Montreal — Spring 2016: Cacao 70

The next morning, we decided to go to Restaurant L'Avenue for brunch, which has dominated many "Best of Montreal" breakfast/brunch lists. But once we got there, we saw a line-up that spanned the entire block. And that's when we remembered that it was Sunday. Because of course everyone is out to get Sunday brunch, and we were total idiots for thinking that we'd just be able to walk in and get a table. (Again, rookie mistake.) We waited for about 15 minutes (in the rain) and realized that we wouldn't get a table for at least another hour and we were starting to get hangry by then. We noticed that there was Cacao 70 across the street, which is known for brunch and desserts and has consistently good ratings (they have a few locations in Montreal, and were so successful that they recently opened a location in Toronto, too), so we hopped on over there instead and vowed to return to L'Avenue the next day. 
Moka from Cacao 70
Fresh fruit and dipping chocolate from Cacao 70
Italian Sausage Frittata from Cacao 70
Intense Black & White Chocolate Crepe Roll from Cacao 70
To start, hot mugs of Moka, made with espresso and your choice of Cacao 70 classic hot chocolate (I chose milk chocolate). It is a true mocha, semi-sweet and rich in both coffee and cocoa flavours, and not overly milky or watered down. We all agreed it was one of the best we've ever had, and certainly beats out any and all coffee chains (Starbucks, I'm looking at you). Then we ordered our mains, all of which come with a plate of fresh fruit and dipping chocolate to start (after devouring all of it in about 2.8 seconds, I wondered why all fruit plates don't come with a side of dipping chocolate). All three of us ordered the Italian Sausage Frittata, which is served piping hot in an iron skillet. Eggs are mixed with tomato, spinach, Italian sausage, and parmesan, and then baked in the oven, making the eggs softer and silkier and airier (almost like custard) and ensuring that the flavours are retained in the eggs. I like frittatas more than omelettes for this reason, and the ones here are surprisingly excellent. Of course, given that we were at Cacao 70, we had to try something sweet off their menu, so we decided to share the Intense Black & White Chocolate Crepe Roll, which consists of two crepe rolls, one with dark chocolate and one with white, that are dusted with Belgian cocoa powder and served with whipped cream and even more dipping chocolate. I can definitely appreciate it as someone who is impartial to chocolate, but it is very sweet; a true chocoholic would probably be able to handle eating the whole thing on their own, but the portion was perfect for the three of us to share as a brunch dessert. 
Oh, and the guys that were in line in front of us at L'Avenue? They were still waiting for a table by the time we got our bills.

Cacao 70929 Avenue du Mont-Royal EMontréal, QC H2J 1X3(514) 507-2210