After I plugged an address into the sleek, circular OLED touchscreen in my equally sleek, rather sexy Mini Cooper Countryman that I’m driving for a wee girls getaway, all I could hear in my head was the repetitive thrum of the classic road-trip song lyrics: “Get your motor running, head on the highway.” However, what actually played in the background was Snoop Dog on repeat. Thanks to the Mini’s Sirius radio hook up and the immersive Harman Kardon sound system with 12 speakers, I discovered the Holy Grail of 2000’s hip-hop and dang, it sounded good up in here! My co-trip conspirator, who also bopped to those beats as a teen, and I were rather pleased with our discovery. Unbeknownst to the car, we were determined to play every compilation of the genre, plus all the early 2000’s R&B and house music we could find during our six-hour drive from Toronto to Montreal.
With our address entered, we got our motor running to head out on the highway, cruising down the 401 to make our way east to La Belle Province. We cruised through several small Ontario towns and cities before crossing the border into Quebec. Without too much heavy traffic, we had made good time, arriving in about six hours with a couple of bathroom breaks along the way. As we drove into downtown Montreal, we already felt like we were not in Kansas, or rather, Toronto, any more with the city’s beautiful high-rise and historic heritage buildings, wide avenues, and tree-lined streets. There is an air to Montreal that immediately makes you feel rather Euro-esque. So it was a perfect choice for a quick weekend girls escape.
Here is how we spent four wonderful days in September.
DAY 1
Babacool: Only arriving around 6 p.m., we promptly dropped our bags at our downtown hotel. After a quick refresh, we headed to Old Montreal for dinner. Walking the iconic cobblestone streets, we reached Babacool at the corner of the Notre-Dame Basilica. A recommendation from my Montreal-based cousin, my friends and I were so ready to dig into some delicious grub. Immediately upon walking in, we were struck by the gorgeous decor. Industrialist meets well, Insta-worthy. Coral-hued tables and banquettes complement the grey concrete and brick, while the very demure, very mindful lighting makes it a perfect date spot.
Open since 2021, Babacool serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine via mezzes, ranging from more traditional to reinvented. We ordered the Brussels sprouts as per one of the friendly co-owner’s recommendations, the scallop crudo, and the halloumi salad. Excited to dig in, we were a little disappointed as most of the dishes lacked the oomph we’d expected. The decor and service were impeccable, but we did confide in said co-owner that we found most dishes underwhelming. He kindly removed some items off our bill; we had been told by a few regulars, including my cousin, that the food is usually really good. So I’ll definitely table Babacool for my next trip to Montreal to give it another try since it felt like it had a fair bit of promise and hope.
Next up was dessert. Before leaving for the city, I pondered if, as a gluten-intolerant gal, I could get gluten-free crêpes here; I’ve never been able to eat them since my diagnosis more than 15 years ago. And guess what? Just a three-minute walk from Babacool I found my gluten-free crêpe dreams — actually all of my GF dreams! Not only was I able to get a GF crêpe at Le Marquis Signature santé, but also GF croissants. And both were delectable and delightful.
We capped the night with a lovely walk around Old Montreal, stopping by buskers and interactive arts displays.
Day 2
Paparmane: Sunday is made for brunch. However, before we began the food fest, we worked up an appetite by heading to Montreal’s Old Port area to watch the boats roll in and to catch the sights and vibes during daylight hours. We passed by the beautiful and ornate Notre-Dame Basilica, with long lines before heading to Paparmane, a beyond delightful brunch spot that has reinvented high tea in the best way possible. The restaurant offers an entire gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or classic high-tea experience. I was over the moon to discover this spot since I’ve never been able to high tea it up because of my gluten intolerance and, really, what’s high tea without tiny, perfect pastries? A must-do spot for a girls getaway with its plumy decor, excellent service, and a selection of teas to tickle your tastebuds. And speaking of tickling tastebuds, every single bite of each high-tea item was scrumptious. The scones! The grilled cheese sandwiches! The devilled eggs! Honestly, I was très impressed! And I’ll definitely return.
OASIS: We walked off the calories with a jaunt to OASIS Immersion, filled with experiential exhibition experiences. OASIS features three immersive galleries on the ground floor of the Palais des congrès. Mon ami et moi headed to the Far East with the gallery’s “Dreaming Asia” exhibit, filled with beautiful Chinese and Japanese imagery and history.
Let’s Get Festival!: Montreal is a festival-lover’s dream. As festival lovers ourselves we turned our petite fest dreams into reality by checking out Joat, an international street-dance festival. And dang did we dance. After a hip-hop concert performance, a DJ took to the stage playing beats after beats. A group of young dancers who had performed during the festival got the crowd going wild with an hours-long dance off.
Montreal hosts festivals all year long. Check out its theatre festivals for autumn and more throughout the year.
Day 3
We couldn’t leave Montreal without heading to Mont Royal to catch some stellar views of the city. So, we hopped into the Mini Cooper, and loved cruising through the downtown streets en route to the city’s highest point. And not only did we find views, but we also a salsa class. I had started salsa dancing in 2024 so I was delighted to serendipitously find the event. After dancing part of the morning away, we drove back to the city, passing through beautiful leafy neighbourhoods that felt more like New York with fire escapes and pretty facades.
We headed back to our hotel to get ready for one of the main reasons we ventured to Montreal: To attend my first Piknik Electronik with some Toronto-based girlfriends who also headed to Quebec for the long weekend to dance their cares away. Piknik Electronik is a fun festival that takes place from May to October and features some of the world’s most acclaimed DJs at Parc Jean-Drapeau. I’d been to the park many times for Oshega, but never for this fest. We had another night of dancing our hearts out.
Day 4
On the last day, I needed a hit of culture before heading back home so I jumped into the Mini Cooper to head to the historic Golden Square Mile in downtown to check out the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) for the first time. Founded in 1860, it is purportedly one of the top 15 most-visited museums in North America.
Housed in a beautiful, bright, airy building, the museum’s permanent collection contains some 43,000 works from European Masters to a Napoleon collection on display in the museum’s five pavilions. The MMFA complex also includes the 460-seat Bourgie Concert Hall, a movie theatre, boutique and bookstore, as well as the Beaux-Arts Bistro.
After a lovely morning at the museum, we dined nearby at Aunja, a cosy and cute Iranian cafe and tea house. After a warming ginger tea and tasty melted feta cheese omelette, we were ready to hit the road.
On the drive back to Toronto, we played around with some of the features of the car, including its “MINI Experience Modes,” which are designed to amplify the connection between drivers and the car. These include core, green and Go-Kart modes, each of which has its own specific user-interface design and are hella fun. We hit Go-Kart, and the OLED touchscreen interface turned from a light, easy-on-the-eyes green to classic red and black. It now displayed a classic speedometer that can transform from digital to analogue across the full surface of the screen. And, the ambient lighting is adjusted automatically to Go-Kart-esque colours.
In seconds, we were off to the races, quite literally. The increased stiffer steering feel and accelerator pedal sensitivity enabled a feeling of a more immediate torque. The high-pitch driving sound and instant speed makes you feel like you’re on a racetrack. And so we turned what ended up being an eight-hour drive into a game of driving modes and dexterity. Such a smooth, fun, car, the perfect accompaniment to an impromptu girls getaway.