Restaurant Lavenue, 922, Av Du Mont Royal Est, Montreal Quebec Restaurant Review

L'Avenue

Fashionable brunch spot in Plateau

Photo by Erika David

Google “best breakfast in Montreal” and a certain hot spot is bound to show up. Set in the Plateau, an easy walk from Mont-Royal metro, L’Avenue is its name and breakfast is its game. They don’t take reservations but you can get the most important meal of the day between 8:00am and 4:00pm all week long. The trendy décor yet casual atmosphere attracts an upbeat crowd, making it a fun, hip and happening place, but it’s the food that gets all to come around and (most) back again.

Le menu is extensive and only in français. Looking at your peers on your left and right will only make it harder to narrow your choices down – it's all major eye candy. I usually get some sort of Eggs Benedict, which comes with a side of fluffy potatoes and a giant fruit kebab that puts other restaurants to shame. Though one day, when I’m ready, I’ll get the Bon ben moi j'prends toute! – the “everything” plate.

Here’s the Chorizo II ($14.44). The base of each tower features half an English muffin and a handful of delicious roasted potatoes. Sautéed onions, peppers and mild chorizo sausages rest on top, while the oil and flavor seep into the bread. A perfectly poached egg sits higher up and a blanket of buttery hollandaise fleck with ground pepper finishes it off. Pop the eggs and things get messy. The yolks mingle with the rich sauce and coat all the ingredients, making every sloppy bite a hearty, heavy, tasty one. I’m not kidding when I say one stack of eggs benny is enough. Good luck wiping the plate clean.

Photo by Erika David

The same thing goes for the Berceau ($12.66) but instead of chorizo sausages, it’s got spicy, savory pieces of chicken. Yum!

I try to get dishes that include their signature potatoes. For me, breakfast at L’Avenue isn’t complete without them. Housed in a mini red pot, fork tender chunks of potatoes, red skin still on, are tastefully seasoned with garlic and herbs. Wonderful bites, worthy of the spotlight.

About the author - Erika is a proud Montrealer whose obsession with food borders on insanity. That along with Montreal’s culinary diversity fuel her blog, This is Why We’re Fat. With a big appetite and a very open mind, nothing is off limits. It’s only a matter of time before she eats her way through the entire city!