Juliette & Chocolat: Satisfy Your Cravings

I have to be honest, I’ve never really been a sweet tooth. If you give me a pick between sweet and savoury, more often than not I will choose the savoury. Even during brunch, I find myself constantly picking an eggs benny over waffles with whipped cream. Who knows, is anyone else like this? Although, I have to admit that I have times where I am just seriously craving something sweet (like right now) and I could probably devour a whole tub of Nutella in one sitting.

Juliette & Chocolat has been on my radar for a while now because I’ve heard amazing things from almost everyone I know. This is a great dessert place with 6 locations in Montreal, Canada. It’s the perfect place to go with friends, family, on a date or…just alone. I would totally come here alone because…why not?! (Single life though) I went to the location on 3600 St-Laurent Boulevard which is minutes away from downtown Montreal, a perfect place to go after dinner, a long day of sight seeing or shopping. What a way to treat yourself, am I right?

Just to start, the atmosphere of this restaurant is amazing. From the bright lights, eclectic decor and enticing aromas, this place feels like the kitchen of a well loved grandmother who goes off to win ribbons for her “famous apple pie” or something like that. Not going to lie, I want to be that grandmother. Just wait for it guys, that’s going to be me in… 40 years?

The menu has a variety of dessert items from crepes and brownies, to fondues and even salads (which I hear are very good). The prices aren’t outrageous for a good quality dessert item and especially for the bigger dishes, I do think you get your money’s worth in portion and taste. There were six of us sitting around our table all trying to decide what we wanted from the array of choices to choose from. As someone who has a problem with making a decision until I’m absolutely sure I’m choosing the best possible option, I was really stuck. That was when we spotted The Ginormous Fondue.

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I took this screenshot from the website, where they have an electric copy of their menu. You can find this on their Online Menu. But seriously, how amazing does this sound?! Although when I first saw the price, the first thought that popped into my head was, hell no I’m not paying $65 for dessert. But then I realized that there were six of us and if we split the bill, it would come down to around $10 each which is pretty good for what we’re getting. So, all six of us bit the bullet and went ahead with this decision. Let me tell you, I am so happy we got this because it was AMAZING.

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Let us take a moment first to admire this masterpiece. Ok. Are we done admiring? To start off, they bring it to the table with a sparkler and it honestly makes you feel crazy special because nobody else gets a sparkler on their dessert. I guess, unless it’s their birthday or something. But for the record, none of us were celebrating our birthdays when we went. I wish I had gotten a picture of the sparkler but alas, that went to the snap chat story…sorry guys.

After setting it down, they actually pour the chocolate freshly on top of everything and sprinkle on the mini chocolate balls. Now, for the dips. I know you can’t really see it in the picture, but this dish comes with a choice of fondue chocolate. We went ahead with the milk chocolate and it also came with the whip cream that you can see. We also decided to add a s’mores dip which you can kind of see in the top right corner and it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Even though you had to pay a little extra, it was so so worth it.

The name does it justice because it is pretty …ginormous. The six of us just finished it with everyone feeling pretty happy and I feel like everyone got pretty equal share of the platter. I would say it’s even okay for three or four people to share. Anything less…I mean…maybe it could work but unless you go there ready to devour, I’m not sure if you would be able to finish it. Plus, if you’re splitting this with less people, the price becomes high and by then, you might be better off getting a few smaller things to try!! Believe me there are so many options you probably can’t go wrong with anything.

If you’re in the area please please give this a try if you haven’t already. This is one for the books!!

Arriverdverci,

Sindy Spencer

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Eggspectations Montreal

Oh man!! Eggspectations is by far my favourite brunch place in Montreal. I can safely say that Eggspectations exceeds expectations. How smart was that huh? Look at that alliteration though.

Anyways, there are several branches in Montreal, but today in particular I am talking about the location on 190 Sainte-Catherine West. I have been here a total of three, or maybe four times and I have an amazing meal every time. Sadly, I didn’t take a picture every time because, some times people judge me when I take a picture of my food. Do you know people who do that? I mean, why can’t I take a picture of my food, especially if it looks pretty.

I have had numerous special memories here from celebrating an important birthday to sending off a good friend before he leaves. There’s something about the atmosphere that is so friendly and open.

To start off, they have an amazing selection of the classic eggs benny. Not only do they offer the original benny, they also play it up with spinach, bacon and even lobster! Now, I myself have not yet tried the lobster benny but I have heard magical things about it. Just a warning though, you have to be willing to spend a little bit more for that.

Their potatoes are to die for and they seriously taste like nuggets of heaven on your plate, all golden and buttery…ready to get in my tummy. I’ve never really been a fan of eggs benny before but I have been changed. They’re just so good.


This is the spinach benny and I am really sad to announce I don’t remember the name of it. What I did like was the extra vegetables included in my meal but for the extra price I didn’t find it that much different compared to the original.

That is it for now , but I’m off to try out new things soon so check back in for more!!!

 

Arriverdverci,
Sindy Spencer
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Yogurt Popsicle

Summer is finally here and after months of hibernating and crying every time I step outside, I am so ready to embrace the warm weather. Seriously. Although, I have to be honest when I say that I kind of love winter, but after Christmas comes and goes, my tolerance for the bitter cold really goes down.

I realized a sad truth very recently. I am going to the beach in less than two months and I am sadly still in winter mode. All those midnight food runs were not good to me at all and I don’t think I can show myself in a bathing suit right now. So, when I was craving ice cream recently, I decided to look for a healthier alternative that would satisfy my cravings and be a little nicer to my waist.

I bought these super cool popsicle molds  from IKEA and ventured the internet for recipes I could use.


Guys, I am bringing you the yogurt popsicle today. I know this isn’t new information for a lot of people but…it doesn’t taste bad! The greek yogurt was even on sale yesterday, it was like the universe was happy for me. On the same note though, those pizza pockets were also on sale and even though I haven’t had one since the second grade, I was suddenly craving one. 

I miss being back at school eating fries for dinner everyday… those were the golden days. Hahah get it? “Golden days”…fries… are golden? Alright, moving along.

To make these delicious yogurt babies, I threw in a box of blueberries and a box of blackberries into the blender to make it smoother. Then, I threw in around two cups of greek yogurt into the berry mixture and honey to taste. Now, I purchased non-flavoured yogurt so I decided to add some sort of sweetner, however if you buy a flavoured one, usually I find those are pretty sweet already and you might not need to add anything else. It’s all up to you really, cook and taste. After mixing everything together, I poured everything into the IKEA moulds, and I have to say, for the amount I made, it filled up ALMOST two sets of moulds. I froze them over night and in the morning, ran the popsicle under hot water to remove it from the casing.


Look how pretty it is!!! My review is…that these do not taste as good as the real thing…obviously. If everyone could make these and have them taste just as good as Ben & Jerry’s, then the ice cream industry would be out of business. However, they do taste good. I think if I were to modify anything, I would have added more honey or maybe even a dash of vanilla extract. I’m really excited about trying out new recipes though!! More things to come! Try it out and tell me what you think!

 

Arriverdverci,
Sindy Spencer
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The Pressure of Studying At The Library

 

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Rare sighting of an almost empty floor 

I have tried numerous times this semester to study in my room. My curtains are opened, my desk space cleared and I have a steaming cup of hot coffee sitting next to the pile of notes I have to go through. It seems like the perfect place to study, because what better place is there than your own room? No one is there and there aren’t other people to distract you. WRONG.

Imagine one of those movie scenes where you have a girl walking down the street with a light airy pop song in the background. The sun is shining, her hair is swinging back and forth and she’s got that super swag  walk going on. All of the sudden, the girl falls and the music stops. The illusion is ruined.

That is me with studying in my room. I have this perfect image of myself happily studying in my room, listening to A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton and smiling like one of those Shutter Stock photos. Very unrealistic. In reality, when the music stops, I’m actually in my pyjamas watching Netflix with my large pile of notes sitting on my bed. My coffee cup is empty but somehow I am still tired and my bed is calling out to me to take a small nap. The next thing I know, I am in bed taking a four hour nap and I wake up at 5pm in the afternoon- a whole day wasted. This has happened on numerous occasions and each time I end the day with immense guilt and anxiety.

However, I have discovered the perfect cure. Here it is, are you ready? Go to the library! For me, I like this one library at school that has a group study floor where there are large tables and you can go study but it’s not overly dead silent. I realized that I like studying with other people, but it has to be a specific type of person. I don’t necessarily mean that we have to be studying for the same subject, in fact most of the time I prefer to not  be studying the same subject as my study buddy. Do you ever find that if you study with someone for the same exam and if you’re not reviewing the same chapter at the same time, it gets very distracting? Maybe it’s just me, but if I’m reviewing for something, I prefer to just be alone. I like to study with someone who also wants to focus but I can take small study breaks with in between whether it’s people watching or sharing a funny video.

Another thing surprisingly helps me study is the constant reminder in the back of my mind that other people are watching me study. I mean that in the least self-centred way as possible. Just the knowledge that other people can see me study motivates me to really focus. Plus, the fact that other people are studying pressures me into studying as well. I feel like I’m more accountable for my actions and even if I’m not studying at that moment, I should pretend like I’m studying. It’s a very weird concept but it’s helped me so much this finals season. The only downside is that I spend the majority of my day at the library and I have seriously reconsidered permanently moving here. My address could be, Sindy Spencer, 5th floor, the library. I even have a story about the time I slept at the library, but that’s for another time! Comment below if you want to hear it though!

Anyways, I have been talking to a few people about this odd phenomenon but it seems to work for a lot of people and true for many others. I used to hate the trek to the library especially when it’s freezing outside, but I seem to be reconsidering all of my past beliefs. The library is the way to go.

Arriverdverci,
Sindy Spencer
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La Diperie: I Scream For Ice Cream

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Your choice of size, dip and topping

Summer is around the corner, or in some cases, perhaps you’ve already been blessed with warm temperatures. With exam season in full swing and temperatures slowly rising, ice cream is really the perfect thing to eat.

La Diperie is an ice cream shop located on 68 Ave des Pins E in Montreal. They offer soft serve ice cream with a twist. You can choose to have your regular vanilla ice cream dipped in everything from mint to lemonade. On top of that, you can add your choice of toppings like pretzels or crushed Oreos. The options are endless and you have a lot of freedom as to what you choose to garnish your ice cream with. The only thing you have no control over is the ice cream itself. Unfortunately you only have the option of vanilla ice cream.

The little shop is small but  very busy. The outside if characterized by its distinct blue colour that is the perfect place for a picture after getting your ice cream. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the wait was around 10 minutes. Despite the long line, the shop works very quickly and for indecisive people like me, the wait was the perfect time to figure out what I wanted on my ice cream.

I opted for a petit size which I would say is about the size of a regular ice cream cone. I would suggest getting the mini if you’re trying a new flavour you aren’t sure about or if you’re not felling up to eating a whole ice cream cone that day. Other wise, the petit is the perfect size and relatively more price friendly when you compare it to the medium or large.

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Where the magic happens

I ordered a petit cone, with mint chocolate dip and crush Oreos on top. Keep in mind that for every size, the prices of dips or toppings vary. For the petit, the dip was an extra dollar and toppings were another 50 cents. Therefore, on top of the $3 for the ice cream, the extras added up to another $1.5.

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Dip

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Left (La Rocher Mini) , (Middle (Mint Oreo Petit) , Right (La Rocher Petit)

There really isn’t any room inside the ice cream shop to stay and eat. The area outside can get pretty crowded so the only option we had was to stand in a small circle and eat. My two friends, Nima and Isabelle both got a pre made ice cream option. If my French has not failed me, I believe it’s a praline dip with roasted hazelnuts around it. I guess another thing to know is that everything is in French so be prepared to know a little bit of French or drag a friend.

The only complaint I have is that the amount of topping you get on your ice cream varies. I do wish I had a little bit more crushed Oreos on mine, not that I’m complaining because it tasted amazing. Next time I go back, I would probably get a mini so that I could try more flavours and experiment with the toppings a little bit. I chose the safe route, but who knows, maybe a lavender dip and pistachios would taste good!

Arriverdverci,
Sindy Spencer
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