On my last morning in Montreal, my body needed fuel. Fuel in the form of croissants and coffee.
My host directed my friends and I to this bakery between her apartment and our destination downtown.
I expected a small bakery, but this place has it all: a deli counter, coolers full of cheese, bakery and dessert cases, fresh breads, and coffee and espresso offerings.
Montreal, you have so much of this. Can we import just one of your stores? I promise to take care of it.
We ordered plentifully: two chocolate croissants, two almond croissants, what we thought was a blueberry croissant (those were actually chocolate chips), a latte, and a mocha. The line was long and a bit slow, but it's because the staff was taking good care of each customer and their orders.
I started with half of a chocolate croissant - perfect! A thin layer of dark, rich chocolate inside an airy but firm exterior. Then on to the almond. I thought it would just be almond flavored, or maybe it only contained the almond slivers sprinkled atop the croissant, but no, it also had an almond filling. Similar to marzipan, but not so dense or rich. It was still light overall. I savored this.
The mocha was the best I'd had since my last visit to Portland several years ago. I could tell it would be good when she pulled out the clear container of cocoa powder, which was a lovely deep brown color. That, paired with a high-quality shot of espresso, was just the fuel I needed to begin my Sunday. read more