Must-eats in Montreal

Bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, from one of the many bakeries in the Plateau. Absolutely delicious, but unfortunately I didn't have a chance to have some this time around.

Le Basha, Rue St-Catherine. Not exactly haute cuisine, but compares to the best authentic Lebanese food you can get. Huge servings, quick service and not expensive at all.

Ben & Jerry's icecream. There's a B&J's in downtown Montreal as well as Place Jacques-Cartier in the old city. Wonder why Toronto doesn't have one. I'm not a huge fan of icecream, but Ben & Jerry's is too good to miss. No guilty feelings either - I worked it off with a good walk up and down the Mont Royal.

For really cheap fast food to go, nothing beats Al-Tayyeb with its Middle Eastern style fast food (pizza, mana'eesh, shawermas). The place is a favourite among Concordia and McGill students and families in the downtown area. Followed by mint tea or Turkish coffee and sheesha at the nearby late night cafe (I forget the name) over a game of chess makes for a great way to wind down your day.