Julieta’s

Desperately searching for a last minute brunch place to take my parents to Saturday morning, I came across Julieta’s after a few minutes of research. See, my parents are hard to please when it comes to the food department. They have a natural, predominant preference for ethnic food regardless of what time of day it is – and they love to try new restaurants as much as I do. This often makes it a challenge for me to find a restaurant they haven’t yet been to and that it good. As of late, we’ve been meeting for brunch. I’m starting to get low on the list of places of where to go that fit the above criteria, so dear readers – if you have any suggestions, they would be much appreciated! Hit me up.

Chicha Morado (purple corn with pineapple, cinnamon, clove, sugar) and Guava Juice

In any case, as I mentioned, after a few minutes of frantic searching (I say frantic only because I woke up a few minutes before a decision had to be made), Julieta’s came up. Situated on Beaubien street, right next to Le Vieux Velo (which was, by the way doing very well – people sat outside waiting for a table), the reviews online proved to be quite good. I didn’t see much about brunch but the dinner reviews were stellar. So why not? We gave it a shot.

Cappucino

Entering the quaint little restaurant, we were served by a helpful, knowledgeable server. Giving us the low down on the brunch offered, he pointed out a few personal favourites and some of the most popular. He explained what the chicha morada was and intrigued, I placed an order. The original recipe originating from Peru, the drink is made of boiled purple corn flavored with pineapple and spiced with cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Cool, right? Tasted really interesting too. The cinnamon was really at the forefront and left a sweetly complex flavor on your palate. If they made this in larger quantities, I would totally buy a carton or two. We also got a glass of guava juice and a cappucino. I don’t believe the guava was freshly squeezed but was nonetheless good anyway.

Huevos Rancheros – Tortilla, Sunny Eggs, Creme Fraiche, Black Bean Puree, Tomato Sauce, Avocado Puree

Onto the mains – we had the huevos rancheros which is by no means a new dish on the Latin American menu. It’s a classic that’s been done countless times before at restaurants and is something that is relatively safe and pretty good all around. That is, when it’s done right. This version left some to be desired. The eggs were perfectly cooked, but I could have done with a lot more avocado and creme fraiche. This would have helped give it a bit more liquidity and juice. The black bean puree at the bottom was dryer and grainier than I had expected. The tortilla that comprised the heart of the dish was soft and chewy – good texture but almost flavorless which didn’t add much. The dish didn’t quite come together as a whole. I did feel full though by the end of it so that was a plus.

Ratatouille Bocadillo (Sandwich) – Tomatoes, Eggplant, Tofu, Red Peppers, Onions

The ratatouille bocadillo was light and stuffed full of healthy and delicious veggies: eggplants, red peppers, onions, tomatoes and even a bit of tofu! This one came with salsa for dipping. Crispy and portioned just right for those looking to have a lighter brunch, this one was a hit.

Caraqueno – Corn Cake, Black Beans, Pulled Pork, Country Cheese, Creme Fraiche

Corn Cake

The caraqueno was a mix of a few things: black beans, pulled pork, cheese and creme fraiche along with a side of three circular corn cakes. This gave us a good opportunity to try a bunch of different things, which was nice. Decent overall, but nothing to write home about. Everything tasted exactly as you would expect. The picture above is a good visual – there are no hidden elements here.

Fresh Fruit

A little unexpected gift from the chefs was this bowl of fresh fruit. A simple but sweet ending to our brunch. While Julieta’s may not be the best brunch place in the city, they make a good effort at providing something different. The service you’ll get here is friendly and sincere, and as mentioned, the chicha morada is to die for.

Montreal