Montreal’s hippest restaurants, bars, nightlife! Maison Boulud restaurant review, Europea menu, PY1 pyramid club.
Dead inside… and on the outside as well!
I’m so, so ready to celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico with Borderline Projects and Morbid Anatomy. (See details of my Halloween trip in this post).
Read on for a sugar skulls teaser, as well as a guide to the best French-Canadian restaurants in Montreal.
To get in the Day of the Dead spirit, I went to Glam Nail Studio in Richmond, BC (Vancouver area). I asked for Mexican sugar skulls nails… and here’s what they delivered!
Glam Nail Studio is world-famous for their intricate Japanese nail art. Can you believe these sugar skull faces and cobwebs are hand-drawn?
The salon used Bio-Sculpture Gel on my nails to create a rainbow ombre, glitter, and 3D effect with cute skeletons. These Day of the Dead nails are perhaps my favorite ones ever — thank you to the Glam Nails team.
I played around with Dia de los Muertos makeup, for a party before the trip.
Love everything about Halloween season. Here’s a fall outfit featuring a Jawbreaker bat cropped sweater, Erbert Chong leather skirt, Strathberry East/West with white edge crossbody purse, and Lack of Color bucket hat.
Close up on my Halloween-themed sugar skull nail art designs. Sailor Moon and Goth skull rings by Sapphire Studios, silver collier de chien bracelet by Hermes Paris.
Here’s the full outfit for Dia de los Muertos, with a Cyberdog dress and UKTights.com skeleton bones leggings. I made the grinning sugar skull sign myself.
See you in Merida, Campeche and Mexico City — can’t wait to join the parade of the dead!
Now, let’s go back in time to Montreal, Quebec: I was here over the summer. If you’re looking for a guide to the city’s most innovative fine dining, then I’ve got you covered.
Let’s start my Montreal food tour with lunch at Restaurant Jérôme Ferrer: Europea. The famous eatery recently moved to a gorgeous new location, with high ceilings and modern furnishings.
Europea is described as a “universe,” as the experience includes a bar, take-out corner, brasserie, afternoon tea, and “grand table” for fine dining.
Chef Jerome Ferrer is a Montreal icon; he has several restaurants in Quebec and abroad, including in Sao Paulo.
The revamped Europea is a collaboration with stage director René Richard Cyr, who oversaw Cirque du Soleil shows. Together, they brainstormed a theatrical dining experience.
The surprises begin as soon as you’re seated. I found a “hardcover book” on the table — when I opened it, there was truffle popcorn inside! The table is set with avantgarde cutlery and butter platters, and the napkins are hidden in a sliding drawer by your waist.
Europea’s decor is upscale, yet playful. The white spiral staircase is an architect’s dream, and complemented the custom paintings throughout the rooms.
(I wore a silk Emilie Shanghai Nights dress by Realisation Par, and a black lace cape jacket by Pheren Couture. See more on my Depop closet sale.)
Europea isn’t just about flash (although every dish is beautifully presented). Every item I tried on the lunch menu was marvelous, with a delicate marriage of flavors and garnishes.
The prix fixe changes weekly; I was lucky I got to try the citrus-marinated tuna and watermelon in lemonade and Thai basil, with pretty red quinoa and edible flowers.
Europea is known as a fine dining restaurant for special occasions. However, the brasserie set menu is surprisingly well-priced at $35 Canadian.
You can also order drinks and small plates at the bar area, or get take-out from the Comptoir.
Quebecois cooking can be on the heavy side, so I was happy to receive a main course with grilled turkey breast, and plenty of greens. The dish comes with seasonal asparagus, and a tasty cheese potato mousseline.
Europea’s lunch menu usually includes a fish option, which I recommend. I’d come back any time for this striped bass fillet with a Parmesan herb crust, vegetable spaghetti, and saffron fish soup.
The white wines are two of my favorites — Sancerre and Chablis — perfectly chilled.
And now… dessert, served with holographic spoons! You can imagine the difficulty I had in choosing between the lemon meringue, berry mousse, white chocolate cheesecake, tiramisu…
… so why not try them all?
Our server also brought us foamy cappuccinos, and a platter of freshly baked pastries. (Europea has an afternoon tea option as well.)
Jerome Ferrer’s Europea menu combines art, technology and gastronomy — and the results get a standing ovation, if you ask me.
I also had the pleasure of dining at one of the top-rated restaurants in Canada, Maison Boulud at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal. This elegant hotel dates back to 1912: a perfect setting for the fine French approach of Daniel Boulud.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Boulud’s legendary NYC restaurant, called Daniel, or seen his appearances on Anthony Bourdain’s TV shows.
Montreal’s Maison Boulud is headed by Chef Riccardo Bertolino (above, with his team). The kitchen is lined with jars of spices from around the world, hinting at the global flavors in the contemporary French approach.
The restaurant’s decor is posh, yet modern and warm. Maison Boulud has an extensive wine cellar, and the staff can recommend excellent pairings for your dishes.
Be sure to explore the outdoor terrace. The duck pond in the back adds to the memorable atmosphere.
Boulud’s menu is all about seasonal ingredients from Quebec’s local purveyors. We began with colorful cocktails: the “Cosmo de l’Orient” has white cranberry juice with a ginger and coriander infusion, and a purple flower in a giant ice ball!
The oozing amuse bouche — arancini with peas, mint, and smoked mozzarella — instantly made us eager for more.
The chef’s Japanese inspiration shows in the starters, which include a hiramasa sashimi with ponzu sauce, and a red snapper ceviche with pineapple. The burrata was as fresh as the ones I’ve had in Italy, and came with wild arugula and basil oil.
One of the most finely executed and delicious dishes was this one. A single egg yolk raviolo (somehow, it’s perfectly runny inside), with sheep milk ricotta and parmesan froth.
Boulud dips into the Middle Eastern spice jar for this dish: a mouthwatering sea bass with za’atar herbs, chickpeas, raisins, and lemon.
Montreal’s Maison Boulud serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with special thematic menus such as “Singapore Vibes.” Diners can also choose three, four, or eight course “discovery” tasting menus.
Don’t leave without trying the freshly baked madeleines, which you can dip in the warm chocolate coulant cake with gold foil. I also couldn’t resist a trio of sorbets: raspberry, sea buckthorn, passionfruit.
Without doubt, Chef Daniel’s Maison Boulud deserves its 5-star reputation among foodies.
As you know, I was recently in Egypt… but I’ll never get tired of visiting pyramids, especially if there’s a wild party inside!
This triangular behemoth is PY1, the latest project of Guy Laliberté, founder of Montreal’s Cirque du Soleil. In the daytime, you can go inside the pyramid to see a one-hour multimedia show, called ‘Through the Echoes.”
At night, the PY1 pyramid turns into a futuristic club night. The temporary event is located at Montre Clock Tower Pier, in the Old Port of Montreal. It’s impossible to miss after dark, as the peaks light up with trippy projections.
PY1 Nights have seven different club themes, with music and visuals to match. I went to Astral Plane, which is all about intergalactic visions. The local DJs were terrific, and spun a never-ending mix of minimal techno and electronica.
When you’re inside the spacious tent-like venue, you can look up and see fog, shifting lights, lasers, and image projections from every angle.
The visual effects were spectacular. Imagine this mandala “flower” blossoming and morphing, in time to the electro music beat.
PY1 Nights is adults-only, but anyone can come during the daytime to see “Through the Echoes.” This 60-minute multimedia show feels like a waking dream, as it immerses you in a tale of space, time, and possible futures.
Wouldn’t you like to rave inside a giant art-pyramid? PY1 is next heading to Miami, Florida to keep the party going.
After, the pyramid will move to a new location… perhaps Egypt, or outer space…
Montreal is a party city, and there’s an endless number of creative bars and music venues to check out. The two come together at Bar Le Royal, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar with a slightly hidden entrance.
The stylish bar is located in Plateau-Mont-Royal, a trendy district popular with students — making it a great spot to visit after dinner with friends.
Bar Le Royal has an extensive list of craft cocktails, some with rather obscure flavors combinations. The staff excels at explaining the menu, and can help you pick something that suits your palate.
Try one of the drinks with an eye-catching presentation. “Le Joli Ghost Dog” is a spicy twist on a Moscow Mule: served in a bamboo steamer basket, with chopsticks and a side of pink pickled ginger. Behind, the mixologists topped “Meiji Le Grand” (sake, cane rum, orange liquor, orgeat, and my beloved yuzu juice) with a spoon of Asian rice crackers.
A local DJ spins groovy records in the curving metal booth. The sound is never too loud, making Bar Le Royal a great space to chat with friends while enjoying music.
Bar Le Royal serves small plates as well, including Quebec cheeses that pair with out-of-the-box cocktails.
I had never tried a drink quite like “400 Dieux Lapins,” which comes in a glass coated with fine Aztec cacao! The chocolate taste and texture, combined with Mexican mezcal, Quebec liqueurs Shámán and Amermelade, and Japanese yuzu is indescribable… you’ll have to sip it for yourself.
I wish I had more time in Montreal to go clubbing. I’d love to see a sassy performance at Mado’s Cabaret: she is Quebec’s most famous drag queen.
There are plenty of Goth clubs and bars in Montreal as well. Above, a duo of angry skulls peers down from Les Foufounes Electriques. I wish I had time to check out the new Gothic / alternative venue Cabaret Berlin… next time.
(I previously visited Montreal and wrote about the Goth nightlife, including Katacombes and other venues. You can see my Montreal clubbing guide here.)
Let’s end with a few photos I snapped while walking around the city at night. No matter where you are, you’ll encounter intriguing event spaces and public art.
Montreal had heatwaves during the summer, so I took Ubers during the day, and walked around at night.
I came across a girl in a white dress, doing a photoshoot in front of this enormous tentacle-human statue.
I also passed by historical moving images on several walls. This is the “Cité Mémoire” experience: anyone can download the free app, and interact with projections that come alive after dusk.
Notre Dame Basilica also gets the disco treatment. The church has a multimedia show called Aura Basilica, which projects neon lights over the classic architecture.
A final hail to Montreal, Quebec — there’s so much to love about this Canadian city.
PS: If you missed Part 1 of my MTL travel guide, which focuses on art and fashion, you can see it here. (My suggestions include Goth stores and futuristic museums!)
And now, off to Mexico! Enjoy my Day of the Dead updates on @LaCarmina Instagram / Twitter.
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Vancouver Goth Halloween events! Van Dusen Glow, Playland Fright Nights, Aesthetic Perfection, pumpkin patch.
Gourd heavens… your Pumpkin Queen is back!
Halloween season lasts only a short time, and I’m keen to celebrate it to the fullest. In October, Vancouver unveils several Goth-friendly events for All Hallow’s Eve — including haunted houses and glowing gardens.
Read on for my run-down of the spookiest Halloween activities in Vancouver, Canada. Plus, a happy reunion with Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection, during his Into the Black concert tour!
No basic pumpkin spice lattes for this Goth… I pick my cucurbits from the source.
Fall Outfit: I wore a candy corn sweater by Chaser Brand to visit the pumpkin patch. I paired it with a black bowler hat, tights, a short skirt and platform boots.
Shop my style below:
Vancouver’s Lower Mainland has several pumpkin patches that you can visit in the autumn. I went to Richmond Country Farms as it is closer to the city and has plenty to do, including a farmer’s market and wine tasting.
To access Richmond’s fields of pumpkins, you must take a short “hay ride” (on a wagon-car with live music). On the way, we passed kitschy farm characters and displays. The “Transylvania” house was spooky… but if you ask me, the huge 1990s cell phone was scarier!
I’m in my element, surrounded by cheery orange pumpkins. Anyone who visits this pumpkin patch can choose one to take home, as part of the admission.
These fresh pumpkins are perfect for making pie. (Ours turned out amazing, with plenty of spices the way I like it).
The farm also has a corn maze… just watch out for Jack!
I’m pleased with this pretty pumpkin… as well as my new Apple iPhone 11, which took all the photos in this post. The battery life and camera are a major upgrade: love the Portrait Mode setting for photographs like this.
Wearing a bowler hat and Chaser Brand Halloween sweater. Fall fashion is by far my favorite.
Now, let’s enter the Carn-Evil…
Every October, Vancouver’s PNE / Playland theme park transforms into Fright Nights. Their Halloween attractions include multiple haunted houses, and horror-filled spectacles.
(Speaking of… why is Rob’s leg dissipating into the ether?)
Love the frightful feeling of an amusement park after dark, with the rides lit up in neon and bathed by fog.
“I always feel like somebody’s watching me…” This photo is deja-vu of our Stanley Park Ghost Train escapade last year.
Krusty the clown has taken over the tent and turned into a neon rave…
(Can’t believe how good iPhone 11 photos look, with the low light setting!)
Stranger Things feels. Are you a fan of scary rides? Or do you prefer to ride the merry-go-round?
Be sure to catch the three nightly shows by Monsters of Schlock. The Great Orbax and Sweet Pepper Klopek perform painful stunts in the name of comedy — including stapling items to the face, and swinging a sledgehammer into a block covering the nether regions (above left!).
I was especially enthralled by Orbax and Pepper’s second show, which puts the spotlight on science. Pepper sat on the custom-built electric chair, and high voltage coursed through his body. The duo showed how he could turn lightbulbs on by grasping them, and use his tongue to light a flame!
Of course, we went to several of Playland’s haunted houses, each with a different theme or spin.
It was my first time doing a “3D haunted house,” where you put on glasses that distort your vision. This made it hard to tell whether a crazed inmate was a flat picture, a mannequin, or a live person… until she reaches out and tries to grab you!
The Fright Nights ticket also gives you access to the theme park rides. All aboard the rickety roller coaster, Music Express, swinging Pirate Ship, and Hell’s Gate (hail!)
One of the haunted houses was themed around phobias. The rooms represented various fears, such as giant spiders and snakes that lurch toward you.
As you’d guess, I was most freaked out by the germophobia room, which simulated a dirty toilet and sink! (Outside, this Die & Dine Diner display looks like a recipe for E. coli…)
Won’t you join our mad tea party, with a spinning teacup of poison?
And this is the last photo I took before I died.
Like at Universal Studios Osaka Japan, the staff dresses up in frightening masks and runs around scaring guests!
PNE / Playland Fright Nights was a blast. You can join the fun at the theme park “Where Screams Come True” until October 31st.
I also had a hoot at VanDusen Glow in the Garden, where I strolled through mesmerizing Halloween displays and colorful lights.
I’m wearing a festive sweater by Chaser; click for more below:
The VanDusen Gardens transform into a Halloween wonderland every October. This year, the theme is centered on owls, who cast a “hootenanny” spell on the grounds and made them glow.
As you wander through the outdoor paths, you’ll encounter glowing creatures of the night (such as a giant glowing blue spider).
An illuminated scarecrow looks over the dark pond. (This image is more proof of the powers of the Apple iPhone 11 camera…)
The trail leads to intricately carved and glowing pumpkins, which look like owls and other forest animals. (Did you carve a Jack-o-Lantern this year?)
Cinderella vibes, in front of the enormous pumpkin lit by orange and green lights.
An evening at Van Dusen Glow in the Garden will surely get you into a Halloween mood. This seasonal event at Vancouver’s botanical gardens ends October 27.
October has been good to me. I got to reunite with my friend Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection, and watch his energetic show with openers Empathy Test.
(You might recall that we met up at Montreal Kinetik festival years ago, as well as Leipzig’s Wave Gotik Treffen!)
Aesthetic Perfection took over Vancouver’s Pub 340, as the fifth to last stop on their North American tour.
Aesthetic Perfection is a joy to see live. Daniel Graves is one of most engaging performers I’ve seen, and the venue let the crowd get right up to the stage to sing and jump along.
The band played songs from the new album, Into the Black: a gritty industrial yet melodic powerhouse, featuring musical collaborators like Richard Z. Kruspe of Rammstein.
Aesthetic Perfection also tore up the room with older favorites like the electro-synth bop of “Antibody.” Daniel conveyed the impressive range of his voice and songwriting throughout the night, coming back for an encore with the melancholic “All Beauty Destroyed.”
The room was buzzing after Aesthetic Perfection’s live: my friends agreed this was one of the best performances we’ve seen in ages. (For a glimpse of what we experienced at the front of the stage, enjoy these video clips in my Instagram post.)
Daniel is famously lovely to fans, and came out to the bar to hang out and give hugs.
Daniel Graves is bringing his spiffy moves and superhuman voice to Germany next. Take my word: this is a Goth concert you can’t miss!
You can find Aesthetic Perfection’s upcoming tour dates on their Facebook and Instagram. Give their new album Into the Black a listen, and may you get to experience the magic in person.
Let’s end with some snaps of the Halloween-themed food I’ve been indulging in this season.
Vancouver’s La Glace parlor released a pumpkin pie ice cream, while Mon Paris Patisserie offers a pumpkin caramel chocolate on a stick. I tried Psypah psycho red wine, and pumpkin ravioli too.
Plus, there’s all the freshly baked pumpkin pie I’ve been eating. With all these seasonal treats, I might turn into a pumpkin soon!
Now, it’s time to pack for Mexico, where I’ll be spending Day of the Dead. (Read about my upcoming Dia de los Muertos trip here.)
There’s no better way to get in the mood than by wearing sugar skulls. These creepy-cute accessories are from Cufflinks.com. Love how their lapel pin and silver cuff links add Gothic flair to an outfit.
(Cufflinks.com has accessories with every theme imaginable, and you can also customize items. See more skull styles from them below).
Psyched to be in the Yucatan (Merida and Campeche) and Mexico City, watching graveyard ceremonies and taking part in Day of the Dead parades…
Keep an eye to my social media @lacarmina to preview these Gothic travel adventures.
I leave you with some limited edition Halloween fashion: tis the season to get spooky. These designs are only available right now, so take a second to check them out below. Happy Samhain!
LA CARMINA
