.. u are a seasoned professional.. a saucissier, if u will.. been in the sausage business for 20 years. u know ur sausage. u walk into the shop every morning.. greeted by the lingering smell of spiced meat.. u grind n shove pork and the occasional veggie alternative into casing with care.. prepping rows of sausages for ur customers to enjoy when they come in. then. one day. some guy (morgan) comes in. and says. do u sell sausage. u have to think about it for a second. do u?? turns out.. u do.. (also jars of sauerkraut. n local wines. n some fun snacks!!)
ikea
forgetting a phone in the uber there n paying 40 dollars to get it back.. cosplaying as an old married couple n comparing our taste in furniture.. making up personas for each of the rooms.. complaining about the oomph (or lack thereof) of various chairs and couches.. and most importantly.. getting baited by the labyrinthine lotus hotel and casino-esque layout and resorting to buying two hotdogs at the first floor cafe before realizing that they have what u actually want.. MEATBALLS.. upstairs.. the hotdogs may have only been a dollar.. but it's really the principle of the thing..
for delicious drinks
atwater cocktail club
closer to the lionel-groux station than it is to the atwater one.. much to morgan's chagrin.. nonetheless.. a great time.. waiting for a bit outside.. ordering two mercuries, one barril du moment, and one federal reserve standing up.. roping morgan into asking for a spoon to eat the leftover ice.. uncovering secret websites.. exchanging meaningful words n a few longing glances.. n super important to stomp as loudly as possible on the storm drain cover on the way out (hand in hand!!)
cloakroom bar
locating it in a cheeky little menswear slash barber shop.. realizing that morgan lived near here n never came.. waiting at the door for a while wondering if they would let us in.. getting in just in time n securing the last two seats at the bar.. witnessing the closest modern day alternative to an apothecary we will ever see.. making morgan drink both the free shots we got.. feeding vague potion ideas (stonefruit, Strong) to the bartender and watching her do her magic.. downing our drinks n having lots of fun on morgan's birthday..
the coldroom
following the ducks.. waiting outside for a while for someone to fetch us n bring us inside.. having our first shared bar experience in mtl on a sunday at 6pm.. reading all the awesome options inspired by iconic mtl spots.. getting mocktailpilled.. peeing twice in their bathrooms with sinks inside the stalls (collectively..) eventually wandering out n meandering around the pretty lights n arch outside afterwards.. exploring the local markets nearby n getting kicked out at closing time n skipping back home..
for tasty treats
shawaramaz (peel)
the only valid shawarmaz location.. do not even come at us with the st. cat bs.. u better believe u need the authentic experience buddy boy.. and go chicken saj w extra garlic + hot sauce and no lettuce or go HOME!! other tips include trying to time ur visit so that u are not in a lineup behind someone ordering a platter.. not eating it at the park across the street unless u want to engage in a deadly duel with the strangely aggressive squirrels.. finishing your falafel plate so that morgan does not have to eat it all after his chicken saj wrap (n subsequently fall victim to being the primary subject in one of the saddest looking photos ever taken in the history in the world).. n that is it is a 5 minute walk from the train station.. so.. a perfect pit stop to sneak in before a via rail trip.. or every day for six months..
orléans épicerie
fire boy and water girl?? nah.. try pretzel girl and guy who holds her groceries!! or something like that, apparently. turns out that if u go there every day or two to raid their 40% off pretzel supply, they will eventually a) recognize u (saying something like.. pretzels as ALWAYS!!!!!!! when they are ringing u up) and b) eventually run out of pretzels to sell. they do also make a mean eggnog latte n sell tons of fun assorted snacks n pastries from arhoma (a yummy local bakery) for half off, which is pretty lovely..
sham (mont-royal)
the v*gan shawarma is, in fact, morgan approved.. this coming from mr. shawarmaz himself!! so u know it's pretty darn good.. visiting three times - getting upsold on the labneh the first time and absolutely dying w it in conjunction w the shawarma platter n lentil soup. going a second time and demolishing the shawarma platter together in just over 12 minutes.. and then separately ordering a shawarma platter n their vegan poutine the third time.. both of which were demolished in under 20 minutes.. also got upsold on a large pot of morroccan tea, which we did not finish. u win some u lose some..
chuchai
booking a reservation in secret for a yummy v*gan roast duck-filled dinner w a special someone.. speaking of full course meals.. do not get the 5 course menu.. it is not worth it.. do what this guy with headphones in was doing and order two mains.. u will not regret it.. admittedly a good spot.. even for fake substitute meat haters!! and a place where u might feel so inclined to text somebody's mom and conspire against their own children with them. much to consider....
thali cuisine indienne
perfect place to have actual dinner after pre-gaming w/shawarmaz.. so fast n easy n not overly expensive n hits the spot so hard when it is all cold n wet outside.. must get their thali special n load up a platter w three plates.. u will not regret it.. even if ur bowels go a little insane afterwards.. comes with a big beautiful naan n so much basmati rice.. u can also finish up morgan's aloo gobi n not feel like u are dying afterwards.. make sure u keep ur jacket away from the heater or else it will basically almost catch on fire..
la panzeria
a beautiful lil lively brunch spot.. good for omnivores n pescetarians alike.. focaccia is so pillowy n fragrant n like sinking ur teeth into a rosemary olive oil infused cloud.. n their pistachio tartufo (apparently on the secret menu??) is to die for.. it's pretty nuts in there!!!! is pretty busy but apparently takes reservations.. just not on their website.. something something email or instagram.. water was also refilled super often n the ice was very crunchy n delicious.. ari also allegedly bummed the waiter a cigarette or two (according to urban folklore..) truly no misses all around..
vegâteau
walking by on the way to sham (see above) n making a mental note to visit afterwards for a little yummy dessert on the way back to the train station.. taking ur sweet sweet time to choose between all the v*gan pastries that lay before u.. getting a matcha n a raspberry tart to eat there n absolutely destroying them in under 10 minutes.. chugging a glass of water while u are at it.. just another day in the life of being us.. it's hard honest work out here..
helico cafe
according to many a french person (morgan included).. home to the best breakfast sandwich ever.. if u looked at a cross section of it u would understand.. walking in greeted by the sight of freshly baked pastries n gorgeous loaves of bread.. a marvellous coffee selection n drinks menu.. waiting for ur order in the other room.. taking it to go and eating it outside leaned against a sketchy pillar w the clanging sounds of a workers' strike in the background.. going full national geographic mode on the subject eating the sandwich w 0.5 zoom.. passing the strike on the way back home again.. if u haven't experienced this.. have u truly lived..
drogheria fine
the best $5 you'll ever spend in montreal
for plentiful poutine
patati patata
still my favorite poutine in montreal also eating it in a park is always a highlight
la pataterie
poutine was really good but the hot dog somehow went harder
for breezy browsing
seconde
this thrift store was so yum. blue sweater and green jacket acquired
nuage collectif vintage
annex vintage
multimags
chez farfelu
bric à brac
le petit duck shoppe
librairie bertrand
bouquinerie du plateau
uniqlo centre eaton de montréal
matching blue and green sweaters!!! and cute gloves and hat too...
for comfortable coworking
salon de thé chaï tea lounge
worker came out of the bathroom with a smirk as he knew he left a fun surprise in there
café replika
dispatch coffee
pourquoi pas expresso bar
atomic café
bibliothèque maisonneuve
we did some library.ing here
for awesome activities
planetarium
i definitely didn't fall asleep during the second performance. optimal seat angle fr
grand marché de noël
we do love getting hate crimed!!
jardins de lumière
no light pollution here folks, also, we got rained on really hard
