Where to eat in Montreal, Canada - Gluten Free

Next stop on the honeymoon was the marvellous city of Montreal. Despite packing for mixed weather the sun shone down on us as we walked round the beautiful parks and saw the sights of this fantastic French-speaking city. I speak French but most people seemed to speak English as well so there were no issues with explaining dietary requirements! One of the highlights was the incredible Cirque du Soleil, so if you get chance to see it in it's home-town then do so. Of course the food was a highlight too so here's a run down of some of the places we ate at:

Toqué

Toqué is for serious foodies! The experience here was easily equal to some of the best Michelin starred restaurants in Europe. We had booked in advance and they acknowledged that I was gluten free when we were seated. We couldn't resist the temptation of the tasting menu. You've got to be brave at Toqué, you have no idea what you're going to get but I can assure you it will certainly excite and enthral. As we were on honeymoon we had to start with the champagne and oysters. You receive two glasses of champagne and the extremely knowledgeable sommelier talks you through the differences while you sample the fresh tasting oysters. I won't go into all 7 courses but I can guarantee that you'll have flavours and combinations you'll have never tried before. Highlights included a scallop ceviche with strawberries. It sounds like one of those terrible combinations an over-enthusiastic Masterchef contestant would try but it worked seamlessly. Sea urchin was certainly a first for me and with a creamy taste of the sea it didn't fail to disappoint. A beef dish provided rich dark meat and the pigeon dish which followed looked like artwork on plate. Toqué gave me the most unusual cheese dish I'd ever had, with flowers of cheese, smoky hay cream, and tangy mustard seeds. Everything was effortlessly gluten free and the little touches such as a different crumb around the cheese really showed the attentiveness of the chefs at Toqué.

Sea Urchin at Toqué

Cheese at Toqué

Accords

Accords is a fantastic wine bar and bistro with a quaint courtyard just down from the Notre Dame Basilica. They clearly mark the gluten free options on their menu which is great to see. We went there for a spot of lunch but as it was a Sunday they only serve brunch. In fact, we were in for a treat! They had a simple set menu with a few choices again clearly marking what was gluten free. We both had the salad to start and simple though it was, it was beautifully dressed. We both then had what we thought was the eggs Benedict (mine ordered without the muffin). This is where my French let me down in a good way! What we in fact ordered was eggs Benedict but instead of the usual ham or bacon we had huge lobster claws. The perfectly poached eggs and zingy hollandaise made for one delicious dish. As well as a large selection of wines they also have gluten free beer available!

Lobster Benedict at Accords

Le Comptoir - Charcuteries et Vins

One of my favourite restaurants of our entire trip was Le Comptoir. It was helped by the fact that we had front row seats! Being able to sit at the bar and watch the chefs meticulously put together these delicately crafted plates of superb food was brilliant. The waiter checked each of the dishes we ordered was gluten free or could be adapted. It was hard not to watch the chefs with eagle eyes, but I soon relaxed when you could see the level of care and attention that chefs take in such a well-oiled professional kitchen. The dishes are small and perfect for sharing. We started with one of their home-made charcuterie platters, delicious smoked and cured meats. My favourite was a smoked bacon carpaccio with parsnip purée, sprouts and pickled onion. The combination worked perfectly and was some of the best bacon I've ever tasted. I loved this place and would definitely recommend booking as it was packed all night.

Bacon Carpaccio at Le Comptoir 

Veal at Le Comptoir

Café Pavé & Nococchi

Just opposite Accords we found Café Pavé which is a great place to grab a gluten free sandwich for lunch. There's a whole host of different fillings you can have in your gluten free bread. I had the pulled pork sandwich which was the perfect fuel after a morning seeing sights. It's worth noting that like some gluten free bread in the UK, the slices are a little smaller so for those with big appetites, you might want to order two!
Nococchi was also another good spot to grab a gluten free sandwich - the BLT was particularly good. They also had a number of salads on the menu too.

Gluten free BLT at Nococchi

Cartel Street Food

For our last night in Montreal we found the Cartel Street Food Bar an eclectic mix of tacos, quesadillas, ceviches and Asian dishes. The menu was clearly marked with gluten free options and once again we found the staff knowledgeable. It was at Cartel that I had my first poutine, a sort of chips, cheese and gravy medley that is a Montreal speciality! Other dishes we tried included a blackened grilled chicken with a fruity guava dressing and a pork belly and pineapple fried rice. There's certainly something to please everyone here.

Poutine & Beef Tacos at Cartel

Blackened grilled chicken and guava sauce at Cartel

Finally if you're looking for a great bar, we loved Dominion Square Tavern - you have to try the Orange Julep!

Next stop Toronto!

Hotel Sacacomie, Quebec, Canada

Three weeks ago, the Hungry Boyfriend became the Hungry Husband. Yes I tied the knot with my beautiful wife! For blogging purposes though I'm sticking with the Hungry Boyfriend, primarily because of the effort involved in changing it all over! The next few posts are going to cover our honeymoon; we've just got back from an amazing trip to Canada followed by Antigua in the Caribbean so lots of food stories to share.

Anyone who has recently got married will testify that it takes a lot of organisation and hard work, particularly in the run up to the big day, so we decided that our first stop in Canada needed to be for some relaxation. Having flown into Montreal, we hired a car and headed to Hotel Sacacomie. Although it was blissfully relaxing when we got there, the journey there was anything but, as I managed to reverse our Chrysler 300 hire car into a ditch! We had to get pulled out by some friendly French-Canadians living nearby! The less said about it the better!

When we did finally arrive we were greeted by the most breathtaking view from our room. It was such a peaceful place, the rooms, all made out of wood were like log cabins and we had large jacuzzi bath and a log fire. I'd notified the hotel in advance that I was gluten free and they did a fantastic job throughout our two night stay. It's a French speaking place and although I speak French, many spoke perfect English/Canadian. Having admired the view, we headed downstairs for some lunch. It was a great lunch menu with lots of variety. I had the smoked trout salad, the trout was caught from the lakes nearby. It was absolutely huge (as were a lot of the portion sizes) but was beautiful. Lots of flaked trout and perfectly dressed salad. We shared some fries but it was more than enough for lunch. The next day I couldn't resist ordering the salad again as it had been so good, so we agreed to share a salad and some chicken wings. The wings were great too, succulent and flavourful. 

Smoked trout salad

Our breakfast and evening meals were included in the package we booked (which also came with Swedish massages - which were amazing!). Breakfast was a buffet and so there were plenty of gluten free options. The chefs also made omelettes to order which were great, especially with a side of crispy Canadian bacon. There was plenty of choice on the dinner menu too and I could have easily eaten here for a week without getting bored or having the same thing twice. We had booked Sacacomie without knowing too much about it but couldn't have picked a better place to relax and enjoy some delicious (gluten free) food! Each day they had a delicious homemade soup to begin the meal which was always gluten free. Some of the starters we enjoyed included more of the smoked trout, this time in a delicious rillettes, a type of coarse paté garnished with thin strips of the smoked trout and baby beetroot leaves. My wife (still not quite got used to saying it!) enjoyed a carpaccio of venison with pine nuts, parmesan and balsamic which was perfectly balanced. On the first night we both enjoyed some perfectly cooked blade of beef which was melt-in-the-mouth tender. For our final night at the lodge, I had the scallops and king prawns which came on a bed of pea purée with celeriac and crispy bacon. The scallops nicely caramelised on the outside and soft in the middle, the prawns meaty and flavoursome. My wife enjoyed the duck, which as with everything, was cooked perfectly, crispy skin and pink in the middle It was a struggle finding room for dessert but the creme brulée was heavenly! Crunchy top with a silky smooth vanilla custard. I had the crème brûlée both nights as there wasn't as many gluten free desert options but I was more than happy to have it again! We washed this all down with some great Canadian wines.

Trout rilletes

Venison Carpaccio

King Prawns and Scallops

Duck with sweet potato mash

It was a fantastic place to which we would happily return The spa was excellent with outdoor jacuzzis and saunas with stunning views and a cold plunge pool which I didn't stay in long enough to admire the view! We were slightly out of season but there's a huge array of activities you can do depending on the time of year or you can just go and relax and enjoy some great food!

Next stop Montreal!