It’s my birthday today. This year, the plan was to keep things low key. But I headed to Montréal over the long weekend. Needless to say that the plan went south pretty quickly.
My homie the mixologist
Come over, he said. Some sausages on the grill. Nothing big, he added.
He lied.
Three (very colourful) drinks later, his wife had cooked a storm and other people had joined us. What started out as a visit to a couple of friends we hadn’t seen in a while turned into an evening of laughter and fun. This couple rocks! Our homie the mixologist came through. The drinks were as delicious as they were pretty. He gets really creative with liquor. Check him out on the Gram.
Agrikol: Haitian cuisine with a twist
Agrikol is not your typical Haitian restaurant. For starters, you will be able to order every single item on the menu. And I will leave it at that.
To be noted: They have two menus, one for the dining room and one for the patio. If you’re craving akra (malanga fritter) and zaboka (avocado), try to find a table inside.
They have the best bannan peze (fried plantains) I’ve eaten outside of Haiti.
The patrons are hip and trendy. The ambiance is really laid back. While the music in the dining room is loud, outside, in the backyard/patio, the volume was on point. We could actually have a conversation. They’ve done a good job decorating the patio: a mix of picnic tables and smaller round tables, overhead lights going from the tree to the fence, a barbecue and a bar. Very nice, without being posh.
We dined outside. Barbecue meets tapas. That’s the only way I can describe it. Every single meat item on the menu is grilled. The plantains are also fried outside. I’m not certain where the rice, which I didn’t taste, was cooked.
This is definitely a place you should try.
Le festival Yul Eat
Not planning is often the best plan. I stumbled on the event on social media and didn’t plan to attend. Yet, I ended up there.
(In case you’re wondering, YUL is the airport code for the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau airport in Montreal.)
There were tons of vendors, the site was beautiful. And there was something from Haiti: Mamba! Their kiosk was crowded. I had to come back later in order to avoid the line. The people manning the booth were super nice. I tasted some and went back to my childhood, to the time when my grandma taught us how to make Mamba...
Old Montréal is alive a kicking
Quaint streets. Building filled with history. Trendy restaurants. Crowded streets. Very touristy. There's nothing old about the neighbourhood. What an awesome way to spend a beautiful summer day.
There's always a new spot to discover.
Check out the beautiful garden below. (You may need to scroll a bit.)
There you have it. My weekend was jammed packed with activities, yet I managed to have to down time. Trust me, I did. And while I partied during the week, I had a pretty quiet day at work today.
Among all the wishes I received today, one really touched me. My cousin (and little brother in my heart) wished me to travel a lot. That’s how you know someone really cares for you, when they wish you something you actually want and need. As I get closer to 40, I’ll share some wisdom with you. Do what you like and share you passion so that people can know exactly what to wish you.