Friday, November 10, 2006

I realised I am starting to live here, for real. I'm now past the transitory stage, finding myself doing things I would actually find myself doing in Singapore, meaning I watch movies, I go shopping, and I check out restaurants. The food here is usually either pricey or bad, but I've decided I will indulge in a good meal occassionally.


This is the famous smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz's, a little Jewish deli tucked in the Plateau. The Plateau outlet is also the only outlet in the whole of Montreal and they consistently refuse to expand or franchise. As a result, this little deli is perpetually packed. Just grabbing a quick bite there is almost an impossibility, unless you're going there for breakfast, as I once did. Expect to queue up to half an hour if you're there for lunch or dinner, depending on the size of your group, but the food is well worth the wait. This place is such an establishment in Montreal it is marked out on the tourist maps as an attraction, and there was even a movie entitled Chez Schwartz about the lives revolving around the deli (but Celine Dion, one of its more famous patrons, does not appear in the film).

Service there is slightly erratic; with luck, you may get a really jovial server, but there has been an occassion where one of my friends (shan't mention names) was told off by a crabby one for not waiting for him to finish taking my order before he started ordering. But all this is forgiven once you try the signature smoked meat sandwich, which even habitual meat-haters would love. The meat is slightly charred on the sides, but juicy on the inside, and the fats just ooze in your mouth sinfully. The meat is also seasoned with their own special spice rub, and goes fantastically well with the mustard and bread. Much like a steak, you can specify how you'd like your meat - lean, medium, or fat. I've tried the medium and the fat, and I say unless you're a crazy health-conscious freak you'd generally want as much fat as you can get on that one. I've been there 4 times in the 2 months I've been here and I still look forward to my next visit. It is that good.

-- tee @ 3:30 pm |