STUB REVIEW BOCADILLO:
SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE (NOT HOLDING HANDS) (JUST SMILING) SERVING SHINY HAPPY FOOD
Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bocadillo/56070501978
3677 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, QC H2X Telephone:(514) 227-4041
Price Range: $15 or less per person including one drink, meal, tax, and tip
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To the surprise of absolutely NO ONE who talks to me for more than a second, I'm a world-weary cynic (I refer to myself as a realist, but who listens me anyway? :P ). I snark, I point out the flaws in plans, I give telemarketers a hard time - I'm the sarcastic guy on every sitcom (and the big guy in action movies, and the forensic scientist in cop shows, and I'm going to stop this train of thought now). That said, I am still a very happy and cheery man (hell, I actually once played Santa Claus to deliver food to lonely seniors on Christmas. I fit the role on cheer alone, and, actually, on cheer only too - being young and all that, I would never be mistaken for an old fat guy. Lemme tell ya - that fake beard ITCHED). Being jolly and being a realist aren't contradictory, in the end.
So, it always pleases me to no end whenever I'm in the presence of happy cheery people. There's more than enough grump and sulk to go around; why add to it? And happy and cheery definitely describes the folks at Bocadillo. I've only been here twice so far, and the people don't seem to stop smiling, even when they're not engaging with you. After taking your order with a grin (y'know, service with a smile), they then seem to happily go about cooking the food, bringing the food, cleaning the tables - basically, they seem cheery even when no one is looking at them, and that is just AWESOME. It's definitely a good start to a dining experience, y'know? And now that it's summer and there's a terrasse in the back, the place is just that much brighter too!
But enough about atmosphere. Because, in the end, atmosphere doesn't fill the belly. What about food?
Well, I'm happy to say, the food is good too. This restaurant is known for its sandwiches and sandwich-like things. To wit: Pulled pork sandwiches (the pulled pork was marinated in passion fruit juice).
The pulled pork tastes pretty good (it'd better be - they cook it for 12 hours, apparently!). I will say though, the texture was... really not quite what I was expecting. It was considerably more stringy than the pulled pork I'm used to eating at other places. BUT, stringier DOES NOT MEAN WORSE, oh no. Most other times, stringier food is less pleasant, but in this case it just added some more nuance to the eating experience. It seemed to bring out the sauce; go figure! Plus, the bun (which apparently is a yogurt bun) was nice and chewy. And the yuca fries (a first for me - I didn't even know that yuca was a thing, what with my perception filter of all things vegetable) were nice and crispy on the outside and almost fluffy on the inside. Oh, me likey...
Bocadillo also makes empanadas too. For the uninitiated, empanadas are savory, deep fried pastries. I ordered two: One beef, and one fish, and they were both delightful. The fish was minced and moist, and the beef was tender and soaked in a rich, flavorful gravy-sort of sauce. Both were well-seasoned and perfectly complemented the crispy, chewy pastry shells in which they were enclosed. And, being deep-fried, they left the bowl (and my hands) a little shiny by the end, but that's okay - that's why I exercise...
Finally, (at least) one other element set this sandwich place apart from others: The drinks. I have never seen such drinks before in my life, and I resolve to keep trying a new drink each time I come here till I'm done. Hmm. For some reason, that reminds me that I need to see a dentist soon...
Anyhow, to close off: Nice place, and I'll be coming back for more :).
3677 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, QC H2X Telephone:(514) 227-4041
Price Range: $15 or less per person including one drink, meal, tax, and tip
View Larger Map
To the surprise of absolutely NO ONE who talks to me for more than a second, I'm a world-weary cynic (I refer to myself as a realist, but who listens me anyway? :P ). I snark, I point out the flaws in plans, I give telemarketers a hard time - I'm the sarcastic guy on every sitcom (and the big guy in action movies, and the forensic scientist in cop shows, and I'm going to stop this train of thought now). That said, I am still a very happy and cheery man (hell, I actually once played Santa Claus to deliver food to lonely seniors on Christmas. I fit the role on cheer alone, and, actually, on cheer only too - being young and all that, I would never be mistaken for an old fat guy. Lemme tell ya - that fake beard ITCHED). Being jolly and being a realist aren't contradictory, in the end.
So, it always pleases me to no end whenever I'm in the presence of happy cheery people. There's more than enough grump and sulk to go around; why add to it? And happy and cheery definitely describes the folks at Bocadillo. I've only been here twice so far, and the people don't seem to stop smiling, even when they're not engaging with you. After taking your order with a grin (y'know, service with a smile), they then seem to happily go about cooking the food, bringing the food, cleaning the tables - basically, they seem cheery even when no one is looking at them, and that is just AWESOME. It's definitely a good start to a dining experience, y'know? And now that it's summer and there's a terrasse in the back, the place is just that much brighter too!
But enough about atmosphere. Because, in the end, atmosphere doesn't fill the belly. What about food?
Well, I'm happy to say, the food is good too. This restaurant is known for its sandwiches and sandwich-like things. To wit: Pulled pork sandwiches (the pulled pork was marinated in passion fruit juice).
The pulled pork tastes pretty good (it'd better be - they cook it for 12 hours, apparently!). I will say though, the texture was... really not quite what I was expecting. It was considerably more stringy than the pulled pork I'm used to eating at other places. BUT, stringier DOES NOT MEAN WORSE, oh no. Most other times, stringier food is less pleasant, but in this case it just added some more nuance to the eating experience. It seemed to bring out the sauce; go figure! Plus, the bun (which apparently is a yogurt bun) was nice and chewy. And the yuca fries (a first for me - I didn't even know that yuca was a thing, what with my perception filter of all things vegetable) were nice and crispy on the outside and almost fluffy on the inside. Oh, me likey...
Bocadillo also makes empanadas too. For the uninitiated, empanadas are savory, deep fried pastries. I ordered two: One beef, and one fish, and they were both delightful. The fish was minced and moist, and the beef was tender and soaked in a rich, flavorful gravy-sort of sauce. Both were well-seasoned and perfectly complemented the crispy, chewy pastry shells in which they were enclosed. And, being deep-fried, they left the bowl (and my hands) a little shiny by the end, but that's okay - that's why I exercise...
 |
| Shiny, happy (well, happy me) |
 |
| Look at the fillings spilling out... lovely, lovely sight... |
Finally, (at least) one other element set this sandwich place apart from others: The drinks. I have never seen such drinks before in my life, and I resolve to keep trying a new drink each time I come here till I'm done. Hmm. For some reason, that reminds me that I need to see a dentist soon...
 |
| Apple soda. |
 |
| Pear and passion fruit soda. Why DON'T we have more of these? |
Anyhow, to close off: Nice place, and I'll be coming back for more :).
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