Canada, Destinations, Food, Restaurant Roundups and Reviews, Travel

A Sugar Shack Brunch in Montreal

I tried to get to a Sugar Shack. Really, I did.

Over Spring Break, Michael and I visited Montreal for the first time, and after planning a trip with the goal of trying many of the city’s diverse food options, we knew we wanted to cap our visit with a trip to a Sugar Shack (or Cabane à Sucre in French).

Here’s the thing, though. People don’t really tend to grow maple trees and harvest them in downtown Montreal, and we certainly didn’t plan to rent a car and drive on the icy roads (*waves* Floridians here!). I spent way too long trying to string together public transit options, researching tours, contacting the cabanes, and even getting in touch with one of the colleges who was organizing a student trip during the weekend we were there (nope, just for students). It just couldn’t happen.

The next best thing to heading into the woods? Having brunch.

We found out that local charmer Landry et Filles [edit: sadly they have closed] was going to be hosting a Sugar Shack Brunch on one of the days we were visiting. Perfect, booked! Look at their menu below – at that price, it must be three courses, and you get to choose one of each thing, right?

A screenshot of the brunch menu
we can maybe understand like 30% of these words

Wrong.

You get one of everything.

Eggs, pancakes, and more at brunch
Front: eggs in maple foam | Back: buckwheat pancake with foie gras. Bonus points: brunch cocktails.
The main courses at the sugar shack brunch
Left to Right: Cassoulet, duck leg coated with maple syrup, endive salad with walnuts and maple dressing, potato tart (Not pictured: clogged arteries)
The Sugar Shack dessert course
Left to Right: Cone with maple syrup and maple butter, maple donuts, maple ice cream bomb
Alyssa holds a maple cone
The grand finale: a maple taffy cone topped with maple butter

It. Was. Incredible.

But after all of that sugar, I thought I was going to die. No, seriously. I started perspiring immensely despite the fact that it was 10° F outside, and my heart was pounding so loudly that I assumed everyone could hear it.

At this point, we were well past our designated dining time and the next guests were arriving for our table, so we had to leave. I’m still not quite sure how I managed to make it through a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, but I do know that it involved lots of stopping and sitting down, trying to calm down the sugar-filled blood streaming through my body. A significant amount of time and water later, the feeling eventually subsided.

Would we do it again? Absolutely. Would I pace myself more? Knowing myself, probably not.

Questions for you

Have you ever been to a Sugar Shack?

What was your favorite part of the meal?


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