On the corner of Parc Avenue and Prince-Arthur is a movie theatre that feels like an old student venue. The main entrance, hidden in a shopping mall, features posters of famous movies that are still favourites with the student crowd. The cinema plays indie movies and repertory flicks, mostly foreign or independent. Catch up on old classics like Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point or Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, as well as the latest Gus Van Sant and Lars von Trier masterpieces.

A recent addition to Prince-Arthur Street, tucked away from noisy Saint-Laurent, Marché 27 is a bistro offering the best raw fish and meat in the neighbourhood. You can try horse or duck sashimi, or just get one of their wonderful burgers with goat cheese, in this wacky space coloured with black slate, light blue and white ceramic. Don’t leave the place without going to the washrooms – they’re inspired by Marie-Antoinette’s elegant Baroque style.

Boutique Duo is dedicated to men’s fashion, carrying some of the most celebrated brands and collections in the world – from Marc Jacobs to Lanvin Paris, along with exclusive Sonia Rykiel apparel or Alexander McQueen accessories. Chic but not pretentious, the space of this shop features black walls, large mirrors and bright yellow notes. It’s a must for any man looking for his next great pair of shoes or shirt. Every season, Duo has incredible sales – try to find a place where to find Paul Smith shirts and Raf Simons jackets for just a few hundred bucks.

This traditional Irish pub also has two other addresses – it used to be a favourite joint for locals on Monkland Avenue, before opening doors in downtown Montreal, and most recently here on the Plateau. It serves fresh pints of beers and food that make you feel like you’re in a British microbrewery. I love the yummy apricot-flavoured beer, and I often go there after a hard day of work, to relax with friends.

Set in the middle of other BYOB restaurants and patios, Café Campus was a place where politicians, writers, dancers and musicians would hang out in the late 1970s. Forty years after it first opened, the bar still aims to showcase the best of the French-Canadian alternative rock scene, even though it now appeals mostly to young college and university students. Nonetheless, it’s a place where champagne and beer go together, where you can be both classy and trashy all at once, and celebrate until early in the morning.

When you’re done walking all the way east of Saint-Laurent, you’ll end up in Square Saint-Louis. The epicentre of Montreal’s intellectual and cultural elite after the Quiet Revolution is still one of the city’s most beautiful public parks, where you can spend an entire afternoon reading and enjoy the serenity of solitude in the middle of the Plateau.