Category: FOOD

FLIGHTS | Long Layover in Lisbon?

Okay, internet. I’m just over a month away from Euro18* and I need your help. Yes, you! Tell me your travel secrets. I have two and a half days to spend in Lisbon, eating all the things and getting all the culture. Where do I start?

Oh man, I can hear you already.

Q: Olivia! You can’t see a city like Lisbon in 2.5 days!

A: Have you met me? Brussels: 24 hours. Vienna: 36 hours. Iceland (a whole country!): 58 hours.

So, we’ve determined that I can in fact get a taste of a city in two and a half days. What I’m counting on you for are recommendations to make sure that I see the real Lisbon, and not the touristy version that’s been adapted for visitors.

Please, leave a comment on any or all of the below questions:

  • Where would you go for good local food? If there isn’t an English menu, consider me intrigued.
  • What’s your favourite activity in the city?
  • What’s a “can’t miss” sight that I need to check out?

My loyal readers (shout out to my three family members), I am back with a vengeance this spring, and can’t wait to let you know all about my travels.

*Refers to my incredible two-week European adventure coming up, not some music festival. But, I get it. We’re heading into Coachella weekend so I can’t fault you for going there.

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FOOD | Poutine for Every Occassion

Don’t worry, I’m not speaking a foreign language in the title of this post. Chances are, unless you’ve travelled to Canada, or can call a Canadian one of your close friends, you have no idea what poutine is. Oh, readers. How my heart aches for you. Actually, my heart aches because I ate too much artery-clogging poutine on my last trip to Montreal, but that’s another issue.

Living abroad, whenever someone asked me about Canadian cuisine I would always have to explain that being such a multicultural country, Canada has very few Canada-unique dishes. One of our claims to fame, is poutine. Poutine is fries, topped with cheese curds (the squeakier the better, in my books), covered in hot gravy. Try explaining this to an Italian. I should have created a separate blog just to record the looks of horror they gave me. To this day, I’m still not sure what gravy is in Italian, but I liked to refer to it as meat juice, or meat sauce. Drooling yet?

While in Montreal a few months ago, during a food tour, we stumbled across a little restaurant in the heart of the Mile End neighbourhood with a queue that would rival the cronut queue in NYC. Wait, are kids still lining up for that?

So, after seeing said line up, we took to Google to find out more about this restaurant. Fabergé had great reviews, and there were rumours of a breakfast poutine. The next morning we got up early and sauntered over, excited to beat the brunch rush. Let’s set the scene. Two clueless Torontonians round the corner only to discover the WORLD’S LONGEST LINE. Truth. You can read about it in the Guinness Book of World Records. Take two: same Torontonians set alarms to arrive at the same restaurant 22 hours later. Conclusion? We got a table for two where I tasted the below breakfast poutine firsthand, and washed it down with a mimosa or three.

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Address: 25 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2L9

Phone: + 1 514 903 6649

FOOD | Let’s Manger!

Apologies if the title of this post is a little unclear, but I like to throw in the occasional French word to sound très chic. Did it work?

There are going to be many posts about Paris, because j’adore Paris, but because this restaurant received great reviews from everyone I sent there, I begin with La Cave Gourmande. This was one of my favourite meals in Paris. We were wandering our way up through Montmartre one evening, and starting to scope our restaurants, when we happened upon this cozy little restaurant. After chatting up the owner, he swore to us that he served the best bœuf bourguignon in Paris. Well, always a believer, we promised to return on our trek back down. We started with the foie gras, which as long as you don’t focus too much on where it comes from, is absolutely decadent. Followed by the hyped-up bœuf bourguignon, at which point I nearly fell to my knees to beg the owner to either hire me, marry me, or feed me for life. None of these happened.

I’ve sent multiple people back to this restaurant since I went in Spring 2014, and all have written to me afterwards to tell me how delicious it was. World, you are welcome. Now go forth and manger!20140504_221326

Address: 96 Rue des Martyrs, 75018 Paris, France

Phone: +33 (0)140400330

FOOD | Lo Spritz.

I can see all of you rolling your eyes when you realize that my first FOOD post is about Lo Spritz, aka The Aperol Spritz, aka a cocktail. I can’t explain why, but saying Lo Spritz seems so much more respectful towards this drink. You can refer to this cocktail as a simple Spritz, but in North America you run the risk of someone bringing you a wine spritzer. No joke. Best to always request an Aperol Spritz when ordering on this side of the Atlantic.

What makes this cocktail so special? It’s one of those anytime drinks. Perfectly acceptable for the hours when the sun is shining, and nothing is quite as refreshing (in my opinion) as a Spritz. Best served in a large wine glass, with lots of ice and a slice of orange. If you’re ever unsure of your Spritz preparation or presentation, give me a call and I’ll be there in under two minutes to be the judge.IMG_20140412_184728

Recipe:

  • 3 parts prosecco
  • 2 parts Aperol
  • 1 part soda water

Welcome!

For those of you who started to follow me back in the days of LaCanadese, welcome back! For those of you who are new, I hope you enjoy my writing.

I started my LaCanadese blog in 2012, when I moved to Italy to pursue a dream. I enjoyed writing about my adventures overseas, especially because it was an easy way to let people know what I was up to. Fast-forward to 2016, and I am back in Canada with seemingly little to blog about. I kept being asked about my blog, and I started to feel like LaCanadese should have a FAQ section!

Q: Olivia! I miss your posts! When will you write something new?

A: Would you consider paying for me to travel around the world for one year? I think I could continue blogging for a bit on that.

Q: Olivia! We were talking about your blog the other day, and remembering what a great writer you were. Will you continue writing?

A: Should I get royalties for my blog posts that people keep talking about? Can I just keep riding on the limited number of posts I made? Am I the Fawlty Towers of blogging?

Q: Olivia, are you alive?

A: Yes, just because I have reduced my online presence, I promise you that I am still alive and well.

Q: Okay, Olivia, this is getting ridiculous. You had better blog immediately, or you’re out of the family.

A: But, how can I write for a blog that translates to “The Canadian in Milan” when I am clearly no longer living in Milan?

It took a while, but I have finally come up with a direction for my new blog. To start with, many posts will be a re-write of what you may have already read on LaCanadese, but these new posts will focus strictly on travel, style, and food. If you know me, you know that I am passionate about all of these!

My hope is that this blog can become a go-to for anyone looking for travel or dining recommendations around the world, and anyone who enjoys fashion and reading my musings on it.

PS – If you have ideas for a topic you’d like me to discuss, please let me know in the comments!

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