Take a stroll down Wellington Avenue, Verdun's main street and if you are a Montrealer you will be surprised by what you see.
The area is slowly becoming gentrified. Cafés and chic restaurants are opening up all over the place.
There's talk that Verdun is going to be the next plateau. Its close proximity to downtown and the Lachine Canal, its waterfront-park and reasonable rental prices make it great place to live, or to simply go and eat.
It is the perfect place to eat for people who are on a budget. Since it is a lower income area most of the restaurants are not too expensive, although I did spot some really nice, more pricey places, but no one was in them.
A great place for breakfast is Chez Kim located at 4030 Wellington. A meal of eggs, bacon or ham or sausage, home fries, toast and endless coffee will only cost you $2.49. For $3.50 you can get a huge plate of French toast with fruit. There's nothing fancy about the restaurant, but the service is always friendly and the food is served up hot and fresh.
For lunch or dessert try Café Delirium, 3900 Ethel, located on one of the side streets, so it is easy to miss. It is a change from your run of the mill
Starbucks or A.L Van Houte. It is really the atmosphere that makes it so great. The chic decor makes you feel as if you are sitting in a café in France. There is avant-garde artwork on the walls, which are painted a warm dark berry colour. There are cool light fixtures and artsy tables and chairs.
The menu, written on a chalkboard, is typical for a café with sandwiches, salads and quiches.
They have a wonderful dessert menu though; some items are home made and others commissioned by a special bakery. Try the Delirium cake. It's a gooey confection made from tiramisu, cookies, chocolate ganache all layered together and sprinkled with dark chocolate... delicious. They have a large selection of hot and cold beverages including selling loose teas, as well as a variety of coffees en vrac.
In Verdun, there is no limit of places to go for dinner. I went and checked out a couple of restaurants and was surprised by the variety. There's a great Peruvian restaurant called The Villa Wellington at 4701 Wellington that features traditional Peruvian fare for really cheap. Part of the menu is under four dollars for dishes such as calamari, their specialty onion salad chicken brochette and club sandwich.
One of two in Montreal, Le Gout de la Thailande at 3865 Wellington is a fantastic Thai restaurant. For $7.95 you have a choice of vermicelli, rice or vegetable dishes. You can chose from a variety of flavors; coconut milk and red curry, basil leaves and lemon grass, oyster sauce and sweet and sour sauce. It is BYO, so you can keep the meal at a reasonable price. Portions are generous, but if you're dining for two, order three dishes because the food is really light. This way, you can eat a little more and not feel uncomfortably stuffed.
So for all you poor starving students, next time you feel like trying something new, just hop on the metro, it's only four stops away from Concordia (get off at De l'Eglise) and head on down to Verdun.
.This article was witten in 2002,I wonder who took advantage of the low property cost back then,,....... as we know Verdunis a nice place too live,& it's far nicer nowadasy with all the improvemnet along the waterfront,and the restaurants etc etc........
...article from the Concordia ...written by Carole Dandurand:
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