Courtney Sarault of the Canadian Ice Maples loves living in Montreal. She gives us her inside track with a guide to the best spots in the city…

WHERE TO… GET COFFEE 
“Montreal is a big coffee drinking city and there are loads of great spots. My current new favourite is called REBL. The matcha is good as well as the coffee. They always have seasonal flavours, and I’m a sucker for that. But there are so many options in Montreal, you’ll never get bored looking for coffee shops.”
REBL Café, 1744 William Street 

WHERE TO… WATCH SPORT 
“You have to go to see hockey, a Habs [Montreal Canadiens] game, for sure. The atmosphere at that arena is something you can’t really find anywhere else around the world. I’ve been to a lot of hockey games and a lot of rinks in my life, and that is the loudest place I’ve been. If you’re in the nosebleed seats, or in the front row, it’s always going to be fun.”

WHERE… TO RELAX 
“The Mont Royal lookout point. It’s a great walk up there, and from the top you see the whole skyline, the whole of Downtown. And in the fall, the autumn, it’s really nice with the leaves changing colours. It’s beautiful.”

WHERE TO… PARTY 
“I don’t get out to party much, especially in Olympic season. But Le Cathcart on Thursday nights is great. It’s underground and the whole ceiling is a window, so the aesthetic is really cool. Thursdays is well known for a great vibe. There are also lots of hidden speakeasy type places - Atwater Cocktail Club is a good one. I’ll have Amaretto sour or a Mojito when I win that medal! Something girly and overpriced.”
Le Cathcart, 1 Place Ville-Marie; Atwater, 512 Atwater Ave

WHERE TO… HAVE A WALK 
“If you’ve not been to Montreal before, you have to check out the Old Port. There are many cafes and spots to eat. But my favourite place to walk around is Griffintown. It’s such a nice area. Atwater is also great – you can walk, run or bike along the water there, and it has a nice market. It’s got good energy.”

WHERE TO…GET BRUNCH 
“I love Arthur’s for brunch. People in Montreal love to wait in line for special places, and I’ve never gone to Arthur’s without waiting in line. I order the pancakes, they are super good, and the chicken sandwich is also great. I like that the menu isn’t too big, I don’t get overstimulated.” 
Arthur’s, 4621 Notre-Dame St W.

WHERE TO… DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
“There’s a place called OASIS Immersion downtown which is really interesting. It changes all the time, but they put on shows, you are walking through lots of different lights and sounds, it is very cool. There are lots of great museums in Montreal though, and a lot of them are free entry.”
301 Rue Saint-Antoine O.

WHERE TO… EAT OUT 
“There are so many options. I love Korean food, especially Bar Ganadara, I’d have fried chicken and Tteokbokki. I like the Italian at Moretti’s and then the classic Joe Beef is a big staple in Montreal. And eat poutine. It’s bigger in Montreal than pretty much anywhere. You have to try, even if cheese, fries and gravy doesn’t sound so appealing.”
Bar Ganadara, 1900 Saint-Catherine St W, Moretti’s 1059 Wellington St.

Come see Courtney Sarault in action this weekend, October 18–19, at the Maurice Richard Arena for Stop #2 of the ISU Short Track World Tour. Experience the speed, the energy, and the excitement as the world’s best short track skaters race for Olympic qualification right here in Montreal.