For the past four years in Montreal, no matter how many brunch spots I’ve tried, Lawrence still stays “the one” on my favorite brunch spot. However.. the ranking has slightly changed lately. Ma’tine is the new gem on the food scene, located in the gay village (5-10 minutes walk from station Beaudry). My first visit there was for lunch (See this), and the great experience had brought me back for brunch.

The team behind Ma’tine is actually the Daniel-Six brothers, who were part of the Micro Resto La Famille. What I like about this spot is that their menu changes regularly based on what’s fresh in the market or seasonal food. I went there for brunch two weeks in a row, and did not find anything on the menu that was from the week before.

Since I went with quite a few friends on that day, we ordered a pastry basket to start. The basket includes classic croissant, chocolate croissant, and raisin croissant. Though the pastries smelled so good, and were served warm, it was a bit too greasy and buttery to our taste. However, it was crispy and flaky.

Toast with cod, grilled artichokes, and poached egg – If you’ve been following me for awhile, you’ll probably know that I love seafood! I opt for fish (or any seafoods) most of the time, so not an exception this time too. I was stunned by the amount of cod that came on the toast! Besides those cod flakes, there was a piece of cod on top of it too. The cod was enough for having cod in every single bites. The cod was fresh, and tender. Since the cod was only lightly seasoned to showcase its freshness (close to bland), the saltiness from grilled artichoke perfectly balanced it out.

House boudin and an egg on parsnip cake and cumin, apricot puree – This is what I ordered on my second visit. Boudin is also known as black pudding. It’s made with pig’s blood (eek!). However, it doesn’t taste bloody at all! I really like the boudin at Ma’tine, because it’s light and spongey, and the texture is a bit like cake. When paired with the parsnip cake and apricot puree, the sweetness makes you forget that you are eating something bloody.

Ma’tine has recently become my favorite brunch spots in Montreal. Besides their food is amazing and creative, their service is flawless too, especially something unexpected happened when I brought my friends, and her friend who was visiting from Taiwan there.

Here’s the story…
Since their menu is only available in French (which is normal in Montreal), we asked the waitress to translate it for us. We weren’t surprised that she couldn’t explain it thoroughly, but it was good enough for us to understand what’s in each main dish.
What made us felt really sweet was she apologized (literally saying sorry) to us for her English when she brought the bills, and said it’s her job that she should practice more.

We did not see this coming, and felt that was really sweet of her, though she had no obligation to apologize or feel sorry, but it had made our day.

I strongly recommend Ma’tine! Especially they now serve brunch everyday!! It’s also listed as one of the hottest brunch spots in Montreal by Eater.

Ma’tine
1310 Blvd de Maisonneuve Est
Tel: 514-439-9969

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