I wandered up Boulevard Saint Laurent passing Pizza bar after Pizza bar but they weren't inspiring me. As partial as I am to a good slice of Pizza, I knew I needed something with a little less melted cheese and a little more vegetables (or salad at least!). As I approached Rachel, I contemplated turning around but out of the corner of my eye I spied a very unassuming hole in the wall called Patati Patata.
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My initial assumption was Indian based on the name (again, not really what I was looking for), but I ventured in for a closer look. Peering in the window, this looked like one of the many late night Poutine places that Montreal is so famous for. But for the sake of my arteries, Poutine is now reserved for post 3am after a heavy night of drinking!
To avoid looking like a stalker (or a tourist) staring through the window, I went inside to get a closer look at the menu. Of course, Poutine in it's many varieties was on offer, but as I scanned further, I found a variety of burger options.....for what......$1.95? Surely that can't be right. I have to find out what a $1.95 burger not prepared by a ginger clown tastes like.
I took a seat at the makeshift bar next to a homeless man (possibly unfair assumption) enjoying a nice big plate of Poutine.
"What can I get for you sir?"
"I'll try the beef burger thanks"
"Excellent. Would you like a plate of salad and fries with that?"
"Absolutely" (Salad mission accomplished and Potatoes are a vegetable even in fried form).
"Please tick what you would like on your burger on this slip" as i'm handed a small piece of paper with a list of options and a golf pencil.
Bacon (extra 50c) - Tick
Cheese (extra 50c) - Tick
Lettuce - Tick
Tomato - Tick
Onions - Tick
Ketchup - Tick
Mustard - Tick
Mayonnaise - Tick
"Thank you sir, it won't be long".
I sat and watched the creation of my $1.95 (sorry....correction, $2.95) burger. The pattie looks small but I would expect as much given the price. As the pattie cooked away, the plate of salad was built. Lettuce, Tomato, Onion (sliced on the spot), Cucumber, Carrot and Olives......everything a growing body needs.
Time for the cheese and bacon to be added. Wait......he's not going for the sliced processed cheese......he's actually slicing a piece of a large, very authentic looking piece of what i'm assuming is Cheddar. Not long after, the burger is complete and on the plate accompanied by the fries and salad.
"Here you are sir. Here is some Ketchup and Mustard for your fries, and some dressings for your salad. The white bottle is Creamy Basil, the other is a Sundried Tomato and Coriander balsamic" as four bottles are presented to me with my meal, with the dressings looking encouragingly home made.
I went with the Sundried Tomato dressing a little bit of mayonnaise on the fries (When in Rome?). The salad was nice and refreshing - the Balsamic base was definitely the right choice. The fries were a little cold but tasty enough....
"Is everything satisfactory sir?"
"Definitely, thank you" I answered wondering how I was receiving 5 star service, 4 star ingredients for a 1 star price.
Now for the main event. As I said before, it's not a big burger - but you'd be a fool to expect one for the price. As for the taste - very very passable. The freshness of the salad lettuce, tomato and onions (and they were definitely fresh) blended well with the cheese, bacon and pattie. The pattie had a slighly processed taste to it but it was full of flavour nonetheless and combined well with the whole package.
Overall, a very pleasant experience. The reduced size of the burger combined with the salad meant that I didn't undo all of my hard work at the gym (which I'd expected I would). The service was fantastic with the guy behind the counter seamlessly looking after five or six patrons whilst simultaneously cooking. And the price........$7.90 (inc taxes) for a burger, salad, fries and a can of coke.........unbeatable.
I'm quickly discovering that places like this are the real Montreal. Unpretentious meals, Unpretentious staff and Unpretentious prices but oozing with atmosphere at the same time. I'm sure the converse is present in many other venues (particularly those with much higher menu prices) - but i'll take a hole in the wall burger joint with a bohemian atmosphere any day of the week - places like this don't need to try to create atmosphere.....they bleed it.
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