It's been over a month since I stopped by the Union Station food Market, I've been to and from Montreal TWICE since my first visit, but I finally went back today and I doubled down by trying TWO of the market's offerings.
Toben Food by Design
One of the Market's BBQ offerings, This place caught my eye as it had no line up and a "familiar" menu (I'll try the oyster banh-mi's and Caribbean steam buns another time, I swear)
Menu selection: Larger than most other booths at the market, they have brisket, pulled pork, ribs and 4-5 sides.
Line up/Wait time: There was no line up, I went at 1:30pm and the market was pretty full, but not as crowded as my first time. I got my food in about 5 minutes.
My order: I decided to try the "staple" any smoke shack worth it's salt should be able to perfect - The pulled pork sammy. The sandwich came on a fresh baked bun with a summer (vinegar based) slaw of purple cabbage, carrots, apple and a little red onion. the meat was tender and well seasoned and not overly sweet, which I like. A lot of places churning out dishes with pulled pork tend to smother the meat in BBQ sauce making it too sweet and not to my taste.
Value for the price: The sandwich was $8 on it's own with no sides (I thought the sides looked a little overpriced). The sandwich was large and filling and of a decent quality so I think it's a decent price - again, taking into account the less than stellar sandwiches in the area which are $8 or higher.
She ain't pretty, but she was mighty tasty.
Pekoe
Menu selection: Limited, there's a big jug of the "Kombucha-de-jour" at the stand and you can have it on it's own, as a "float" with vegan ice cream, or as a "sangria" which really just has some orange sections added to the basic Kombucha.
Line up/Wait time: There was a group of gents ahead of me asking questions about the bevvy, but I only waited a couple minutes.
My order: I went with the "sangria" option as it was the same price as having it on it's own. The Kombucha brew they had that day (apparently it changes every few days) was a ginger infused version that the girl at the counter and signage around her claimed to help with digestion and hangovers. I didn't have a hangover or stomach troubles today, so I can't confirm these claims are true.
Value for the price: The drink was $5, which I guess is normal for a fancy iced drink (if I'm comparing with Starbucks), but I thought it was too pricey for what it was - Iced Tea. The ginger was also quite intense and it took me a while to finish.
I may stop by the booth again and check out their next Kombucha flavour, but I can make a better ice tea for a lot cheaper.
The indoor garden is in my office building's atrium, not the Union Food Market, makes for a pretty pic though eh?
So that was my second adventure, the market is only open for another couple weeks (closed August 30th) so I'll have to slam as much sampling into the rest of summer as I can.
Stay tuned for more foodie adventures!