Léché Desserts: A Bit of Gourmet Donut Heaven

Best to arrive early. These disappear quickly!

A couple of weeks ago a couple of friends and I checked out Léché Desserts as a MEETIn event. This is not your ordinary donut shop. Since it opened, the Montreal food scene has been buzzing about the tasty creations from internationally trained pastry chef Josie Weitzenbauer. We couldn't wait to try them!

Still recovering from all the sweets at Christmas, I first wanted to try something on the lighter side. I chose the lime coconut donut, which was exactly right. The cake was light and not too sweet while the lime, coconut and sugar coating was nicely balanced.

Lime Coconut

My friends got a box of six, so they could sample a wider variety. Since one friend is a vegetarian, she cannot eat marshmallows, so I got to try her sample of the Mexican hot chocolate donut (not photographed). The chocolate glaze had a good kick of cayenne, which was tempered at bit by the marshmallow.

Of course, I cannot go to a gourmet donut shop without bringing something home for the hubby. For that night's dessert, I picked up a mulled wine and orange sugar and a pistachio cream. Of the two, I preferred the mulled wine and orange sugar. The filling was warmly spiced, just like mulled wine, which was balanced by the orange and sugar coating. The pistachio cream is for pistachio lovers. The top is covered with a crunchy layer of nuts while the inside is filled with a rich pistachio cream.

Pistachio Cream (left) and Mulled Wine with Orange Sugar (right)

The shop itself is also charming. While most of the customers that day took their treats with them, there are a few tables and a side bar where you can sit and enjoy your food and a coffee. If you are in the St. Henri neighbourhood or near their Old Port location, I highly recommend stopping by.

Donut creation in progress!

Léché Desserts

640 Rue De Courcelle Montreal, QC.

Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm

Saturday to Sunday: 9am to 3pm

Phone: (514) 903-2301

In Search Of Montreal's Best Lemonade

When you are thirsty on a hot summer day, ice cold, slightly sweetened lemonade is a great way to refresh yourself. Inspired by a Nightlife.ca article on the Top 5 Best Lemonades in Montreal, I set up a MEETin event "In Search of the Best Lemonade" to sample three of the five lemonades featured in the article and decide for ourselves. 

First on our list was the classic lemonade at La Petite Cuillère on St Denis, across from Square St. Louis. A quiet, eclectic cafe, they offered three different kinds of lemonade, along with tempting cakes and snacks. Deciding that there was only one fair way to compare, we all ordered the classic lemonade and grabbed a spot on the terrasse. Served in frosty mason jars, our drinks were tart, lemony and topped with frothy slush. While everyone appreciated the distinct lemon flavor, most of the group started looking around for sugar after their first sips. 

Next was D'Liche, winner of last year's "In Search of the Best Cupcakes" event. This also turned out to be a snack stop for most of us, since we had to try their version of the cronut and some had to verify that D'Liche still had the best cupcakes. We almost forgot that we were there to try the lemonade! The lemonade was slightly less lemony than the first one, but everyone appreciated that it was just the right sweetness. It was a nice balance to the rich cronut and paired nicely with a lime mini cupcake.

Stuffed with our delicious treats and two glasses of lemonade, we were happy to walk over to St. Laurent for the final place on our list. Laïka is part cafe, part bar, part hangout. When we sat down, we were surprised that lemonade was not on their menu. We showed the server a printout of the Nightlife.ca article. She verified that it was all true... and recommended we try the house iced tea as well. Half the group ordered lemonade and half ordered iced tea. While the lemonade was fresh, it was the least lemony of the three. Since we could barely taste the lemon, sweetness was not an issue. The iced tea was the better pick. Made with properly steeped tea, we could taste a hint of lemon and mint and it was sweetened just enough. 


In the end, we decided D'Liche had the best classic lemonade of the three places we tried. If you like your lemonade really tart or want to customize the sweetness, I would also recommend La Petite Cuillère. Order the iced tea at Laïka. 

There may be another contender in the near future. While walking along Duluth, one member of our group stopped in at Blüming Gateaux and discovered that they also have interesting house-made lemonades. We may have to repeat the event before the summer is over.

In Search of the Best Cupcakes

I happen to live near two cupcake shops, one of which I walk by practically every day and the other happens to also sell their treats at the Jean Coutu near my work.  The one I walk by has proven to be much more of a temptation - I stop by about once a month and pick up a little reward after delivering a project milestone at work.  Still, I wondered how the two shops compared. So, for my birthday, I set up an "In Search of the Best Cupcake" Event on MEETin and a few of my MEETin friends helped me find out!

Our first stop was D Liche Cupcakes on St. Denis.  Co-owner Robert greeted us warmly and graciously gave us the run-down on the source of the deliciousness.  Their cupcakes are made with 90% organic ingredients and contain no bad stuff like Crisco.  The result is a moist, rich cake that is not too sweet.  We each bought two minis of different flavours.  I chose the chocolate raspberry almond (above, on the left) and the chili chocolate (above, on the right).  When I peeled the wrapper off the first, I licked off the cake left behind.  I couldn't help myself!  I love the chili and chocolate combination and this cupcake did not disappoint!  The first bite was rich dark chocolate with a little bit of spice in the after taste.  The second bite had the chili kick!  Sneaky spice... love it!  The chocolate raspberry almond is like a mini black forest cake, but with raspberry.  A friend had a vanilla cupcake that tasted like a little bit of vanilla heaven.  With very happy taste buds, we set off to the second shop.

The next stop was Petits Gateaux on Mont Royal.  As soon as we walked into the shop, it was a completely different experience.  Unlike D Liche, the show cases seemed quite bare.  Being Grand Prix weekend, the street fair on Mont Royal likely kept the shop very busy that day.  As we selected our treats, we realized the cupcakes did not look as enticing.  To do an honest head-to-head comparison, I selected two minis: Chocolate Passionfruit (above, on the left) and Irish Coffee (above, on the right).  As soon as I peeled off the wrapper, I knew the competition was over.  There was nothing on the wrapper even to tempt me to lick it.  Both cupcakes were disappointing.  They were dry, too sweet and  the flavours were non-specific.  I could barely taste the passionfruit, but it was not masked by the chocolate.  The irish coffee had a hint of mocha, but there was nothing particularly Irish about it.  One friend complained about the presentation - it had looked like someone had started to peel off the wrapper, changed their mind and returned the cupcake.  It wasn't the case, but the wrapper coming off of the cupcake is a clear signal that the cake is too dry.  We couldn't even bring ourselves to discuss the cupcakes in the shop - the girls behind the counter looked like their day was tough enough.

So, the clear winner of the best cupcakes in the Plateau is D Liche Cupcakes on St. Denis.  The picture above is only a small section of their tempting showcase.  Robert and Ken will graciously tempt you with their flavours-of-the-week. If you have never tried their cupcakes, I recommend getting a box of six different minis so you can decide what flavours will be your favorite!

2008 Reviews

Considering the perpetual "In Search of the Best" series of dinners, what better way to summarize 2008 than to review the most memorable Montreal restaurant experiences? We've been to so many places that it would take me a week to review them all. I'm also writing this blog without all the business cards I've collected to remember where I've been. So this review is not comprehensive. I've included links for more details on the restaurants I've mentioned.

I'll start with one of my favourite types of food - Greek. For simple, high quality Greek, and best value for the money, Marven's is the winner. The restaurant is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood and blends in with the homes, but it's a Montreal institution that everyone knows about. Go early to avoid a long wait in line and go hungry. The portion are huge! For $13 I had enough calamari to feed me three times. Literally. It reheated wonderfully in the toaster oven, staying tender and crisp. If you're looking for a Greek place with a bit more atmosphere, then I recommend Ouzeri, which is conveniently around the corner from my place. The dishes are served family style, so an order of meat, a vegetable and one of potatoes easily feeds two to three people. On theatre nights it's packed, but service is good so you may still be able to get a table for two or sit at the bar. For a lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous experience, then Trinity is the restaurant for that. Seriously, dress up in your "want to be seen" clothes and be prepared for a significant bill at the end of the meal, especially if you go in a group and order family style. I left with my stomach very full and my wallet empty. The food is very good and the atmosphere is vibrant, but I have spent less on better meals.

One such place was Alep - a Syrian restaurant with great atmosphere and fantastic food. Our group was served family style in two rounds. The first was a variety of salads and appetizers which alone were a meal in themselves. The second round were the main meat dishes. The food could best be described as spicy Mediterranean where classics such as hummus and babaganoush are kicked up a notch.

Moving further east in the culinary world, Khyber Pass Afghan restaurant was another unique experience. The group was directed to a basement restaurant, which was made up to look like a cave. The food was still Mediterranean, but with some influences from India, such as the three different versions of basmati rice served with the meat dishes. It was also my first bring-your-own wine experience. I must say that the BYOW concept is brilliant. Aside from being more budget-friendly, there is nothing better than sharing a favourite wine along with good food and interesting conversation with new or old friends.

Other great BYOW places we enjoyed were Nantha's Kitchen/Cash and Curry, a Malaysian restaurant we enjoyed on Formula 1 weekend, Il Piatto Pieno Trattoria, an authentic Italian Trattoria in Little Italy, and Le Piton de la Fournaise, a small African Reunionaise place in the Plateau. All the places were great experiences, but I really loved the last place. We were served by the owner, who was fantastic. I had an unusual shark curry, but most memorable was the chocolate cake, which pretty much ends the debate about whether chocolate is the best experience in the world. We're still talking about that dessert months later. A repeat event was planned for Valentine's Day, but, alas, the restaurant is only booking couples that night.

One more BYOW place I want to note is Apres le Jour where we held our "year end" (it was September) staff party. The $35 fixed-price group menu was wonderful - fine dining without the fine dining price - and accomodating to our vegetarians. The staff handled a large group beautifully. Service was always prompt, which is impressive for a group of almost forty people.

Considering it's a wine bar, Pop! was most memorable for it's unique menu. We spent quite a bit of time pondering what "candy cap mushroom milk foam" meant on the dessert menu, even switching between French and English to see if it was a translation problem. As best as we can tell, there was a comma missing between mushroom and milk, but there was so much going on in that dish that it was hard to tell if it involved mushrooms. For dinner, most of us had various Flammekuechen, the traditional recipe of which I think I've managed to duplicate at home.

I would love to return to Bistro le Porto for the overall experience. The menu is authentic Portugese, the Port list is astonishing, and the atmosphere encourages a long, leisurely dinner. If you wish, the meal starts with Port and ends with Port. I had grilled sardines, which are significantly larger than what we're used to. While it was delicious, it was tedious to eat since the bones are not pleasant to eat or eat around.

As we got into winter, our appetites turned more toward warm comfort food. La Toulousaine near Atwater market specializes in Cassoulet - French comfort food. Be sure you're really hungry when you order it - the beans, duck and sausage are rich and very filling. If you feel like you want a mini Jamaican vacation but can't afford to travel, I recommend Mango Bay Tropical drinks, Jerk chicken with peas and rice, sweet potato pudding in a small, brightly painted restaurant with island music will transport you far away from the ice and snow, even if only for a short while.
We're also doing a tour of local tea shops. So far, we've had afternoon team at Une grenouille dans la théière in Rosemont and high tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches, at Gryphon D'Or in NDG. Both were good, but so far I preferred the first.

Finally, I need to bid a fond farewell to the old Old Dublin. It's the oldest Irish pub in Montreal, which moved around the corner from it's original location in the Fall. I haven't visited the new location yet, but the old one has fond memories. It was my first experience there that convinced me to move to Montreal. I hope they've maintained the same old pub atmosphere in the new location.
Here's to 2009 and more memorable adventures in Montreal!

Whoosh! Part 2 - So much merriment

I wanted the title to be "Eat, Drink and Be Merry", but it would have made the link too long. As the title suggests, April and May continued to have a lot of culinary and related events.

One MeetIn member is a pastry chef and he holds pastry tasting events every couple of months. I was finally able to attend one in early April. For a nominal charge, we sampled artisan tarts, mousses, cakes, chocolates and truffles on a Friday evening. Loaded up on sugar, we then headed out to Les Deux Pierrots for some merriment. It was described to me as a traditional Old Montreal hangout. The crowd spanned all ages, all there to have some drinks, listen to the live music and, if the music is good, dance. For those of you with some Kingston context, it's kind of like the Wellington (circa mid-90's) mixed with Clark Hall Pub on two floors. The music covered traditional Quebecois music (which is very similar to traditional Irish, Celtic, Newfie, etc. music) to rock covers spanning the 60's to this decade. We were the group of 30-somethings dancing off to the side while the students crowded the stage. I had so much fun that I went back with my Vancouver visitor over the May long weekend.

The "In Search of the Best..." theme dinners continued. They fill so quickly that I often wasn't able to RSVP in time. Still, my culinary adventures included Japanese shabu-shabu (fondue), traditional Mexican (think: mole rather than fajitas), Tibetan, a very unique wine bar (every hear of candy cap mushroom milk foam in a dessert?) , couscous, and Greek. Outside of the official MeetIn theme dinners, I also experienced a more traditional fondue place and a couple of terrasses in Old Montreal, an Irish pub, a fine Italian restaurant, and an all night Chinese food place after one pub night. Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, I'm not sure about the last experience. Next time I'll stick with poutine. I've started collecting business cards from all the restaurants and will keep a scrapbook, just so I remember where I've been.

As much fun as the restaurants have been, I wanted some more culture in my life. In April, I attended "Shakespeare Unplugged" at the Atwater library. The two-person play expertly wove together scenes and lines from a variety of Shakespeare's best known plays. I was surprised at how many I recognized.

The first Friday in May, I hosted my first MeetIn event to attend a concert/cocktail party at the contemporary art museum. That was a unique experience. For the price of admission to the museum ($8), we could sip yummy cocktails from the cash bar, enjoy the museum (which we didn't manage to do) and attend an hour-long concert in the performance hall. The museum holds the Vendredi Nocturnes every month and it's so popular that they don't announce the name of the band until the day of. We saw Bob, a dark, eclectic local band which included "go-go boys" (read: performance art) in their act. The band was excellent, though not exactly my thing. A picture of a "go-go boy" and a toy reminding me of a Replicator from Stargate SG-1 is below:A little more of a traditional cultural event, a friend from MeetIn and I went to see Neil Simon's The Odd Couple at a small theatre. The acting was fantastic and the intimacy of the theatre put G and I in the "splash zone" of flying beer spray and chips as Oscar was demonstrating his typical hosting style.

Working for a company that builds games for licensed movie franchises has its benefits. Our social club sponsored two movie nights to see Iron Man and Indiana Jones. Both movies were great fun. We'll be going to one more movie in June.

Since moving to Montreal, I've been watching Sex and the City reruns on TV. May was capped off with a girl's night out to the Sex and the City movie last night. I'm pretty sure every woman in Montreal was at the movie theatre last night. The movie was great, which we discussed over cosmos (what else?) and martinis at Jello Bar. Once again, I wish I had had my camera. The lava lamps were mesmerizing. Ah... more for my cell phone photo gallery.

Stay tuned for Whoosh! Part 3...

In Search of the Best...

A couple of foodies from MeetIn launched a series of theme dinners called "In Search of the Best..." and fill in the country. I thought it was a good way to summarize my non-bureaucratic adventures in March. (This might be a good time to note that I still haven't received my Quebec health card.)

The first theme dinner was Afghan food at Khyber Pass on the Plateau, near where I bought my condo. The best way to describe the food is Mediterranean with a taste of India - spicy, flavourful food, no curry, not hot. I had lamb braised in a tomato sauce with three kinds of basmati rice. It was also my first experience with a BYOW (bring your own wine) restaurant. Everyone but the hosts brought wine and everyone shared. We also wound up having a great conversation about wines of the world. The other cool thing about Khyber Pass was the atmosphere. At first I was a bit worried when I entered the restaurant and then told to go outside and two doors to my left. Group parties were in the basement, which was made up to look like a cave. It was wonderful and unique. It was a warm, snowy night, so I decided to walk home and explore a bit of the neighbourhood. I am so glad I bought on the Plateau. There were all sorts of interesting stores, restaurants and theatres. Even though it was snowing, there were a lot of people out on the street, spending the night on the town.

The next week was an evening at the House of Jazz. It's a Montreal must-see. For a $5 cover charge you get an excellent live jazz performance with dinner. The food is one step up from Swiss Chalet, but you really go to the House of Jazz for the music and the atmosphere. We had a perfect view of the stage and the spectacular chandelier featured on their business cards and marketing material. I can recommend the experience. If I ever go by myself, I'll probably just sit at the bar.

Easter Weekend had several adventures. Friends from Toronto came to visit... bearing goodies from their stop over at the Big Apple. For those of you who travelled the 401 between TO and Kingston, you know the landmark. Well, we had no shortage of apple pies, apple cheesecake, apple teas and apple jelly for the weekend. Good Friday we went to Atwater Market where we emptied our wallets on all sorts of treats. That evening we met up with a couple of MeetIn friends at l'Entrecôte Saint Jean, considered a Montreal institution. They only serve one thing - steak-frites (steak and french fries) - and they do it very well. Afterward, we walked to the Planetarium to catch the show "The Milky Way: Our Galaxy". The next day was Dim Sum, again with a group from MeetIn, at Kam Fung in Chinatown. Dim Sum is always best done in groups since you get to sample a little bit of everything. We started off very hungry and wound up leaving very full. We certainly weren't hungry an hour later. I capped off the weekend by cooking a roast lamb feast in what I swear is the tiniest kitchen I have ever cooked.

Last weekend was Peruvian cuisine, at Villa Wellington, followed by tea at Cha Noir, in Verdun. Both places smelled wonderful as soon as you walked through the door. The conversation over dinner was lively and covered a variety of fairly intellectual topics, which carried over to the tea house. The monthly Meet-n-Greet the next night at Brutopia had a record 57 people turn out. I swear, we found 57 of the most interesting people in Montreal and brought them under one roof. We played a mingling game where we had to match interesting facts to the people. I chatted with someone who had tea with the Queen, someone else who had met three Prime Ministers, and someone else who had climbed a volcano in South America. That list barely scratches the surface.

Hmmm... after reading what I've just written, I should consider posting my reviews to Chowhound. The theme dinners continue out to the end of May and I'm pretty sure all the dinners in April are fully booked. It's going to be a yummy spring :) Oh, yeah, and I'm still losing weight, even with all these great dinners. I completely credit all the walking I've been doing since moving to Montreal.

Welcome 2008!

Goodbye 2007! Welcome 2008!

The friends I spent Christmas with arrived in Montreal Saturday night. It was cozy in my "cute" little "junior suite" so it was bit like having a 3-night sleep-over. We spent Sunday shopping, mostly at Atwater Market. If you're the least bit a foodie, you must visit Atwater. We bought fabulous tourtieres, cheese, pate, teas, strawberries that were actually red inside and croissants that are supposedly the best in the world. We even sampled ice cider -- similar to ice wine, but made from frozen apples. One friend got addicted to wild Madgascar black pepper and proceeded to add it to everything (tea, red wine, you name it!) all weekend. Going to the market will now become a weekend ritual for me. At some point, I'll have to try Jean Talon market and compare.

New Year's Eve was spent at Les Trois Minots bar on St. Laurent. We knew one of the bands - Schomberg Fair (pictured above). The bar is a tiny alternative music hang out, reminding me a bit of Clark Hall Pub but the floors were not as sticky. All the bands were young and ranged from punk to alternative to rock-a-billy. It was a cool way to welcome 2008.

My friends had to drive back to Toronto on New Year's Day in yet another snowstorm, unfortunately. I had tickets to the Salute to Vienna concert at Place des Arts. The best way to describe it is that it's a Viennese classical variety show -- a bit of symphony, a bit light opera, a bit of dancing. Of course, one of the encores was the Blue Danube waltz with the dancers waltzing. It was also a trilingual event, confirming that my German is definitely better than my French.

All in all, a delicious and musical way to start the new year.