Il Cortile

My dad eats lunch at nice restaurants about four times a year with his cousin and uncle. The last place had been Il Cortile and let's just say they had a bad service experience. My dad is difficult but for him to get three free meals because of this was something else! So, my dad decided to bring my step-mom and I. And we all know how much I like free food. A lot. I like it a lot.

I waited for my step-mom and dad right outside, from where the restaurant looked like, well, a cave! And then you enter somewhat of a basement type place and then BOOM, one of the best kept terrasse secrets in Montreal. This little courtyard was beautiful, with flowers hanging from balconies and paintings on the brick walls. Uber cute! I kind of felt like I was back in Europe. Ah, Europe, my first love! But enough about me and my lovers, apart from the cuteness, this place seemed to be hosting quite the richest in Montreal. Plastic surgery, fancy scarves and Louis Vuitton purses were everywhere I looked. It was almost like a secret society. Fo serious yo. So I was basically hiding under the table. But a girl's gotta eat...

The waiter brought us antipasto that consisted of prosciutto, grilled veggies, and parmesan. Basically, some of the best things on earth. I'd have more of that right about NOW. Those portobello mushrooms were literally to dsie for. DSIE. FOR. Stuff that is cooked in butter is ALWAYS good. The prosciutto melted in my damn mouth. A bite with mushroom, parmesan and prosciutto was like a little piece of heaven in my mouth.

Mushroom risotto. The risotto was cooked for just the right amount of time. Still a tad crunchy and not mushy. Texture was on par. They had cooked it in mushroom stock and they were very abondant in there as well. Again, who doesn't like mushrooms cooked in butta? The waiter shaved some parm on there and BAM, you got yourself a winner. That dish was so filling, it felt like I had gained 10 pounds in one sitting.

Service was probably one of the best I've had so far. In ma life. We got sparkling water very quickly, wine was served the proper way, and our waiter was more than present the whole time. He checked on us, refilled our glasses and asked us if we needed anything else.

And now, the scores!

Food: 8.5
Service: 9.5

I can say that I won't go back because, hello, I ain't no millionaire. But I did appreciate the wonderful service!

Aloha café

How cute does that sound? Who wouldn't want to go to Aloha Café? I went last week with my coworker who likes all things Hawaiian and possibly related to surfing (like September Surf Café for example  http://www.eatingoutmontreal.com/2016/05/september-surf-cafe.html) to see what this place was about.

You literally feel like you're in another world when you get inside: bright wallpaper with red flowers, wooden everything, colours and more colours. There's no way you can feel sad, or mad, or bad, when you step foot inside Aloha Café. Even the name should make you smile! We would have liked more surf-y music, if that is a thing; it was a bit too much on the chill side. Their wallpaper is ON POINT: very islandy!

I'm always inclined to get hot chocolate in new cafés because I tell myself that hey, if they are coffee experts, they must also care about their hot chocolate. Sometimes, I am wrong. It wasn't hot enough (hello, it's in the title), it had a nice foam goin' but not enough flavour. All in all, a bit disappointing.

Carrot and ginger soup. I love that mix! It could have been hotter and there could have been less herbes de provence. It was a bit overpowering. Still one of my fave mix of flavours though.

Volcano sandwich. They make their own focaccia, which is pretty freaking awesome, if you ask me. It was a cloud-like bread. This is le top du top: a bread you can float on. I swear I didn't take any hallucinogens. So soft and lovely and fresh. YUM! This sandwich had porchetta, caper aioli, grilled eggplant and zucchini, and arugula. A nice little mix o' flavas. This sandwich was niiiiice. I would have liked more aioli because I'm just a sucker for garlicky things, as you may know. I also didn't really taste the capers in the aioli. I absolutely loved the grilled veggies and the meat was fatty and delicious and there was lots of it! A sandwich hit!

Waikiki sandwich. First of, best name ever: 'I'll have the Waikiki please'. Man, that sounds awesome. It was a bit on the wtf side o' things: sardines, hard boiled egg, capers and fine herbs. It was...weird. The anchovies and eggs were a mix that I'm not used to and there was too much dill in there. On the good side of things, the egg was marinated and that was f*ckin' awesome. The sandwich was a bit on the dry side compared to the other one. Not as much of a hit.

We just HAD to share the matcha croissant. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!! That's actually why I wanted to go there in the first place! So basically, you gots a green croissant...It looks a bit bizarre but soon you don't really care because it's IN YO MOUTH. It has a praline mousse with matcha with most likely some kind of food coloring because it was as green as well watered grass (wow, what a comparison) . The paste (or mousse if you prefer) was thick and the croissant, fresh and tasty. It was very yummy, as the experts put it, but the matcha wasn't present enough. I guess that might be a good thing...'I'll have a tea croissant please'. Ya, it IS strange. It was still good tho. Croissants are ALWAYS good. Always.

Service was not so super. We were rather disappointed, actually. It is a new establishment and they should really get their act together! I feel like a teacher telling a student they did something bad. But seriously. On top of it, they were no less than about 6 people working there with about 6 patrons. AND 'our' girl just talked to a friend for the better part of our visit. We had to ask for water and YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT. Also, no one asked if we liked our food OR if we would like to order anything else after having finished our meal. You are there to make money, people...act like it! This is no way to run a business. OK, I feel like I'm being a bit (a lot) harsh... but it's for your own good :)

And now, the scores!

Food: 7
Service: 6

If I go back, it'll be for that sandwich.

Il Focolaio

Flash review alert!

My dad and I went there a couple weeks back for our weekly lunch! Man, this place is so busy and crowded!! Seriously, I don't even know how the waiters smoosh in through the tables... because they are pretty much all touching!

We were obviously going to have pizza. They have over 65, yes, SIXTY-FIVE, kinds of pizza on their menu and then they have some à-côtés like caeser salad.

We had half a pizza and half a caesar salad each.

Caesar salad:
-kind of blend
-nothing special
-caesar salad!

Pizza:
-Grilled veggies were excellent
-Great spices
-Great crunch

Service was fast and efficient. Water was at the rendez-vous and our waiter was a smiling little dude.

And now, the scores:

Pizza: 8.5
Service: 7.5

Very busy place... located in Square Phillips. VERY busy during lunch with all of dem business people!