Montreal, the challenging city

Graham McKenzie finds Montreal to be a challenging city, but then again, he likes a good challenge…

Challenge one: language. Well, first up they speak French and I don’t. It’s not much of a test as, of course, the vast majority of people, especially in the tourism and hospitality industry, speak English as well as I do. Personally I like it. I like trying my schoolboy French to ask for a coffee with milk, a ham sandwich and the way to the toilet. After a few days of eating ham sandwiches and drinking coffee for breakfast, lunch and dinner and possessing the cleanest hands known to man I do, however, find the need to revert to English. In Montreal you will have no issues except the excitement and novelty of another language. The descriptive nature of certain customs, food and all manner of everyday items leave you in no doubt that you are in a foreign land and it’s different from what you’ve left behind in Royaume-Uni.

Challenge two: food. As a man who likes to maintain a trim figure (yes, really) a challenge in Montreal is keeping it like that. Canada, in general, under plays the quality of its cuisine and here in Quebec it is no different. Yet the excellence and choice would stand up to almost any city in the world and it’s not just haute cuisine. I ate at Schwartz the locally-famous smoked meat deli where, whatever time you arrive, you inevitably have to queue to get a seat. Once in, I opted for a small plate of smoked meat which comes with half a loaf of bread plus, very importantly, poutine. Where has poutine been all my life? It’s very unhealthy, looks not so appetising, but by golly it tastes good. Poutine, recommended by my taxi driver, is made with French fries and cheese curds topped with light brown gravy – delish! As a friend said to me, you could easily eat this for every meal, especially when washed down with the Montrealais’ beverage of choice – Cherry Coke.

Montreal is not without gastronomic choice, however, with a plethora of upmarket food outlets. I was lucky enough to be invited to Toque (French for a chef’s hat) by Air Transat and what a delight it was. Each course was created with local produce and served with a different wine. It was a culinary masterclass by Chef Normand Laprise and no wonder it’s considered to be amongst the top 100 restaurants in the world. Not quite so grand but equally tasty and impressive food was served at Maison Christian Faure, a French pastry shop of very high standards. The first of its type in Canada it will not be the last, as it tempts one with superb savoury club sandwiches, fine quiches, croissants and magnificent pastries.

Challenge three: time. Montreal has so much to see and do it is virtually impossible for a visitor to tick each box. Notre Dame Basilica has a good chance of being declared the eighth wonder of the world it is so spectacular. The 1976 Olympic Stadium looks space age, even now some 40 years later, and Mont Royal is still a spectacular open space with fabulous vistas across the city which has not changed in 75 years. I know this to be fact as my father was here in 1941 as a young RAF officer and below is the photographic evidence.

If you add into this mix an extensive list of events and festivals, including the world famous Jazz variety, you can understand the frustrations. Next year the calendar will be even more comprehensive with the national celebration of 150 years of independence, but also Montreal’s 375th birthday merriments, some of which have already begun.

Challenge four: community. Throughout the city, small communities, all very distinct from one another, have been formed. Many have been established as a result of immigration, some due to the advancement of the city over the centuries, and others, well, just because. An American journalist friend of mine has lived in Montreal for almost 30 years and has made her home in Mile End. As in London, it was named as it was a mile from the end of the city. It is full of small independent outlets, including the famous bagel shops on Fairmount and St-Viateur, plus lots of other restaurants offering more cuisines than you could possibly experience in a lifetime, let alone lunchtime. It’s a fabulous mix of unpretentious people from many backgrounds.

My final challenge: how to get back and experience more.