Mike Yardley: Bites and beats in Montreal

An ingenious Montreal escape hatch from the claws of winter is the cavernous sprawl of the Underground City in downtown, a staggering labyrinth of shopping centres, hotels and museums. With over 32 km of tunnels, the underground city was first built in the 1960s as the metro train system was being developed, but has been expanded to incorporate a variety of plazas, connecting up over 1000 retailers and restaurants. It’s considered the biggest underground city in the world. I have to admit I found it incredibly easy to get completely lost in – which apparently is part of its novelty. 

Montreal's Underground City. Photo / Pixabay

If a serious dose of retail therapy is on your agenda, above ground, glide your way along Rue Saint-Catherine, where a procession of glossy stores and chic independent retailers unfurl their splendour. While I wandered with enchantment through Vieux-Montreal, I ventured down Rue Saint-Claude to the colossal emporium of the 160-year-old Bonsecours Market. A totem of French-Canadian architecture, the market’s mission has evolved over the decades and now specialises in high-end cafes, handicrafts and designer boutiques. Pop into Ricchi who showcase skilfully crafted Inuit art made from Baffin Island rock. 

Open since 1933, Jean-Talon Market is Montréal's largest and most beloved year-round farmers market, and an essential stop for any foodie visiting the city for the first time. Overflowing with seasonal produce, local cheeses, artisanal charcuterie, freshly baked pastries, and Québec-wide specialties, it's the kind of place where a "quick browse" easily turns into a two-hour feast. Montreal is nothing if not a foodie city. From the celebrated French-Canadian bistros of the Latin Quarter and Plateau to the convivial patio eateries of the Crescent, Montreal has more restaurants per capita than New York City. For cheap eats, Montreal’s culinary classics tend to be of the greasy kind, headlined by cheap and cheerful poutine. 

Unofficially the region’s go-to comfort food, poutine consists of French fries topped with squeaky fresh cheese curds and lashings of rich brown gravy. A plate of it doesn’t look particularly appetising, but once you’ve had your first bite, you’ll keep going. It's packed with flavour and calories. There’s a plethora of outlets who specialise in Québec's most iconic dish, but a legendary spot is La Banquise in Plateau Mont Royal. It is so popular it is open 24 hours and serves over 30 creative variations, from pulled pork and smoked meat to a variety of vegan options, making it a go-to after a long night out. On the sweet treats front, something trending all across Montreal are ice-cream croissants. Strange, but true. 

Downtown Montreal. Photo / Mike Yardley 

When it comes to great bakery battles, Montreal and New York fiercely contest the bragging rights over who has the best bagels. A Montreal bagel is smaller, denser and sweeter than its New York counterpart, with a larger hole. They’re hand-rolled, traditionally boiled in honey-infused water and always baked in a wood-fired oven. If you want to sample bagel royalty, head to Fairmount Bagel. In 1919, Isadore Shlafman arrived in Canada and opened the first bagel bakery in Montreal. Today, his grandchildren run the family business, from the classic onion bagel to the more recent additions, like the chocolate chip & orange zest bagel. Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel Shop have been duking it out for the title of the city's best bagels for generations. 

Another Montreal staple is the smoked meat sandwich. Few things in life are just as good as four-inch-thick smoked beef sandwich, with a side of coleslaw and fries. Still going strong after a century, 

Schwartz’s Deli is Montreal’s legendary smoked-meat parlour on St. Laurent Boulevard. The lines constantly billow outside this storied deli where the staff of Schwartz's credit the unique flavour of their smoked meat to the mandatory 10-day meat curing time and the brick smokehouse covered with 90 years of build-up. Celine Dion is a part-owner. 

A sandwich from Schwartz's Deli. Photo / Flickr 

Chic style and sparkling hospitality go hand-in-hand at Four Seasons Montreal, located in the Golden Square Mile just off the shopping glitter-strip of Rue Saint Catherine, loaded with high-end retail temptations. This rose-hued oasis is strikingly good-looking, endowed with artful touches. I particularly loved Montreal-based designer Pascale Girardin’s dangling white and gold-tipped glass petals in the inner atrium – all part of the surrealist urban garden aesthetic. Stretching from the ninth to the 18th floors, the work creates an infinity effect when the sun reflects off the mirrored glass. 

All guestrooms and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows. Blush pink velvet upholstery mixes with pale veined marble, there’s dark hardwood furniture and four-poster beds. A crystal wall separating the bathroom and bedroom allows for a city view while soaking in your standalone tub. I gazed frequently at the enormous Leonard Cohen mural draping the side of a neighbouring building. Curved-back lounge chairs and pink footstools add to the rosy, boudoir-inspired décor. Marcus Restaurant & Lounge is the hotel’s pièce de résistance, an irresistible venue for culinary verve and conviviality. Breakfast is also served here – get a table on the lighter, plant-filled side of the room and for something truly memorable, order the silky lobster omelette, which comes with crab and gruyere sauce. 

A guest room at the Four Seasons Montreal. Photo / Mike Yardley

Helmed by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who is feted for his seafood passion, the raw bar features three-tier towers of sustainable lobster, crab, sashimi, oysters, razor clams and Nordic shrimp. Appetizers and mains include dishes like maple salmon belly, textbook salade niçoise, and turmeric-tinged spaghetti with sea urchin butter, crab, Thai basil, crunchy panko and a sprinkle of ground Calabrian pepper. Reaffirming its proud sense of place, Montreal’s premier integrated luxury department store, Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, connects directly to the Four Seasons’ third-floor lobby. It’s a glamourous, sophisticated and irresistible hotel. 

Travelling by train is a thrill in Canada, particularly if you’re shuttling between Toronto, Montreal and Québec City. VIA Rail Canada trains are efficient, comfy and equipped with complimentary on board Wi-Fi. Treat yourself to business class and you’ll enjoy a host of comforts from the business lounge at the main train stations and priority boarding to the supreme sense of space and comfort onboard. The seats have been refashioned with leather upholstery, along with an adjustable footrest, wide tray table and in-seat recline. Stretch out and relax. Best of all, whether you’re travelling during breakfast, lunch or dinnertime, you get to choose from a hand-picked selection of delicious meals. Plus, the bar service will keep you well lubricated, whether you’re after beer or wine, soft drinks, tea and coffee. For best fares and seats to suit, viarail.ca.

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s resident traveller and can be heard each week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.