We graduated from Concordia a long, long time ago but we kept going back to our old stomping ground anytime we had a hankering for dumplings.

No longer: Perennial Concordia ghetto favourite Qing Hua has opened a second outpost, this time setting up shop in Chinatown. True to the original, the dumplings are highly addictive and the setting is frills-free.

Trust us: The steamed chicken curry ($9.99) and chicken coriander ($11.99) dumplings are well worth trekking out for in the cold! —Christine Laroche

Qing Hua, 1019 St-Laurent Blvd., Montreal, 514-903-9887

We’ve always loved Le Pois Penché for a quick stop on our downtown shopping jaunts, but the recently revamped menu and wine list has made the elegant eatery into a destination for a leisurely dinner or after-work drinks and bites.

We recently re-visited the restaurant to sample some new dishes highlighting locally-sourced organic ingredients. Far from the heavy brasserie fare of old, the expanded list of appetizers includes an incredible raw bar, a scrumptious salmon tartare with avocado and wasabi ($16) and a velvety smooth Cream of St. Jacques scallop soup with toasty almond crunch ($9). Don’t worry, if you’re true to traditional brasserie meals, you can still find a divinely rich foie gras with Quebec cider and caramelized apples ($24) and a satisfyingly savoury osso bucco milanaise atop a decadent risotto with parmesan and citrus zest ($29).

Now we’re stopping in whether or not we’re in the neighbourhood. —Jennifer Nacshen

Le Pois Penché, 1230 de Maisonneuve Blvd W., Montreal, 514-667-5050, www.lepoispenche.com

We’re all about mid-day multi-sensorial experiences, especially when our eyes and taste buds are involved.

We recently stopped in to Café Armatta in the Galerie Armatta, and perused paintings by artist James Playford while polishing off a healthy, tasty lunch. We chose the tangy Tofu Parmigiana sandwich, filled with lightly breaded tofu, flavourful marinara sauce and oozing with warm cheddar and gruyere cheese ($6.93) from the mostly vegetarian menu (don’t worry, carnivores, there will be a few more meaty options in the months to come), and washed it down with an icy, blended "Mango Classi", made with mango purée and coconut milk ($3.95). With no room for the spiced chocolate tartelette ($3.51) in our overstuffed bellies, we promised to come back for more.

We’ve always been patrons of the arts (and the sandwiches). —Jennifer Nachshen

Armatta, 3255 Rue St-Jacques, Montreal, 514- 660-2420, www.armatta.ca

We’ve come a long way from the days of being barred from bars on account of our ladybits. Luckily bars have come a long way, too.

Newly opened Old Montreal eatery, Taverne Gaspar, sports a saucy subtitle “Bienvenue aux Dames,” along with the original stone supporting walls of the old potato distribution site overlooking the Old Port. But that’s all the history you’ll get at the newly renovated space, with modern fare mixing British gastro pubs with French flair. We started with a refreshing Moscow Mule that finished with a hot ginger kick, along with a trio of flaky meat pies, including beef and blue cheese, Tourtière and chicken pot pie ($9) before moving on to a satisfyingly earthy asparagus and mushroom salad with truffle vinaigrette ($10). If you love fried chicken, the juicy and well-seasoned crispy legs and breasts served alongside a buttermilk biscuit, fries and coleslaw ($19) will more than satisfy. Finish with a densely delicious pecan pie, and you’ll agree...

Women are more than just welcome here. They’re treated like queens. —Jennifer Nachshen

Taverne Gaspar, 89 Rue de la Commune E., Montreal, 514-392-1649, www.tavernegaspar.com

We tend to think of crêpes as a brunch basic, but Spanel Crêperie serves up the sweet and savoury French staple all hours of the day.

Folded like fans, the savoury buckwheat crêpes are stuffed with tasty ingredients, like the immensely satisfying Griffin T ($12), with ham, strong cheddar cheese and sweet caramelized apples. Daily specials reflect the whims of Brittany-born owner and chef Yann Bris, and we lucked out with a asparagus and prosciutto combination, drenched in delicious mornay sauce. Dishes are served with a side of fruit, so you could skip dessert. But you won’t want to when you see the Chococao ($6), a sweet crêpe exploding with fresh whipped cream and smothered in chocolate sauce and bananas.

Crépes. They’re what’s for dinner. And brunch. And lunch. And dessert. Also a snack. —Jennifer Nachshen

Spanel Crêperie, 1960 Notre Dame West, Montreal, 514-507-5017, www.spanel.ca

We’ve watched St.Henri experience a recent regeneration, and now neighbouring Griffintown is getting its own makeover, with a restaurant takeover featuring a talented team of restaurateurs who transformed an old, unloved chicken grill into the hottest dish in town.

Nora Gray, is changing the face of rue St.Jacques, serving market-fresh southern Italian cuisine to a lively late-night crowd (come early if you want a quiet meal!). We happily joined in the party with a mouth-watering primi of tender calamari and tasty meatballs ($11), followed by an indulgent pasta course, sharing half portions of the creamy and rich wild mushroom Cavatelli ($11) and deliciously textured crispy sweetbread ravioli ($15). We’d already heard raves about the white fish, cooked to crispy/flaky perfection on the charcoal grill salvaged from the space’s previous owners and destined to become our must-have meal. On the day we dined the daily special featured fresh, never-frozen marinated tuna served atop lentils. Delish!

Welcome to the restaurant renaissance! —Jennifer Nachshen

Nora Gray, 1391, rue St Jacques, Montreal, 514-419-6672, www.noragray.com

We love restaurants that serve market-fresh cuisine, but sometimes it’s nice to have an idea of what to expect.

With an ever-changing chalkboard menu, one thing that doesn’t change is Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vin’s commitment to cured meats. Start with the large charcuterie plate ($15) filled with flavourful house-cured sausage, velvety pâtés and tasty terrines, served with a tangy mustard and pickles. What follows may change from week to week, but if it’s on the menu we strongly recommend the flaky halibut with cucumbers, feta, dill and crispy tempura onions ($16; you’ll never look at onion rings the same way again) and the luscious lobster tart with confit tomatoes, crème fraiche and arugula ($19).

Expectations? Exceeded. —Jennifer Nachshen

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins , 4807 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, 514-844-8467, www.comptoircharcuteriesetvins.ca

The real Biarritz is luxurious seaside town in France at the border of Spain. Following the theme, new restaurant Biarritz offers market fresh cuisine with French influences and a Spanish tapas flair.

Seating at the sleek new resto is communal, with a menu made for sharing, listing small, medium and large plates designed to divvy up the delicious fare. We got our fingers lickably messy with a starter of summer fresh peas grilled right in the pod ($4), followed by four medium plates, including a luscious beef tartar with a spicy kick served alongside crispy homemade chips ($10), a rich gnocchi with fava beans and morels ($12), crispy (but not deep fried!) sweetbreads with morels and peas ($14) and a bright ratatouille topped with a fried egg ($9). Almost too full for dessert, we forged ahead, finishing the meal with a dark and delicious chocolate banana cake topped with vanilla bean ice cream.

We may not have been in France or Spain, but we felt very European nonetheless.  —Jennifer Nachshen

Biarritz, 4801 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, 514-281-2000, www.restobiarritz.com

Chuck Hughes may be all over the place these days, from his hit Food Network TV show Chuck’s Day Off and his recent Iron Chef win, to teaching Kathie Lee and Hoda how to make poutine on The Today Show.

But his new restaurant, Le Bremner, isn’t all that easy to find. With no website and a sign stating simply “Restaurant” outside the door, we had to turn to our foodie friends on Twitter to get the goods. Luckily, you won’t have to work as hard to reserve a spot at the cozy restaurant which serves up some of Chuck’s best, including nirvana-on-a-plate raw striped bass with pickled radish, mint and pistachio ($15).

Specializing in seafood, raw and cooked, Le Bremner also offers hearty lamb and chorizo meatballs ($17) as well as bread and cheese plates that will sway even the most lactose-intolerant. There’s no cocktail list, just savvy waitstaff who can choose your drink (mixed with house-made syrups) based on the flavours you like best. We listed ginger, grapefruit and cilantro and ended up with a deliciously fresh and slightly spicy vodka, sake, ginger and grapefruit cocktail.

Finders keepers. —Jennifer Nachshen

Le Bremner, 361 St. Paul E., Montreal, 514-544-0446.

Hotel dining can be wonderful when you’re on vacation, but when travel is an inherent part of your job, the never-ending line-up of fattening steaks, pastas and club sandwiches can really start to weigh you down.

Select Sofitel hotels (including Montreal Golden Mile, Washington D.C. Lafayette Square, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago Water Tower) have recently launched a new low-calorie gastronomy program to provide travellers with fine dining options to feed the soul without busting the scale. We sampled a 500-calorie De-light menu at the Sofitel Montreal and didn’t feel the least bit deprived. We loved the artichoke salad with tender shrimp on a sweet carrot purée ($15), and found our perfectly cooked roasted beef filet ($28) served with crisp, cooked veggies to be just the right amount of indulgence.

But it was the delectably light panna cotta with red fruit that left us in pure diet delight.

Bring your passport, but feel free to leave your will power at home.

De-light menu varies seasonally and among Sofitel properties, www.sofitel.com —JN