Levantine brunches in Montreal have come a long way since the days we only had Garage Beirut as an option. Over the last half decade, a handful of restaurants have joined the fray, specializing in this specific brand of Lebanese/Syrian daytime grub.
From Le Professeur and Beit Jeddi a few years ago to Ô Four and Safy Falafel more recently, the city's Middle Eastern diaspora can now get its fill of fatteh, ful and other brunch staples. The latest entry in this space comes under the name of Leymoun (Arabic for lemon), which opened its doors last fall on a dreary stretch of Nouveau-Bordeaux, the unofficial neighborhood sandwiched between Ahuntsic and Cartierville.
tagged: BRUNCH
The small Rue Dudemaine locale sports a nondescript interior all-clad in white and off-white surfaces. The only touches of color come from miniature tabletop artificial lemon trees, which are very on brand.
The first wave of clients on site were – surprisingly – high-schoolers; I did not picture teenagers to be fans of Syrian foodstuffs. But it turns out the owner makes small off-menu poutines in to-go containers specifically for them. As the kids stepped out, they were replaced by a small but steady flow of older Lebanese/Syrian folk, clearly looking for a taste of back home.
tagged: COMMUNITY PICK STUDENT CENTRAL
Few things irk me more than ethnic restaurants who suggest a westernized brunch menu fusing their foreign specialties with local favorites such as pancakes, waffles and French toast – I'm looking at you Barranco, India Rosa and SHAY! The truth is that we Arabs do not eat sugary food to start our day, so why mess with tradition?
At Leymoun, the offering is 100% authentic and SAVORY! The menu comprises three sections for ful (fava bean stew), fatteh (layered chickpea, yogurt and pita), eggs and meze (hummus, labneh, falafel and such). Forget about maple syrup and fruit on the side; how about salty cheeses, olives and pickles? Now we're talking!
We started with an assorted tray of olives, cheese, labneh, hummus, za'atar, falafel, bread and jam; all excellent. The za'atar is a tad too oily but I loved the touch of adding tiny diced veggies to give it extra volume. Here's a tip for the non-initiated: the salty cheeses are best enjoyed with a dollop of bitter orange marmalade scooped in pita bits for the ultimate medley of sweet/bitter/salty flavours.
This alone is enough for two reasonable people, which for $25 makes it an bargain; but of course we're pigs and ordered more! The chickpea fatteh contained velvety yogurt and uber-crunchy fried pita and toasted almonds. The taste and texture were great, but I would prefer a less tahini personally. Finally, a plate of fried eggs with crumbled homemade sujuk (spiced sausage) was luscious, spicy and simply perfect.
tagged: GOOD FOR SHARING
A two-person team was in charge of the front of the house on this quiet winter's day. A female owner manned the cash/counter while a male helper took care of the room. Both of Syrian origin – her born here, him a more recent migrant – they were perfectly on top of things.
Food came out with good pacing and extras were thrown on the house; not because they knew I was an influencer – I kept that hidden – but because that's Arab generosity for ya!
In Arabic, possibly for Syrians only, we have an expression which says that someone has the nafas fi al-tabkh. The literal translation goes he/she has the "breath for cooking"; it describes someone who has the touch, the it factor or the je ne sais quoi. Even though a couple elements could use some minor tweaks here, whoever works the kitchen at Leymoun clearly has the nafas.
Continuing with another idiom, in English one describes a failure, a miss or a bust as a lemon. Although still new and not fully formed, I can assure you that Leymoun is no lemon.
tagged: SOLID
Price per person: $26.99
Montreal restaurant and bar reviews brought to you by two regular guys who like to eat and drink. We will go anywhere and we will say it like it is.