MeganEats: Le Cristal Chinois (Montreal, QC)

Being originally from Toronto, I was fortunate enough to grow up among a melting pot of many different cultures, and surrounded by international cuisine offerings. One of my favourite traditions with Asian food is the concept of Dim Sum. Dim Sum refers to a style of Chinese eating where smaller bite-sized or individual portions are served in steamer baskets or small plates, usually accompanied by green tea. Similar to tapas-style dining, Dim Sum is ideal for those who like to taste a variety of different options and don't mind sharing dishes. Though Dim Sum dishes can often be sold individually at any time of the day as an on-the-go snack (Dim Sum literally translates to "touch the heart"), Dim Sum is increasingly becoming merged with Brunch as the trend for families and groups of friends to gather for extended meals on weekend mornings. As someone who is extremely indecisive when it comes to ordering at restaurants (since I always want to try everything), and preferring longer meals, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I never pass up a Dim Sum offer!

Although Montreal may not offer as many options for Dim Sum as Toronto, I've still managed to sample a couple of restaurants in the city's limited China Town that have all managed to satisfy my cravings. My friends and I tend to opt for local favourite Kam Fung, which presents their Dim Sum in a cart-service style where several different dishes are pushed around by waitresses on carts and diners select whatever appeals to them physically. Though this method benefits from choosing your food based on how it looks, the waitresses are often unable to communicate what the dishes are in english, and are always in a rush, which can make the whole experience slightly stressful. Feeling a little adventurous, my foodie friends suggested we try out Le Cristal Chinois, and we were not disappointed!

Entering Cristal Chinois reminds you to not judge a book by its cover - Though the restaurant is located on the sixth floor of a multi-purpose building and may be missed by passerbys, the interior is extremely modern! The large dining space features high ceilings, large circular light fixtures, a visible wine collection, and a retractable wall that divides the space. My dining companions and I were fortunate enough to get seats on a slightly elevated platform by a wall of windows that displayed a beautiful view of Old Montreal. One wall of the restaurant is completely lit-up by purple lights, and has a large screen hanging from the ceiling that displays a picture slide-show of the various Dim Sum dishes on the menu.

Beautiful view of Old MTL

Unlike Kam Fung, Le Cristal Chinois presents you with a paper menu of all of their Dim Sum dishes and a pencil to tick off your preferred choices. The menu is conveniently divided by genre (fried, steamed, sweet, etc.) and each item lists a size (small, medium, large) that corresponds to the price of the dish. Although some items are hard to conceptualize (i.e. malai roll singapore style??), I was lucky enough to have my Asian-food expert with me who helped us decide on eight dishes of different varieties and sizes. I managed to control myself long enough to snag some photos of our food before we dug in.

Deep Fried Sesame Balls with salted duck yolk (my favourite!)

From left to right: Shrimp Dumpling, Ox Trip, Pork Siu Mai

Table shot: Different Dumplings, Pork Rice Rolls, Sticky Rice with Lotus Leaves, etc.

It should be noted that our dishes were all served very quickly in random succession (Dim Sum dishes are usually prepared in advance to allow for this quick service). Standouts were most definitely the dumplings, deep fried sesame balls, and sticky rice, but all dishes were up-to-par, so the enjoyment all comes down to personal preference. After viewing the slideshow sequence of photos, I'm eagerly anticipating my next trip since. I can't wait to try their steamed pork buns (one of my Dim Sum staples), and I'll probably have to give that singapore-style malai roll a try just-cuz.

Not only does Le Cristal Chinois serve top-quality Dim Sum dishes, but the service was above the area standard, and the restaurant's ambience and decor really couldn't be beat. The price came to about $12-13 CAD each with tax, and every last bit of food was eaten. I would definitely recommend Le Cristal Chinois to those in the Montreal area, since the Dim Sum trend really needs to be picked up around here. Make sure you go with plenty of time to spend enjoying the view and sampling the menu with as many guests as possible. (Note: the restaurant also offers many combination meals and a regular a la carte menu)

Le Cristal Chinois 
998 Blvd. St-Laurent,6th floor,Montreal,QC H2Z 9Y9


restaurant website

Review: Maybelline 24-Hour Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows (LE + Permanent line)

Hey there, remember me? Now I know its been a hell of a long time since I've written a blog post, but hopefully you can forgive my procrastination since I've got about a million posts lined up! Unfortunately, school has been killer this semester but I just wrapped up midterms and had halloween weekend to celebrate so hopefully I can quickly get back in the frequent-blogging swing.

Today I bring you an extremely overdue mini-haul and review of the Maybelline 24-Hour Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows. About a year ago, I was thrilled when I found out Maybelline was launching an affordable line of cream eyeshadows. Being a longtime fan of the MAC paint pot cream bases, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to experiment with more pigmented cream eyeshadows and spice up my collection. The permanent line that launched featured a range of dramatic colours, but I boringly opted for the more neutral shades, including Pomegranate Punk (burgundy maroon), Bad to the Bronze, Bold Gold and Tough as Taupe (only matte).

Packaging of Maybelline 24-Hour Colour Tattoo by Eyestudio

Recently, Maybelline launched a limited edition eight-piece 24-Hour Colour Tattoos for Fall that included four neutral shades, and four colourful shades. As per usual, this collection made a very delayed arrival to my lovely Northern habitat, and only included the neutral half of the shades (which didn't bother me that much at all). I was lucky enough to snap Barely Beige, Gold Shimmer, and Rich Mahogany, and have since gotten much use out of all of them!

Clockwise from top left: Pomegranate Punk, Bad to the Bronze, Tough as Taupe,
Bold Gold, Rich Mahogany, Gold Shimmer, Barely Beige

Limited Edition Shades: Barely Beige, Gold Shimmer, Rich Mahogany

Below are the swatches of all seven shades that  own. Take note of how crazy pigmented these cream eyeshadows are! Each shade is completely wearable on its own, or as a base to any eyeshadow. And shout-out to their amazing staying power - I had to vigorously rub these off my arm with a makeup removing wipe.

From left to right: Pomegranate Punk, Bad to the Bronze, Tough as Taupe,
Bold Gold, Barely Beige, Gold Shimmer, Rich Mahogany

After having owned and used the limited edition shades for three weeks (and the permanent ones for almost a year), I think I'm qualified to deliver a very accurate review of this product. The verdict is in: and these are a god-send. Its very hard to convey how much I freaking love the shadows and abuse the crap out of them. I know they're suppose to be multi-purpose and can be used as bases for powder eyeshadows, but I almost always wear them alone, all over the lid, or combine two shades and blend one into the outer edge of my eye and crease. The shadows all have amazing colour payoff, and really last all day on my eye (often key for college students doing our makeup in the morning).

The best part about these shadows has to be the simplicity of applying them. I always simply use my fingers, even if I'm trying to combine two colours (i.e. Barely Beige on my lid and Bad to the Bronze in the crease). When I have a bit more time, I'll use a shading brush to just blend out in the crease, and voila, a little eyeliner and mascara and I'm out the door. I must warn that the colours do tend to set quickly on the eyelid, so immediate blending is essential. I would try to pick favourites but its difficult considering their quality level - though Bad to the Bronze, Tough as Taupe, and Barely Beige definitely get the most love since they're the most versatile and can each work so well on their own.

All in all, I'd say Maybelline really hit it out of the park with this one. The 24-Hour Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows can found at your local drugstore in America and the UK, though you might have to do a bit of searching before finding the limited edition shades (I went on a hunt for Barely Beige). These retail for around $8.99 CA in Canada, though prices will vary depending on your country or specific local promotions. There are an amazing range of colours to choose from, I just hope that in the future they add more matte shades. Now run out and get the Fall collection before its too late. You can thank me later.

Wishing everyone the best and much safety during these hurricaneous times,

Megan

MeganEats: Le Comptoir (Montreal, QC)

Let's make this clear: I'm definitely a foodie. I try to maintain a balanced lifestyle and fortunately I thoroughly enjoy many healthy foods such as fruits (my favourite), vegetables, fish and yoghurt. On the other hand, I happen to have quite the sweet tooth, and I'm a big believer in dessert and self-indulgence.  Another central aspect of my food philosophy is exploration and experimentation. I believe (almost) every food deserves to be tried at least once, if not many times, and that exploring the foods of different cultures is one of the most effective ways of becoming cultured and expanding your palette.

That being said, today I bring you a restaurant review. One of my favourite Montreal (Canadian) cultural traditions is the concept of "brunch", which is now becoming increasingly popular all over the world. There's something about communal breakfast foods with good friends on relaxing weekend mornings that makes everyone feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

I periodically explore Montreal's diverse and expanding brunch offerings with two fellow food connoisseurs that seek similar things in restaurants as myself. That being: unique food pairings, satisfying portion sizes, good value for the price, something that couldn't be mimicked at home, and most importantly - a yummy taste! One of our favourite brunch spots we frequent is Lawrence located on Saint-Laurent at Fairmount. As great as Lawrence can be, there's ALWAYS such a long line! So what did three hungry foodlovers do? Headed on down the road to try somewhere new, and thus we ended up at Le Comptoir

View from outside, make sure you don't miss it!

The interior design is very modern and industrial, including my architectural weakness, exposed brick. There aren't many available seating options, but since Le Comptoir opens at 10:30 on Sundays, the three of us were seated immediately on some tall stools around a centralized bar area. One of the most unique features at Le Comptoir was that the chefs were preparing the food behind the main bar, so customers are privy to view the hard-work and freshness of their orders. Craving something decadently sweet (shocking), I opted for the "brioche de mon arrière grand-mère, façon pain-perdu, pomme caramélisée, meringue à la vanille," which loosely translates into "my great-grandmother's brioche, french toast style, caramelized apple, vanilla meringue." Knowing I loved all of these elements, and curious as to how briche could taste after a nice egg-wash and toasting, this seemed like a safe and delicious choice, especially considering the substantially lower price when compared to other items on the menu.

French-toast style brioche - $8

When I was presented with my plate, I was happily surprised by the un-mentioned raspberry mousse piled atop the brioche, and the beautiful presentation of the food (after-all, we first eat with our eyes!). I must say, I was also slightly disappointed by the dish's measly size, since I had just walked quite a while and was pretty ravenous. Though once I combined all of the distinct flavours of the dish, I lost all reservations and went straight to sugar heaven. Seriously, this thing was deeelicious, and I slowly savoured every bite, trying to get a bit of meringue, mousse or apple. By the end, I definitely wasn't stuffed, but my sweet cravings were satisfied, and my tummy was all warm and comforted. Realistically, the dish was so rich and decadent that the portion size was perfectly suited to satisfy without inducing a sugar coma. My brunch-mates opted for more savoury breakfast options, and were equally satisfied by the quality and richness of their ingredients.

Croquette de pulled pork, salade haricots jaunes, radis, oeuf cuit dur, mayo pimentée - $14

Tarte de pdt confit, ricotta, oignon blond, coeur confit, sauge, oeuf mirroir - $14

Overall, Le Comptoir is definitely a repeat in my books! Though not recommended if you're starving, (to be honest, my hunger didn't stay at bay for long afterward) you can expect a wonderfully executed and unique dish full of powerful, distinct flavours. Le Comptoir is one of those places where you kind of feel hip and sophisticated just being there. The service was quick and attentive, they accepted all forms of payment, we were seated immediately, and most importantly - the food was delectable. Also note: there were several additional (and some less adventurous) options available on the blackboard behind the bar. Though the prices weren't cheap for a student budget, we all deserve the occasional foodie spurge, and Le Comptoir fits the bill perfectly. Next time I'll have to try their namesake "chacuteries et vins," or maybe just take some to go!

Verdict: definite must-try brunch for those that are adventurous with their palettes - make sure you hit it up if you're ever in the plateau. 9/10 (1 point deducted for just-too-small portion size)

Le Comptoir - charcuteries et vins

4807, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal, H2T 1R6

restaurant website