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July 2, 2006
Hello from Montreal: A Late Mexican Lunch
at Mañana and a Fascinating Peruvian Immigrant Story
My lengthy explorations
of the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Gardens and the Insectarium,
and my visit to the Jean Talon Market in Montreal’s Little
Italy had definitely stimulated my appetite for a good meal. By
this time it was mid-afternoon and I had taken the subway back to
the Latin Quarter in the St-Denis area, one of Montreal’s
major entertainment districts. The streets are packed with restaurants,
bistros, cafés, hip boutiques and galleries and the Quartier
Latin is definitely one of the places to be in Montreal.
I exited the subway at Sherbrooke and headed one street west and
I ended up coming out right across from the Square
St. Louis which is a beautiful neighbourhood park with benches
and a fountain in the centre. On the east side of the street was
a restaurant that caught my attention with its colourful outdoor
tables and chairs. I checked it out and saw that it was a casual
Mexican restaurant called Mañana.
It looked like a great place to grab a late lunch and was in the
perfect location since I was planning to relax a little in the park
after the meal.
A colourful little spot: Mañana, on rue St-Denis
I sat down and stretched my legs and a young server came to serve
me quickly. I glanced at the menu and figured I couldn’t go
wrong with the “Table d’hôte (the menu of the
day): I ordered a reasonably priced combination of cactus gratinado
(gratinated cactus hearts, sautéed in garlic butter,
served on a tortilla) as an appetizer, a very tasty burrito
vegetariano (flour tortillas filled with veggies, accompanied
by salsa, black beans and Mexican rice) and for dessert a passionfruit
mousse.
Angel Broncales, in front of several pictures of Frida Kahlo
Ever the curious travel writer, I asked the waitress to connect
me with the owner or manager, so a few minutes later I had a chance
to meet the person behind Mañana: Angel Broncales, originally
from Trujillo in the north of Peru, came to Montreal 23 years ago.
Angel and I conversed the entire time in Spanish since his English
is extremely limited. He explained that the Trujillo region is a
beautiful area with gorgeous beaches and it is very inexpensive,
but not very well known.
My appetizer: gratinated cactus
When Angel first came to Montreal, he worked in different factories
and later moved into the restaurant business as a dishwasher and
also learned how to cook. Throughout his time in a variety of different
restaurants, he has become an expert in French, Brazilian, Italian
and Mexican cuisine.
My main dish: a delicous veggie burrito with rice and black beans
Mañana
has been in existence for about 15 years now and Angel purchased
it recently from the former owner about 6 months ago. He had already
been the chef at the restaurant, so he was thoroughly familiar with
the menu. But he added that now he has to think a lot more with
his head and he has the responsibility for his entire business on
his shoulder. Those are the biggest changes that he has experienced
since becoming a restaurant entrepreneur.
And a wonderful passionfruit mousse for dessert
I was fascinated by Angel’s story who has worked himself
up from very modest beginnings as an immigrant with no English and
initially little French, to becoming a successful restaurant owner
in one of Montreal’s hottest entertainment areas. I really
enjoyed talking to this quiet, shy and humble man who wasn’t
much into self-promotion. His work ethic and determination were
clearly his success factors and Angel added that he loves Canada;
he said the security and safety of this country simply doesn’t
have a price.
As a restaurateur, Angel works long hours, usually until 2 or 3
am in the morning, seven days a week. He has a Mexican chef that
helps him and added that there are many Mexican immigrants in Montreal.
Unfortunately many of them don’t have official papers and
some simply have too much trouble adjusting to the cold climate,
so many of them leave and return to their home country.
Angel with his tri-lingual team mates
Fortunately for Angel he has great staff members whom he trusts.
His serving staff at Restaurant
Mañana are trilingual, they speak excellent English,
Spanish and of course French. His wife is also from Peru and assists
him with the bookkeeping for his business and his 17-year old son,
a “real Quebecker” in Angel’s words, helps him
during school vacations. During weekends Angel has a local guitarist
who, in the Mexican tradition, goes from table to table and serenades
the guests in exchange for a gracious tip. His guests come from
all over the world, and many of them are travelers from Toronto.
Some of them love to come for Valentine’s Day, the “Dia
de los Enamorados”.
It was heartwarming hearing about Angel’s story, how a simple
man from Peru with limited language skills could become a successful
restaurant owner in one of Montreal’s most popular entertainment
districts. I couldn’t help but feel that there is a place
here for everybody, and you can make it here if you are determined
and willing to work hard enough.
Angel’s comments were still resonating in my head when I
strolled out the door to enjoy a little break in the park area of
Square St. Louis. There
is something beautiful about being an immigrant country…..
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
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