Montreal

The largest city in Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec keeps surprising with its bilingual, old-meets-new balancing act

- Patricia Maunder

Mon Lapin

The folk from Joe Beef, the city’s most famous restaurant, opened this natural wine bar (above) last year. It’s a cosy restaurant in the same vein, with seasonal, wine-friendly fare that changes daily: perhaps radishes in chicken-liver mousse, or smoked-eel carbonara that recalls Joe Beef’s celebrated lobster spaghetti. 150 Saint-Zotique, vinmonlapin.com

Agrikol

Owned by two local darlings from indie band Arcade Fire, this restaurant serves Haitian street food: whole fried fi sh, beans and rice, plantain and beignets. The menu is teamed with infectious Caribbean music, a riot of Haitian artworks on turquoise and coral walls, and Barbancourt rum – ideally in DIY Tí Punch cocktails (fresh lime, sugarcane syrup and plenty of Haiti’s best rum). 1844 Amherst, agrikol.ca