Méchant Café

Méchant Café is a great little spot in Côte-des-Neiges. It is the only place is Montreal that servces fair trade coffee from Grumpy Roasters. The snacks looked great but I settled for a latte with J. The coffee art was beautiful. We sipped away while catching up and enjoying the atmosphere. The atmosphere at Méchant  is very calm and intimate. The staff was very welcoming, pleasant and efficient, and the location is ideal, right by the Côte-des-Neiges metro station. Overall, a nice and relaxing spot with good coffee.

Melk Bar à Café

I have been hearing a lot of buzz around Melk which recently opened a second location downtown so when I saw it on the Indie Coffee passport I was thrilled! Melk on Stanley is located right in the heart of downtown close to a number of different offices. It is relatively small and gets packed quickly with the rush of business people. 

Melk has a small selection of fresh baked goods and I was impressed by the variety of scones available including strawberry, peach, apple, cheese and more. I finally landed on the peach scone to go with my latte. My scone was really big and it was perfectly crunchy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside! Although they are known for their scones, it was their biscotti that won me over on my second visit to Melk! I loved my latte both times and plan on visiting again for an afternoon pick me up.

The branding, the menu and the atmosphere create a very charming spot that I would highly recommend.

Next up, I would love to visit the original location on Monkland in NDG.

Café Parvis

Café Parvis is a super cute café and restaurant. When I first walked in, I thought Parvis was mainly a restaurant, but there is also a lot of counter space at the bar which is perfect for coffee drinkers. I went for lunch with a few colleagues and we all ordered different kids of pizza and salads to share. I loved the home made pizzas, but the beet salad was my absolute favourite.

After we finished our lunch we all grabbed coffee to go. My latte - courtesy of my Indie Coffee Passport - was delicious! Perfectly balanced and added a well needed kick for the rest of the work day.

I loved the food, the homey feeling, and the green decor. There were plants hanging everywhere which added a lot of life to the restaurant. I will definitely come back here for lunch and coffee since it's close to my office! Thanks Parvis!

Incognito Masked Ball

A few friends and I went to a really fun fundraiser for the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation this past weekend! I love any excuse to get dressed up and it was so fun looking for masks to wear as well for the Masked Ball! Thanks to everyone who organized this event for such a great cause. Can't wait to attend next year as well!

Light the Night

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada holds an annual Light The Night walk at Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal and also nationwide. As a part of fundraising efforts, we have a beautiful walk at twilight, where every person holds illuminated lanterns high. We held red for supporters, white were hold by patients and survivors, and gold were held for those who lost loved ones.

The 2015 Light The Night Montreal Honoured Heroes include Jenifer, Danielle and Philip. Check out their inspirational stories at the links below:

http://lightthenight.ca/view-stories/#/stories/philip/
http://lightthenight.ca/view-stories/#/stories/danielle-2/
http://lightthenight.ca/view-stories/#/stories/jenifer/

I did the walk with a number of colleagues and felt absolutely moved at the number of people who have been affected by blood cancers. Fore more information on the event please visit the site here.

Le Baobab

I went to Le Baobab in Verdun this weekend with my friend J. I really liked this neighbourhood - it's close to downtown but far enough to escape the hectic hustle and bustle of the city. We loved our chai lattés and spent hours chatting away. If the weather was nicer we would've definitely spent our day on the terrace on the adorable colourful chairs.

Le Baobab serves a variety of coffees as well as pastries, gelato and sandwiches. It's family friendly, and also caters to students or working professionals. I definitely have to come back in the summer!

Favourite Fall Looks

It's officially Fall! The beautiful leaves are red and orange, and the air is so crisp in the morning when I walk to work. I adore everything about this season! 

I bought this tulip skirt below at Banana Factory in Philly and it's quickly become my favourite black skirt. I find the cut to be flattering even on a short person like me. 

White on white on beige with a touch of cheetah. Not sure if I really love this look now that I see the photo but it was comfy for the office so I can't complain.

I often forget how much a scarf can brighten up a look. This delicate floral scarf is from China Town and my mom has a similar one. Wearing all neutral tones was a bit dull but the scarf brought this outfit to life in my opinion.

My beige boyfriend blazer got a lot of wear this week! Thursdays are incredibly long days for me since I have class in the evening so every once in a while I try to wear something more casual for the entire day. I wore my Uggs to and from work but wore black heel booties at the office.

Casual Friday meant maroon leggings, a comfy grey tee and my trusted navy blazer with a long necklace.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed my outfits from this past week.

Cafe LaRue & Fils (Jarry)

Hi Everyone! Cafe Larue et Fils is the first cafe we tried on our ICP and officially kicks off this season's coffee adventures and cafe challenge! I say challenge since we bought our passports a little late in the season and are aiming to go to 29 different cafes in just four and a half months! Challenge accepted.

I loved how accessible this cafe is from the metro. Just stepes away from the Jarry station, Cafe Larue et Fils is a cozy little spot in Villeray. Charlotte and I managed to get a really good spot by the window where we could study without being distracted. We both ordered big lattés and sipped on them while burying our noses in our notes.

Casual Fall Looks

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Long Weekend with your family and friends! In the spirit of my favourite holiday (after Christmas of course), I decided to share with you my more comfy and casual fall looks!

I am obsessed with these lace up wedge booties! My boyfriend loves wearing desert boots (in all seasons) and I have finally found the feminine version of his favourite shoes!  These bad boys are super comfy and really easy to walk in as well.

A super cozy look below for a day full of studying at my local Starbucks.

I am trying to find ways to wear my white jeans throughout the fall and I love how this cozy cardigan ads some warmth for this season.

This is one of my favourite looks. Maroon fleece lined leggings with a cozy white sweater and cheetah scarf. The leggings were a gift to me and I am so in love with them. I wish I could wear them every single day.

The look below is another favourite of mine. We have jeans day every other Friday at the office but sometimes I feel like being formal still. I loved how the metallic belt and casual wedge booties contrasted the dress shirt and blazer combo on top.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Thankful Thursday

With fall in the air and Thanksgiving just around the corner I took some time to compile a list of a few things that I am thankful for. This list is not in any particular order, and could go on forever. I just wrote the first things that came to my mind. 

1. My People 

I know this is so cliche but I am so thankful for my parents, my boyfriend and my friends. They are all my peeps! They are always there for me and are so supportive. Even though I don't live in the same city as all of my peeps, I'm still so thankful for them and also thankful for my friends here in Montreal that take care of me!

2. Church

I have been a member of my church for my entire life and have met some incredible people over the past 23 years. They have seen me grow up and vice versa and I've made some life long friends. Now that I don't live in the same city, I've still met some pretty amazing people who make me feel at home in my adopted city.

3. Transportation

I am so thankful that I can easily see my family and loved ones who are not in the same city as me. Whether it's hopping on a train, plane, bus or renting a car I know that if I ever needed to get home or elsewhere I could easily do so.

4. My Job

I've been working for a little over a year now and I am so thankful that I'm constantly learning, and being challenged every single day. I have met some very special people over the past year who make it enjoyable to go into the office every day!

5. Health

I recently ran a 5K in the CIBC Run for the Cure and also will be participating in the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night event. Both made me thankful for my own health as well as my family's health.

I am also so thankful that I live in an amazing country that gets to experience 4 beautiful seasons every year! There is something so magical about Fall and I always find myself in a great mood! I hope you are inspired to think of a few things that you are thankful for. Thanks for reading!

Happy 3 Years!

Happy 3 year anniversary to me and my blog! Melissa B Social has really evolved especially over the past year. I am so happy that I am able to share all of my favourite things with you all.

Thank you all for being so supporting and for visiting my space. I can't wait to keep creating more posts for you to read!

CIBC Run for the Cure

Today I participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure for the second time with a few of my colleagues and what an amazing day it was! The atmosphere was amazing and although our team was small we sure were mighty!

October is breast cancer awareness month. Let's spread the word. Thanks to everyone who donated to me and my team already! If you are interested please visit my fundraising page here.

Hello October! Fall Fashion

Hello October! I am so excited to start wearing all of my cozy maroon and cheetah pieces! 

The scalloped blouse below is one of my favourites from Forever 21 last year! It is such a versatile piece that I can wear out to dinner, or to the office as well. I paired a new beige cardigan over it with my favourite cheetah flats. 

I bought the pants below from Banana in Philly over the labour day weekend. I have been looking for a pair of beige pants for a little while now and these ones are so comfy! They do stretch out easily though so I'll have to make sure to wash them often so they stay fitted.

The look below is one of my favourite "business casual" looks. I love layering a sweater of a dress shirt. It's so easy and effortless.

I have had the purple/blue plaid shirt below for a while and didn't wear it often since I thought I could only wear it over leggings. I love how the shirt added subtle accents under my grey cardigan. Another comfy and casual look for the office!

Pink and navy is my favourite colour combination. I found this super soft cardigan at Forever 21 and I absolutely love it. As you can tell, the weather is getting cooler so I love wearing my Uggs to and from the office. They keep me feet nice and warm.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for visiting! Have yourselves a great weekend everyone!