Whether you’re looking for a place to learn about tea practices and tea culture while sipping on a rare blend from a remote region in China, or you just want to don some white gloves and have some good old fashioned afternoon tea, these top 5 tea connoisseurs in Montreal will have you covered…

Nothing makes a gal feel more like a lady than tea at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel. Channel your inner lady with their traditional afternoon tea- it’s the height of decorum, indulgence and luxury. They’ve been serving traditional afternoon tea with all the accoutrements for decades and they’ve got it down to a delicious science. I suggest their signature tea, the aptly-named “Queen Elizabeth”, and the elegant finger sandwiches and sweets are a real treat.

Next we found ourselves at Camellia Sinensis, a haven for serious tea drinkers. The owners built their store with their shared passion for tea and travel and have been in business selling authentic tea from Asia for over ten years. They source the tea themselves by travelling to remote pockets of the world (mostly Asia), often following leads that are the stuff of myth and legend. The result is one of the finest tea houses in Montreal, with passionate, friendly and erudite staff who serve the finest tea in the world, to perfection.

Gryphon D’Or is an absolute treasure and the afternoon tea service is sophisticated yet cozy. They serve afternoon tea with all the frills but it feels more like an elegant indoor picnic, and nothing beats their famous homemade scones. The emphasis at Gryphon D’Or is on homemade treats, quality food and ambrosial tea. Even if you’ve never had afternoon tea, they’ll make you feel right at home.

Bubble Tea is a unique treat, even if it’s a bit unconventional. Magic Idea is the place to go if you’d like to try something new, or if you’re a bubble tea vet. This spot is one of the best places to get this unique cold tea served with flavoured tapioca balls. We sampled their most popular concoction and it was as sweet as the owners who run the place.

Esprithé is easy to miss but hard to forget. At Esprithe, you can purchase tea to take home or you can sit down and relax in their tea house with some meringues and baked treats from the neighbourhood. The place is run by an affable gentleman who knows a daunting amount about tea culture and who will expertly serve you a cup of tea with an Asian flair.

The post MONTREAL’S BEST TEAS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Montreal has had a Chinatown for as long as other Canadian cities, and it’s very nice. But if your appreciation for Asian culture partly centers around your belly, you definitely need to head on down to our other, non-official but very delicious Chinatown—which is more a collection of very authentic hole-in-the wall eateries from all over Asia. The area is also known as “Concordia Chinatown” or “Concordia ghetto” because of its proximity to Concordia University, as well as several language schools, which might explain the excess of delicious and genuine dishes from all over Asia at the following restos.

Kazu: Chef/owner Kazuo Akutsu’s tiny izakaya (japanese pub/resto) on Saint-Catherine is the first of its kind in Montreal. You’ll be lucky to get a table at either lunch (when he serves up homemade Ramen) OR dinner, when the delectable, bite-sized pub specials are posted on the wooden walls of his tiny shop. Favourites include his Gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and the 24-hour pork bowl, as well as the shrimp pancake and homemade icecream. Plus, Kazuo is very handsome.

Shuang Xiang BBQ: Most people think of Chinese BBQ as pink pork sides and shellacked ducks hanging in the windows of Chinese groceries, but this ambrosial Northern Chinese BBQ joint is the antithesis of that. This stripped-down family-style joint serves lamb barbecue on long metal skewers, accompanied by sauce and rice. They are also famous for their beef salad: Shredded cabbage folded into salty beef, with glass noodles, mint, coriander and vinegar dressing. Yum. Also recommended: Scallion pancakes and pork buns.

Maison du Nord: Another Northern Chinese place famous for their hand-pulled noodles and also for their pork sandwich, which is a version of Vietnamese Banh Mi. Marinated pork slices with coriander and crunchy radish and carrot pickles. They are also rumoured to have the best ma-po tofu in town.

Qing Hua: While most dumpling aficionados are used to one kind of soup dumpling, the mighty Xiao Long Bao, Qing Hua makes the lesser-known Jiongzi, which are tinier, but no less explosive, dumpling action. The extensive menu of dumplings ranges from the exotic (lamb and coriander) to the everyday but no less delicious, such as pork and chive, or shrimp. They also serve a mean coleslaw salad and the marinated duck wings are a rare treat. Dumplings served steamed, boiled or fried.

(Bonus) Harmonie Bakery: When you’re peckish downtown, the smart money knows that this Chinese bakery sells pork and other meaty buns for mere pennies, and also has a dizzying array of sugar treats and sweets like Hong Kong-style iced coffee.

Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

A

THE DETAILS:

Kazu, 1862 Sainte-Catherine Street West, (514) 937-2333

Shuang Xiang Bbq, 1439 Saint-Mathieu, (514) 935-7779

Maison du Nord, 2130 Saint-Mathieu, (514) 989-8818

Qing Hua, 1676 Avenue Lincoln, (438) 288-5366

Harmonie Bakery, 85 de la Gauchetière West, (514) 875-1328

The post NEIGHBOURHOOD 101: CHINATOWN 2 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Many people chose to travel to Montreal because it has that delicious French flare that can’t be found elsewhere in North America. It’s like going to Europe, but cheaper.

But Montreal is more than delicious baguettes and passionate romance and beautiful women with French accents. It’s a hub of international cultures, and the Chinese community plays an important role in the ethnic and cultural diversity of the city.

THE HOTEL

Although certainly not the biggest Chinatown in North America, Montreal’s quartier chinois is a bustling few blocks of delicious eats, unique shopping and great people watching. And in the heart of this district is a family-friendly and business-friendly hotel that prides itself on being the only establishment in North America blessed by the Noble House of China.

Sure it’s received an impressive blessing and has been intentionally designed with feng shui aesthetics, but many folks elect to stay at the hotel simply because it’s a stone’s throw from Le Palais des congrès – Montreal’s biggest convention centre. Others choose the Holiday Inn because it’s centrally located between charming Old Montreal, the fabulous shopping of downtown and the accessibility to the business district.

But whatever your motivation might be, there’s no bad reason to choose a stay at the Holiday Inn Select.

DIM SUM

Whether you have the good fortune to rest your head at the Holiday Inn Select or not, one activity not to be missed is the Dim Sum service in the Hotel restaurant Chez Chine. While visiting the hotel, we had a quick meal and dined on the following:

- Won ton soup with shrimp
- Crispy Vegetarian spring rolls
- Steamed scallop & shrimp dumplings
- Fried shrimp & mushroom dumplings
- Pan-fried white radish cake with Chinese sausage
- Dry rice noodles with beef

It was a very impressive spread, made more interesting by the information that long-term employee Victor Gee shared about the history of Dim Sum.

Check out the video above for the details!

——————————————————————————————————————

DETAILS

Holiday Inn Select
99 Viger Ave West
Montreal, QC H2Z 1E9
www.yul-downtown.hiselect.com

Facilities and Features:

- Indoor Pool
- Fitness Center
- Spa
- Laundry Service
- Business Center
- Travel Service (rental cars, tours, currency exchange, etc)
- Meeting Rooms (16 available)
- Languages spoken by staff: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese

——————————————————————————————————————

——————————————————————————————————————

The post HOLIDAY INN SELECT: CHINATOWN appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Our photo of the week shows the lovely arches of Montreal’s Chinatown. It was shared by Flickr star Richard McGuire. Mr. McGuire has some great shots of the Victoria rooftops of the Plateau, Montreal architecture and more!

Thanks Richard!

Montreal’s Chinatown is located primarily on La Gauchetière Street (between St. Laurent & St. Viateur Blvds). It occupies roughly the area of a city block. It’s a pedestrian walkway, making it more inviting for a stroll. Chinatown is a vibrant nightspot for locals and tourists alike thanks to a special regulation by Montreal’s city officials which slates the sector as a tourist area, thus allowing it to continue operations well into the evening.

——————————————————————————————————————

Submit your Montréal pictures to our MONTRÉAL BUZZ FLICKR GROUP.

And see our previous PHOTOS OF THE WEEK.

The post FLICKR PHOTO OF THE WEEK appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.