Presse Café

Presse Café on Milton and Parc is no stranger to most McGillians who live in the ghetto. It was definitely one of my most frequent places last year.

I love that Presse is so big. Even when people are studying, it normally never gets too loud, which is perfect when one needs to concentrate. The setup of the place is so that there is enough space between each table so that you don't have to overhear the table next to you talking. In addition to that, the tables are of various sizes. Some are very spacious, so when you have a lot of stuff or studying material, it is more than easy to lay everything out. There are also smaller individual tables if people prefer that, or round tables too. There are two main sections to Presse. One is the first general space you arrive at when you first enter the café. The cashier is at the opposite side of the room in this first area. To the right of the cashier is another section of the café that has extra studying tables and a TV for people to watch when there is a game on.

Presse also has a variety of food, including salads, pastries, soup and sandwiches/wraps. They offer different sets such as a salad and soup or a wrap and salad. The food here is pretty good on most days. The drinks here also range from coffee to Italian water to even beers if you're ever in the mood! However, to be honest, I am not a big fan of their coffees. Depending on who is making the drinks, the resulting taste can vary quite a fair amount. Another thing about Presse is also that their service isn't always the best. Sometimes when the owner is here, he will come over and make sure you've ordered something before you can continue with what you're doing. They can be a bit strict about that. The music here is also not overbearing, which is awesome. They open till 11:30 sometimes even 12-12:30 during busy seasons.

All in all though, Presse is still a place that I come to when I need to study. I like that it is very spacious and convenient, and it is always nice to have a backup for emergencies.

Café Vasco da Gama

It has been a long two weeks full of studying. This week, I want to introduce another café on the west side that I also absolutely love. It is called Café Vasco da Gama on the corner of Peel and Maisonneuve.

This café has extremely nice decor with brick floors and lights that hang above the ceiling. The walls are also filled with containers of tea leaves, coffee beans and other food ingredients in general, which makes it seem cosy. The place is quite packed during lunch time, especially of businessmen around the area. Although this might not be the best place to study during lunch time, the food here is extremely good and so are their drinks. I really like that they have a wide range of food which include salads, sandwiches, burgers and even pasta! Their pastries are also extremely good, and for anyone who is lactose or gluten intolerant, they make lactose, gluten-free cookies too!

View from the entrance of the door

The ambiance of the café was very relaxed with music playing in the background. Vasco da Gama is the perfect place for people to go when they need to relax and just have a nice cup of coffee (or wine!) and chill. The relaxed vibe also makes it a great place for people to hang out and catch up with friends. The seats in the café is very comfortable with sofa seats. The one thing I don't really like about the café though is that the pathway is kind of small—sometimes too small that when the café gets crowded, it is not easy for people to move in and out. Another down side is that the cafe tables are a bit small, especially if you are going to have lunch there. There may be just enough space for a plate of salad and a drink.

Large latte

All in all though, this café is also one that I enjoy going to every once in a while when I'm catching up with a friend. It may be busy and loud, but their drinks and their friendly servers make up for it. 

Café Castel

Today, I am going to introduce a café that most of us Bronfmanites are probably familiar with. This is one of my most frequent cafés in Montreal. Not only is it convenient for management students, but the coffee and food there is also really good!

Café Castel lies on the corner of Peel and Sherbrooke in the Best Western Hotel, right by Desautels Faculty of Management. Although the owner of the café is the same as the owner of the hotel, the businesses are run separately. The café is open every morning from 7am till 8pm at night. This makes for a good place to review materials in the morning, but not a place where you can camp out late at night. Depending on the time of day, the café can be a really good or not so place to study. When there are a lot of people, the café gets really crowded and loud and you can get distracted easily. However, on the occasion that you're there when there isn't a big line and it is not that full, the ambience of the café is perfect for studying. Since it also lies on the corner of two very busy streets, a good variation of people go there. From hustling businessmen to students, the café also makes for a good place to people-watch—another thing I enjoy doing when I'm by myself. Just today, I was sitting next to a man who was conducting interviews for jobs. It might not have been the best location to hold any sort of formal interviews, but at least it was an interesting experience for me!

At Café Castel, the food they have there range from sandwiches and wraps to salads and soup to all different kinds of pastries! Personally, I am a huge fan of their salads. The other day, I tried a green curry chicken salad with apples. The combination of ingredients was not something I would've ever thought to throw together, but the final product was delicious. The mix of the saltiness from the green curry paste and the sweetness from the apples was just right, and I can't stop thinking about it!
Another perk is the amount of options available. There are six options of salads to choose from each day, and even more of a variety for sandwiches! But be aware, they do sell out fast, so make sure you get there relatively early to catch all the different choices! In addition, each of the portions are pretty big and the pricing is very reasonable. There are also a lot of combos available for if you want to taste a bit of everything.

Green Curry Chicken Salad with Apples (right),
Spinach Salad with Tomatoes (left) 

Other than food, Café Castel is definitely known for their variety of gourmet coffees. They have everything from flavored lattes to cappuccinos to moccacinos! But the thing I love the most about Café Castel is their latte art. From tulips to "Rosetta" designs, every time I order a latte from them, they surprise me with something new.

With assignments due and midterms around the corner in addition to the arrival of snow in Montreal today, I was feeling a bit uneasy. But when I got my daily order of coffee from Café Castel today, everything just seemed better.

Latte

Love coffee on a snowy day. It really is the littlest things that make the biggest difference.

First Post

As midterm season hits, there is no doubt that stress levels are rising. I'll admit, it took me some time to adjust from the summer 'Let's just have fun and worry about everything else later' mentality to 'Holy crap! I have midterms next week and at least one midterm and assignment due every week from then on?' As inevitable as studying is, I was and still am not big on libraries. Therefore, I am going to dedicate this blog to introducing various cafés that I am going to start studying at. For all those out there who, like me, cringe at the existence of libraries, I hope this blog will be of use to you! 

The first café that I am introducing this week is called Chai. It lies on the corner of Parc and Milton, right next to El Mundo. Although these two cafés are owned by the same owner, they are individually very different.

El Mundo is what you would expect of a normal student café: wooden tables and chairs with booths that allow students to study together. They serve everything from coffee to generic tea to juice and soft drinks. Chai, on the other hand, took a toll on its own. Not only is the decor inside the café nice and chic, but also very comfortable with sofa chairs and couches available. Even the selection of drinks here is quite different from El Mundo. Although they do still serve the usual coffees, their main product of sale is tea. With a many different types of tea and multiple flavors per, the variety of tea they have is incredible. In addition, the atmosphere here is also very peaceful. The music is never overbearingly loud with a nice selection of study songs by artists such as Jack Johnson, Bon Iver, etc.

Green tea is my favorite kind of tea, so I was really excited to see that they have a selection of over ten flavors of green tea! I ordered the Kyoto Cherry green tea, and I was so happy with this choice. The cherry aroma from the tea could be sensed as the server brought over a tray that consisted of a teapot, a cup and a filter with the tea leaves inside. When you order your tea, they also give you an option to use a Chinese teacup or a normal "British cup," as they call it.

Kyoto Cherry flavored Green Tea

Another thing I love about this café is its selection of pastries. El Mundo has always been known for its good food, and Chai did not disappoint. Not only do they have a selection of cupcakes, scones and other pastries, they also make macaroons that go perfectly with the tea. I ordered raspberry and orange blossom flavored macaroons to go with my tea, and my friend ordered raspberry and lime flavored ones.

Raspberry and Lime flavored macaroons

Raspberry and Orange Blossom flavored macaroons

Needless to say, it was delicious. 

It is now past 11:00pm and they are about to close. I guess this would also be an appropriate time for me to end this blog post. 

To all those out there looking for a nice new environment to study in, really, try Chai! I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I know I'm not.