Café Clarke

Café Clarke is a small and cute little café on Centre street in Pointe St-Charles. Let me make this clear, Pointe St-Charles has, like, one good restaurant worth the detour and that is Machiavelli. There are a couple other good spots like Miel and Bloom, but I wouldn't necessarily come from, let's say, the Plateau to eat there.

The now defunct Boulangerie Clarke in the Mile-End had a little baby. Frank Servedio, the owner, use to work at the boulangerie, which was owned by his parents. This is a big great family story! Café Clarke is basically a sandwich shop that serves awesome coffee (or so I've heard!). What differentiates them from other sandwich shops is the fact that their sh*t is fresh as can be. Sandwiches are made to order AND they cut their own meat. Hello. What a difference that makes!

The place feels very homey and warm. Feels like you want to bring all your friends there, you know? I also really loved the color scheme: green, white, and light, classic brown. Yes, 'classic' brown. It's a thing.

I started with the pasteis de nata, because it was already right there! I was a bit dispointed that it wasn`t A: made in house and B: not supes fresh. Obviously, it was a day old. I just went to Portugal, see. I KNOW what a day old pasteis de Nata tastes like. I am used to the yummy, crunchy, soft, pastry. Not the dry one. Don't get me wrong, it was still OK, but it just wasn't worth it. I got so excited! And then I got so annoyed. At them. For selling me a day old nata :/

La sandwich in a croissant! I loves me a good croissant sandwich! A good looking sandwich, without any fla fla. Dunno if that's a thang in English, but I'm dsoin it. It just means that it is simple. Thinly cut ham, almost like paper: THAT's the dream. The croissant was buttery and right about melted in my mouth. The only negative, if you can call it that, is that the tomato was a tad too juicy.

The only thing I'll say about the service (which was at the counter.. so I won't rate it), was that it took the dude a while to even say hello to me. Just say hello, and tell me I'll have to wait a couple minutes. GEEZ.

And now, le score!

Food: 6.5

Well, I'm bound to go back now, aren't I?! When it's only 15 steps away from where you live, you go back.

La Luncheonette

I was walking near St-Henri station the other day and noticed this cute little restaurant. Well, gosh darn it, I just had to go back. La Luncheonette is this cute-ass (yes, it's a thing) little spot made for students and regulars, run by two sisters-in-law. They serve up some home-made staples at really great awesome wonderful (can you tell my wallet was happy) prices. 

This restaurant is oh-so-cute. I would even go as far as saying that it's 'mignon'. Ha, the French in me is always ready to bust out! It has around 25 seats with mix and match tables, chairs AND benches of different colors. SO cuate! Oh and there were wood and marble tables, round and square ones! Basically, nothing was the same. I LOVE it. Even the freaking light fixtures weren't the same! It had sort of a cottage-y, country feel to it. Chill music was playing and at first I literally felt like I was wandering in a forest. 

You order at the counter, with this really cute girl... and then you forget what you wanted. You know the drill. I was gonna have meself the breakfast sandwich. For, wait for it, 5,50$. Word.

Sandwich déjeuner: ham (or bacon), lettuce, tomato, egg, cheese on a croissant. You can choose between the croissant, english muffin, and bread. I obviously had to choose the most caloric option. Duh. Well, it did not disappoint. That croissant was so buttery and flaky and yummy and oooooh (yes, that was a foodgasm). It just melted in my mouth. Right in there. The egg was seasoned correctly and half runny. It kind of coated everything else which was nice...of the egg...to do. The fôret noire ham was smoky but a bit too right-out-of-the-pack for my liking. The cheese was gooey and elastic-y and on the salty side but it fit well in there. I don't really know what to say about the tomato except that it did not get the sandwich all soggy which is basically what you look for in that vegetable (oh excuse me, fruit); non-wetness. The greens were a bit on the old side but they still fit in there for some reason.

 

Hot chocolate. Oh, that foam! I would go back for that foam. I would totes hit on that foam. Fooooaaaam. It was airy and cloud-like. Like a cloud damn it! The hot chocolate itself was OK but not amazing. It was a bit too watery or I guess, not thick enough. I like my hot chocos on the thicker side. But don't get me wrong, it was still a hit. Well, mainly because of the foam. Foooooaaaammmm.

Service was good. I ordered at the counter and she brought me my breakfast in less than 5 minutes. Her smile was just great. And by great, I mean the 'I'm smiling back like an idiot' smile. She didn't check if everything was fine though... And for a second or two, I was pissed that I didn't have any water but then I noticed this little cute water dispenser at the counter. Very practical.

And now, the scores!

Service: 10 for the hot waitress. OK, but 8 for realz
Food: 7

I'm definitely going back because, damn it, it's too darn cute!