Petit Lapin : Patisserie Mastery Without the Allergy

What do you do when you want a birthday cake but you're allergic to, well, everything? Until a couple of years ago, there weren't many options. But this April, Petit Lapin is celebrating its second anniversary, that is, two years of serving up scrumptious allergen-free baked goodies. 

Viviane Nguyen got the idea for Petit Lapin after she wanted to bake her son a cake for his first birthday. The problem was that he was allergic to mostly everything. 

"I called every bakery in Montreal, and no one could make something for me," says Nguyen. "So I said: why not make it myself!"



Notary turned entrepreneur, she now has a quaint pastry shop on Victoria Avenue in Westmount, where she has made it her mission to serve up cupcakes, cream puffs, macaroons, madeleines, donuts and more, 100% organic, vegan and allergen-free.

That means no dairy, no soy, no eggs, no gluten, no nuts, no sulfites, no peanuts, and the list goes on. But not to worry, they're still 100% delicious. 

"Everyone deserves a cake for their birthday. Because a birthday without a cake is not a birthday."

MTL Eats: Satay Brothers

Have you ever eaten something so tasty that, with each subsequent bite, you continue to be surprised at how good it is? If not, you need to try Satay Brothers.

The Montreal restaurant opened four years ago. Today, it has two locations: one at Atwater Market and the other on rue Notre-Dame. The eatery serves what one of its employees describes as Singaporean street-style food, that is, Asian-style soups, salads, brochettes and more. The menu is concise (which accelerates the process of deciding what to order), but we can guarantee that you will be satisfied by whatever item you choose.

We tried four items on the menu, each one more incredible than the next. 

LAKSA LEMAK SOUP: This is seriously one of the tastiest soups we have ever had! And anyone who knows Karina knows that she loves a good soup. This is the regular one (comes with tiny shrimps), but it can be ordered with chicken. Watch out, it's spicy!

GADO GADO SALAD: You know when you order a salad and you feel like you could have made the same thing at home? This was NOT one of those situations! We would never have thought of combining these ingredients! It can be ordered with or without braised pork.

SATAY DU JOUR: The satay-of-the-day was chicken, but it varies from time to time. These delicious little brochettes can be ordered individually or in 3's. Yummm.

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD: We aren't normally fans of papaya, but this number is to die for! This is the regular salad, but it can also be ordered with grilled pork.

For those of you in the Montreal area, or visiting the city on vacation, it is a must-try restaurant! But we know that many of you live far, far away. So if you want to try some of these dishes, try googling the recipes! To get you started, here is a Gado Gado salad recipe by chef Jamie Oliver. 

Satay Brothers, Atwater Market location

Freshen up this Spring at Nutrimania

Spring has sprung, and we all need a little freshening up after that long and cold winter. Well, Nutrimania in Montreal's Plateau district has us covered. The vegan café serves up a menu that contains 0% animal products, and 100% raw veggie bliss.

Priscilla and Jaclyn hard at work

The restaurant is known for its selection of juices and smoothies. The latter are categorized in terms of the benefits they provide. Feeling sluggish? Try a detox smoothie, like the Supervert (parsley, spinach, mango, mint, lime). A little under the weather? Grab an immunity-boosting shake, like the Puissance C (lemon, kiwi, orange, pineapple). We came in on too few hours of sleep, so we opted for La Classique: a strawberry, banana and flax energizer. Not only was it to-die-for delicious, it was also incredibly filling!

"Méchant Vert" juice and "La Classique" smoothie

It's not only about the drinks though. Nutrimania also offers a variety of soups, salads, wraps and deserts. Jaclyn, the restaurant's new manager, made us a sandwich-of-the-day. It was so tasty, we had to ask her what the secret was. As it turns out: a homemade chickpea spread! You'll have to try it for yourself.

 

Who doesn't love soup and salad?

To top it off, we tasted Nutrimania's cold beet and coconut soup. When asked how it's made, Jaclyn told us there's no secret here: simply beets and coconut, combined and topped with sprouts. No stock, nothing added. Just the good stuff.

Beet and coconut soup, served cold

Sandwich of the day: veggies and chickpea spread on vegan bread

 The decor is simple, clean and classic, much like the food.

Nutrimania, 16 rue Rachel est, Montréal

57Cals: A Taste of Vegan

Not everybody is sold on the vegan trend, but a bite at 57Cals will change your mind! Every day, the middle-eastern inspired eatery serves up falafels, shawarma, quesadillas and more, 100% meat free.

In the beginning, the menu offered the choice of vegan or vegetarian, with differences in the cheese and mayonnaise. But by popular demand, 57 Cals has been fully vegan since January 2015.

Our favorite menu item was the samosas. Homemade and served with a coriander and chili sauce, they were perfectly fresh and flavourful. A definite must-try!

Other top picks include the Raffi burger, the philly burger and the shawarma. We could hardly believe that none of them contained any meat!

Wondering what the restaurant’s name means? Well, owner Tamar Panossian says that it’s the amount of calories in each falafel, one of the staple items on the menu.

The restaurant just celebrated its first birthday, and is looking to expand to more locations in the Montreal area. We will keep you posted on where those will be!