They advertised homemade smoked meat and I wondered if they really meant it. As a child, I remember developing my taste for 'the meat.' A Montrealer family friend would always arrive at the Vancouver airport reeking of smoky fatty goodness. My parents would have been talking about her meaty delivery for days. While, of course, we were all excited to see our friend, the rye bread and mustard was always ready to go.

Clearly, a smoked meat sandwich in a Montreal deli is the best case scenario, but anyone who has a taste for it, is always looking for an alternative. The Cafe Vieux Montreal provided me with the closest thing to real Montreal smoked meat I've ever had outside of the city itself.

My lunch mate Chad and I arrived ready to fill up in advance of an afternoon of drinking (under the guise of a wine tasting). The newly renovated space on Government St, is clean and simple. Counter service, with table delivery, was polite and fairly quick. We split the Montreal smoked meat sandwich ($6.95), the pulled port sandwich ($8.95) and the duck confit salad ($11.95). There's some serious integrity in this food. Not super high end, but scratch cooking - something I have a lot of respect for. The menu is short and simple, but everything sounds tasty.

The smoked meat sandwich came simply on rye with a dill pickle - as it should be. There was mustard available on the side, but otherwise, the only condiment required was the luxurious fat of the meat. I would have gone for a thinner slice of bread, but no complaints otherwise. The meat was warm and while not overly fatty, it had the correct marbling. Chad, having pronounced his love of all things pork, seemed equally delighted with his pulled pork sandwich. When we made the sandwich switch, I couldn't believe that the pork was actually house-pulled!!  It was amazing - there are people in the back of this restaurant actually cooking things?!?! Warm, tender pork with a milder than described, but balanced barbecue sauce on nice chewy bread. I couldn't have done it better myself. It came with a small, less spectacular salad, but it looked pretty and was fresh. Our duck confit salad was a winner as well. A hearty portion of duck leg, on top of some balsamic carmalised potatoes with an accompanying green salad with endive. Chad remarked the the balsamic vinegar used for the potatoes was of a budget variety, but we both agreed that it was fine and probably not a fair criticism at the price point. The portion was good, the greens fresh and the execution strong. Lunch time salads can be a little lame and unsatisfying a lot of the time, but this was a real meal.   

Our plates were cleared from our tables and unlike some in-and-out sandwich places, we felt comfortable sitting and chatting. There's some decent Government Street people watching if you're in the mood and a couple of outside tables. The space needs breaking in a bit, and if they're using local products I'd be interested seeing it advertised. That said,  I simply love the idea of a short menu with well made, quality food. Next time I have a hankering for a sandwich, I know I'll think of the Cafe Vieux Montreal.

value of food 78/100 (not super-cheap, but they must have killer overhead in their tourist-central, Government St location, so we have to give them a break)

quality of food 83/100 (simple food, but homemade goodness)

service 79/100 (counter service, but more attentive than some)

ambiance 75/100 (a bit new, but comfortable)

average 79/100

reviewed Sept 18, 06