Chinatown...or Is It???

Montreal boasts a very picturesque Chinatown where the majority of the shop owners seem to be Vietnamese-here I am eating a curry beef bun with Kiwi Bubble Tea from my fave patisserie (bakery) Harmonie. For those who don't know, Harmonie is a very small chain of bakeries that feature the best of Vietnamese/French fusion in pastry (Indochine-represent!). From green tea shortbread cookies to Hello Kitty cakes, there is no place like Harmonie-I even went through customs & was asked what kind of "food" I was bringing out from Canada to the U.S. & was told by immigration (implied rather) that this was OK as a given that OF COURSE I WOULD WANT TO TAKE A FOOD SOUVENIR FROM HARMONIE!!! I didn't take a picture, but there is a place called Mai Xiang Xuan that makes the BEST dumplings in the universe (order boiled, not fried). Mai Xiang Xuan was the only Chinese restaurant on site that I could see-but there were lots of Banh Mi sanwhich shops to choose from & some place that specialized in "Dragon Beard Candy" which I missed out on (that & My Cup of Tea).

Get Your Drink On...

Just in case anyone is planning a fanstatic getaway to a place where alcohol content is a concern-look no further than Montreal-just above NYC & you get these beer bottles that are the size of a 1+ liter of soda! Apparently alcohol poisoning is of little concern (by the way-I didn't try the Molson-I tried the LaBatt which is another Canadian/Quebec brand of beer-way too much alcohol content).

To Be or Not to Be-That Isn't Even the Question-Where's the Cream in This Cafe Mocha?!

As we are wont to do-our (now we can say this) annual trek to Montreal led us first to Tim Horton's (ok-after dinner @ Basha's Lebanese-sorry folks-that picture was mysteriously edited by my camera). Tim Horton's is a bad-ass chain not unlike Dunkin' Donuts except that they have yummy circular hashbrown that taste like latkes & the world's most delicious caffeinated beverage: CAFE MOCHA!!! You may think by my happytastic look & Heather-smirk that I'm loving this-but it would have been better with whipped cream. Also-the hashbrowns I've been dreaming of all year long-stale & cold!

A (Few) Days Late...But At Least We Didn't Arrive a Dollar Short

Annual Asian Food Fair & Cultural Show: 2011

I brought along Benny, who was at first a naysayer for this festival, but ended up staying until almost closing time! Vendors from India, Turkey, Vietnam, China & more-we look forward to next year (did I mention there is entertainment & Henna????)

Prodigal Indeed

After a rather long hiatus from all things foodie, I found another good stomping ground: SHINJU. Located in Davie, FL, this all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood joint is a palace for the palate. I recommend the "Fantastic" roll and the sashimi.