Sunday, May 10, 2009

Tous les jours


Oh yes. One of the best things about North America, and what I missed so desperately while in London was a good, greasy spoon brekkie. Montreal does not disappoint. We have tonnes of lovely breakfast places here, but I tend to shy away from the beautiful people, posh brekkies accompanied with a smoothie, served by a surly hipster. It's breakfast, people! Keep it real! So I tend to go for the places where the food is cheap, the coffee refills are free, and the waitresses are chain smokers. A friend told me that what makes him happy is when you can get a good breakfast and leave with paying and tipping with a $5 bill.

Tous les jours is my favourite Montreal greasy spoon. Ok, you can't get away with leaving $5 for the brekkie and tip, but you don't have to pay much more than that.

Now my "dining companion" and I don't head out to TLJ as much as we'd like anymore as we now are keeping it real in Verdun (The Green Spot in St Henri is a pale, pale substitute but it will do) but we occasionally make the trip because it's such a wonderful deal. Potatoes sliced into half moons and deep fried, not those dried out, frozen, pre-cut, shrivelled potatoe cubes other places serve. Ok, I don't know if they cut the potatoes fresh there but it seems like it - nice and fluffy soft inside, a little crispy but not rock hard outside. Portions are generous too. Once I'm sure I got a whole potatoe's worth. Not like the attempt at modern art, minimalist scattering of cubes you get at some other greasys.


I really am quite partial to their feves au lard too, nicely cooked eggs, your standard quality brown bread, generously magarine-d, and - my favourite, a good helping of fruit. Quite odd for a greasy spoon, but their fruit brings the TLJ brekkie to another level for me. Once I counted six different fruits! This time there were just four, still, it's better than a only slice of orange.


Question though: why do these places give you milk/cream in those horrible little UHT containers and what's with the little packets of sugar? Sure it's fun the first few times the surly waitress grabs a handful from her apron and unceremoniously dumps it on the table on her way to take another order. But what a waste! I like how they do it at Cosmo's- they just pass the milk carton around. Much better. But other than that, Tous les jours gets full marks from me. Oh we were stuffed. It's really great value for money.

Two egg breakfast, with potatoes, with either bacon or sausages, feves au lard, fruit, bread and coffee, $5.45. No meat - $4.65. Brekkies until 2pm.

Oh apparently, it's technically Steerburger tous les jours but I just know it was tous les jours (what is a Steerburger?)

Steerburger tous les jours
1689 Ave Du Mont-Royal E
Montréal, QC H2J
(514) 523-1727 (but cam'an - what are you going to call them for? reserve a table?)

Steerburger Tous Les Jours on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. awe. I spent 2 years thinking the Steer burger sign said St-Eer Burger... and I just couldn't figure out who was St- Eer.
    Primeburgers are choice, but most of all, I love the people. There are two waitresses who do everything, and the dishes, but still take the time to ask where you've been.

    ReplyDelete