Jill and I turned going to Laval to see The Final Chamber Tour with Wu Tang Clan and Run the Jewels into a full weekend in the city. We stayed in Chinatown, which is a convenient base for walking around old Montreal.
Saturday was blazing hot, so we ping-ponged between walking and finding cool places to hide from the heat. We started with pastries from Patisserie Coco, then walked the alleys of the old city for a while until we made our way over to Notre Dame Basilica.
From there, we walked to the river, where shade was in short supply. We got out of the sun at Sabrosa, where we planned to have a drink and cool off. After watching a few plates go by, we ordered ceviche and guacamole. Delicious.
We pre-gamed dinner at Bar Leonor. Which, btw, is now my favorite bar in the world. It doesn’t get cranking until 11pm or so, but when you walk into the cool basement in the earlier hours of the evening, you might get the bartender’s full attention. Adrian, who designs the drink menu, is a genius. We gave him a few ideas about what we wanted, and he came up with unexpected and delightful recommendations (Juice Box and Wooden Ships). We talked with him for a while about mixology, neighborhood spots, and Parisian vs. Quebec French. He learned we were celebrating, and mixed an unusual tequila-based shot the three of us shared. It was hard to tear ourselves away from the creative cocktails and conversation.
But we had dinner reservations. Fleurs et Cadieux is a Chinatown spot in an old flower shop (the original sign is still up). My recommendations: Don’t pass up the duck and the brownie. Everything else (we had milk bread with edamame, udon noodles, and soft tofu with mushrooms) is wonderful, but the duck and brownie are spectacular.
Sunday started with breakfast at Maggie Oakes, then shopping in Laval, before driving to Place Bell for the concert. We ate an early dinner at Milestones, which turned into a crazy experience when the ceiling started to cave in under an intense rainstorm. We laughed about the waterfall next to our table before moving to the bar for dessert. The lovely staff picked up the tab to apologize for the waterworks, which wasn’t necessary. If you’re in Laval, it’s worth a visit. The tartares (beef and salmon) were delicious, and the server’s recommendation of the cheesecake was spot on.
We finished the weekend with Wu Tang and RTJ, and it lived up to the hype. Killer Mike nailed it: “A night like this, you gotta treat it like a joint and burn the motherfucker down.” They sure did. There’s still time to catch the tour. If you get a chance, go.