Some people prefer their sushi hand-rolled. We like ours a little bit twisted.

Our heads were spinning after tasting Noa’s unconventional sushi-fusion, including the savoury Big Mak (modeled after its fast food namesake) with beef, mustard, tomatoes and a slice of cheese ($13). We adored the 5 Stars roll, served freshly fried with fish tartare ($12) and sushi pizza on a crispy crust topped with mozzarella ($15). Sipping gingery Saketinis ($12) on the South Beach-style terrace, we concluded we were never that keen on sticking with tradition to begin with.

That’s just how we roll.

Noa Sushi, 3509 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, 514-903-4439, www.noasushi.com

With peaches so plump and juicy this time of year we’re blending them into a summer cocktail.  This recipe for Cuban-style Peach Mojitos is peachy keen:

Ingredients
1 lime
1 Ontario peach, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup peach juice
3 oz white rum
2 cups ice, crushed
10 mint leaves
1/4 cup carbonated soda

Method
Squeeze juice from the lime into blender.
Add peach slices, sugar, juice and rum; blend until smooth.
Add crushed ice and pulse until combined. Pulse in mint leaves.
Pour into 2 chilled glasses. Add a splash of soda and garnish with peach slices and mint leaves.

Makes 2 servings.

Location is everything and it doesn’t get better than Carlos Ferreira’s latest upstart F Bar.

Views of the Place des Festivals fountain mean you can take in a show on the Quartier while savouring Portuguese-accented plates like Algarvia salad with calamari ($13) or savoury cocottes served in stainless steel pots. We supped on cod with fennel and laurel potato confit ($18) and Algarve salt flower shortbread with frozen goat yogurt ($10).

No need to commit to a meal—we saw pretty people propped at the bar sipping Douro whites and munching on Chouriços ($8). Before leaving, Carlos himself stopped by for a two-cheek kiss and news that the terrace will stay open year-round for drinks and Petiscos.

We love an endless summer.

1485 Jeanne-Mance Street, Montreal, 514-289-4558, www.fbar.ca

Now that Le Petit Italien has launched weekend Dim Sum brunch, our mornings start with a rousing round of dumplings.  

Inspired by giant hotel buffets in Hong Kong, owner Alain Starosta has created a primo menu of 15 tapas-style dishes, from savoury to sweet. We cleaned our palate with Rice Crispy covered melon drizzled in lime and olive syrup (from $3), then dug into Italian beans drenched in tomatoes, pancetta and maple syrup ($2.75) and house dumplings with sausage and white balsamic ($4/3).  Don’t miss the waffle with strawberry mousse and pistachio nuts ($3.25)—two will do.

Chopsticks before noon?  We’re pros after a morning Mimosa.

1265 Bernard Street W., Outremont, 514-278-0888, www.lepetititalien.com

Who says you can’t find the meaning of life in a cookie?

Inside Kukkii Wisdom Cookies ($5.99/10) you’ll discover inspirational quotes from soulful types like the Dalai Lama, John Lennon and Isabel Allende.  Better still, each dairy-free biscuit is made in Frelighsburg from certified organic ingredients like stone ground pastry flour, egg white, citrus fruit extract and sunflower oil. The Lemon-Lavender bickies promises to raise your yin while tangy Orange-Spice brings out a bit of yang.

We feel wiser already.

At Avril Supermarché Santé, 1185 Chemin du Tremblay, Longueuil, 450-448-5515 and 132 Principale St., Granby, 450-375-6446, www.avril.ca

Opened by former Le Pistou staffers, Lustucru bistro is the latest foodie stop on the Parc Avenue strip.

We love the open kitchen where you can watch chef Iannick Lessard prepares plates of tartar and charcuterie using ingredients from local agro producers. Choose a few appies (from $4) like beef tartar with lemon confit or horsemeat tataki with peach salsa before moving into delectable deli spreads (from $5) of black pudding with rhubarb chutney and rabbit rillettes with pistachio. 

Throw in '70s-style leather banquettes and a bottle of French Syrah and even the staunchest of vegetarians might start rethinking things.

5159 Parc Ave., Montreal, 514-439-6701, www.bistrolustucru.com

Frisbee, swimming or volleyball? None of the above, thanks. Our summer pastime du choix is people watching.

Westmount’s Wellhouse bistro is our new playing field for pretty people and good grub. Throw on some lip gloss, plant yourself under a patio umbrella and order spicy breaded calamari ($8) or hearty wild mushroom fettuccine ($16). Wash it down with a pint of locally brewed Bierbrier ($7) or a glass of St-Emilion Grand Cru from the restaurant’s Enomatic wine dispenser and that cutie on the corner will go from Z. Galifianakis to Z. Efron in the bat of an eyelash.

Score.

Wellhouse, 4858 Sherbrooke Street W., Westmount, 514-482-2167, www.wellhouse.ca

Le Maître Chocolatier’s Nada Fares compares her creations to a “little black Chanel dress.”

So luxe are her dark chocolates that Bombardier stocks them on its private jets. Handmade from premier cru cacao they come in scrumptious flavors ($2.25 each) like white chocolate with real organic lemon, caramel with fleur de sel (based on a recipe from grandmama) and ‘Mon Petit Quebecoise,' a blend of peanuts, praline and Maldon Sea Salt. Upstairs you’ll find a cozy salon where Hotel St-James sends guests for high tea served in bone china with freshly baked scones and mini-macarons ($32 per person). 

Classy and classic, just like la robe.

Le Maître Chocolatier, 1612 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, 514-544-9475, www.lemaitrechocolatier.ca

Chef Normand Laprise’s Brasserie T! is not only fab food but pure design genius.

Set in a simple rectangular box in the new Quartier des Spectacles, the skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows cast pretty glows on all who enter. The menu is simpler than Laprise’s Toqué! but no less yummy. We started with fried cheese ($4) followed by perfectly salty La Quercia cured ham ($12) (made by Ohio Amish) and rich Coquille St. Jacques ($20). There’s no liquor license yet so sweeten your tooth with a Big Band mocktail ($8) made with pineapple, vanilla and coconut. And come winter, the outdoor terrace will be turned into a mini skating rink.

Now that’s thinking outside the box.

1425 Jeanne-Mance St., Montreal, 514-282-0808, www.brasserie-t.com

We scoured our cities (all in the name of research, of course) for divine wines. Uncork these fantastic summer sippers just in time for patio season.

Sarah Bancroft, Editor-in-chief
If you love aromatic whites like I do, make it your Mission to score the very first Viognier released by Mission Hill Family Estate (only 1,000 cases were produced). With a gorgeous scent of orange blossom and a peachy palate, it's like summer in a bottle. $18.99 at www.missionhillwinery.com

Joy Pecknold, Vancouver editor
On behest of a server at The Corner Suite I tried Domaine Uby’s Colombard-Ugni Blanc, a refreshing, citrusy French white and was wildly surprised by both the taste and the price tag. $11.99 at www.bcliquorstores.com

Malwina Gudowska, Calgary editor
Cannonball’s label reminds us of spending summers at the lake and catapulting off the dock into the cold water. The Cabernet Sauvignon’s big, bold taste is also perfectly paired with anything from the grill. $29 at Bin 905 Wine and Spirits, 2311 Fourth St. SW, Calgary, 403-261-1600, www.bin905.com

Marianne Wisenthal, Montreal editor (English edition)
Produced at Tawse’s organic gravity-flow winery, Robyn’s Block Chardonnay 2006 will have us chirping for joy all season long. $47.25 at SAQ Signature, 677 Ste-Catherine W., Montreal, 514-282-9445, www.saq.com

Elsa Vecchi, Montreal editor (French edition)
We can’t miss this white from South Africa: Viognier Rustenberg Brampton Coastal Region 2007. Its delicate peach and orange peel scents are perfect with grilled veggies with ginger, fish brochettes on the grill or with a shrimp sauté. Cheers to summer pleasures. $17.50 at www.saq.com

Julie Whelan, Toronto guest editor
Still hooked on Pinot Gris? Our latest fave is from Bodega J&F Lurton. It’s a lovely, dangerously easy-drinking white that tastes like a fortune but rings in at a bargain. $10.95 at www.lcbo.com