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Lake Toya, Japan

Spot of Tranquility.

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Little India, Singapore

Spices, gold and splashes of colour!

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Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay

Garden City, City in a Garden.

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Bryce Canyon, USA

Thor's Hammer

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Chocolate Test, Singapore

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -Charles M Schulz

Showing posts with label Canada: Montreal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada: Montreal. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Mont Royal (Montreal)

Mont Royal in Montreal- Left my footprints there in the mud. It was raining heavily the day I was there. Armed with an umbrella which was too weak to withstand the winds. But it was a pretty quick climb, with a great view of the place, even though it was raining. Sometimes, you don't need the most perfect of views in order to get a perfect view. It's all in the mind.


The Road not Taken (Robert Frost)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Jean-Talon Market (Montreal)

Here's the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal.

I vaguely remember how it was so nice to walk alone in this market which was largely quiet because it was a weekday evening. Just the fruit stalls and the flower stalls were open. So tranquil, so perfect.

This world saturated in shades of grey need to be infused with some colour.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Maple Delights (Montreal)


The thing about guide books is that you really don't know how much trust to place in them. There is a tendency to flock to places which guide books place five stars on, but later you leave the place in disappointment.

This might just be one such place. I set foot at this place one rainy day in Montreal. An umbrella over my head, I was looking forward to entering this shop after hearing from friends that this place served pretty good food.

You have friendly servers to begin with. Thing is, I had problems communicating with one particular server. Because she couldn't understand English and I couldn't understand French- as simple as that. Therefore, I had to slowly enunciate my words, in the hope that she would get what I'm speaking. And my efforts didn't go to naught.

This place sold lots of maple products. Their gelato, peanuts, biscuits, maple syrup (surprise surprise), cosmetics were all maple products. They even had this little museum one floor down where you could see how they extract maple. (I bought a packet of maple nuts- and they weren't great at all.)

And so, this was what I ordered. Waffles with raspberry sorbet. Okay the thing is, I don't really have any gripe about this waffle. It's just that... it's far too ordinary and doesn't not match with the awesomeness that I had dreamed up from this shop. It was a satisfying eat (considering that it was raining outside), but I didn't feel like this maple stuff was anything out of the ordinary.


A little overhyped, I would think. But if you really need to lug a bag of Canadian maple products back to your home, by all means, visit this place.

84, St-Paul Street East
Montreal (Quebec)
Canada

Thursday, July 28, 2011

St-Viateur Bagels

St-Viateur is apparently the king of bagels in Montreal. It's been around since 1957. The first time I ate bagels was in Boston (how ironic given they are most popular in New York). Bagels aren't that popular in Singapore, which explains why it took so long for me to try a bagel.

The Montreal bagels differ from the New York bagels mainly in that the Montreal bagel contains malt and sugar with no salt whereas the New York bagel contains salt and malt. Due to different preparation methods, the New York bagel is puffy with a moist crust whereas the Montreal bagel is smaller (with a larger hole) and sweeter. (Source: Wikipedia)

It was raining very heavily the day we went to St Viateur. A German friend I met at the youth hostel decided to go to the place since it's extremely well known in Montreal.

The portions were so huge, you might as well have it for lunch. That's the problem with carbohydrates, ain't it? Fills you up like nothing.

Anyway, it was a break from the norm. Who ever sees bagels served with rock melon? Plenty of jam to go with the bagels. The bagels were fresh, had a crispy outer layer and a soft interior. Coupled with the delicious accompaniments (mine was jam because I don't eat butter), it was a real treat as breakfast.

But, do heed my advice, this thing is going to fill you up for quite some time. Space your meals out evenly!

St Viateur Bagel
1127 Mont Royal East

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Juliette & Chocolat (Montreal)

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate."
Katherine Hepburn

Everybody who's been to Montreal recommends Juliette & Chocolat. And you can be sure that this is a recommendation that will stick for a long time to come. Take a whiff of the overwhelming chocolate in the shop, look at the pretty chocolates lined along the shelves, have a bite of your anything on the menu, and you will fall in love with juliette & chocolat forever.

This is the fruits and melted chocolate crepe I had. It is SO DECADENT, it's simply mindblowing. At first you would think that the fruits would be a healthier option. BUT YOU WILL BE WRONG. The generous serving of chocolate ice cream, the crazy amount of chocolate syrup, the wide variety of fruits- berries, apples, raspberries, pineapples. I can't believe I ate all these on my own. You'd be better off sharing this. The sourness of the fruits complemented the sweetness + bitterness of the chocolate. As I ate this, I told myself, my life is now complete.

It's a no-brainer if you are craving chocolatey stuff- you know the place to go. Put aside the saying "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips". You will be a happier person in this chocolate playground.

Juliette et Chocolat
3600 St-Laurent (corner of Prince-Arthur)
Montréal, QC H2X-2V4