Montreal is a very diverse city (every corner is different than the other).
If you want to see some "french exotic" aspects without going too far, you might want to go to the corner of "Saint-Denis" and "Ontario" (short taxi ride from old port) and move around. Lots of pubs, live shows, restaurants of all kinds and although French at 70%, all bilingual.
In the old port, Saint-Paul street is beautiful and offers things for every taste.
Downtown, you can go underground. Montreal has the largest series of underground malls on the planet. You literally spend an entire day moving around shops and restaurants. Yes, we do need places to hide during winter!
If you have anything more specific, let me know.
