#mtlcafecrawl

Cafe Sfouf

Location: 1250 Ontario St E

Metro Station: Beaudry 

Ever since I was little, my grandmother would bake me this yellow dessert. She would call them Sfouf and would tell me she would always make them for my dad back in Lebanon. We are Armenian, but my dad's side of the family is entirely from Lebanon. You can imagine how much of the Lebanese culture has stuck with my family and how much they enjoy recreating dishes and activities that remind them of their childhood. For me, "Sfouf" was more than just a dessert, but also a little memory I would always associate with my grand mother and my father.

When I heard that there was cafe in Montreal named "Sfouf", I was definitely intrigued. I wondered if it was a coincidence, or if the owners intentionally wanted to name their cafe after a yellow dessert. When I saw their yellow logo, I knew it wasn't an accident. I decided to go there myself and take a look at this original-sounding coffee shop located close to the Plateau.

Walking in, Sfouf looked like a normal indie coffee shop. Obviously, it looked unique with its beautiful decor but nothing too extravagantly different. It blended in nicely with the Montreal coffee scene.

I especially loved the plants that were decorating each corner of the cafe. Plants are very important to me as they liven up a space and make it feel like Summer despite Montreal's cloudy weather.

There were many corners to this coffee shop. They have your usual huge desks that were filled with students & their laptops (including me). They have couches, great to hang out for some chit chat. And... they had a little corner for children! They call it "Le Petit Sfouf" and they have provided toys for kids to play with while their parents enjoy a nice cup of coffee. Very nice addition!

I ordered a cappuccino off of my Indie Coffee Passport and quickly opened my laptop to get some work done (AKA pretend to work while I take at least a hundred pictures of the coffee shop).

As I was "working", the barista brought my *beautiful * cappuccino.. along with a piece of Sfouf! That's right - they offer a free sampling of Sfouf with their drinks for those of you who are curious. And it was delicious.

I deeply appreciate coffee shops like this one. They have created a wonderful spot for Montrealers to hang out, all the while keeping their culture and spreading it around. Now more people will know about Sfouf! It definitely feels like the world knows about my little family story now. I will for sure bring my grandmother here one day.

Darling

Location: 4328, boul. St-Laurent, Montreal

Metro Station: Mont Royal

End of April... marks the end of finals. School’s out!... Well only for about 3 days until I go to summer school. 

Nonetheless, gives me enough time to explore my city without any pressure from my academic responsibilities!

Today, my boyfriend and I were planning on having a lunch type date in the Mile end until our plans miserably failed when we realized our chosen restaurant wasn’t going to open for another 4 hours. We decided to hop on a random bus on the corner of the street since it was pouring like crazy and we didn’t feel like staying out in the rain. We got off a stop when we started feeling like we knew the neighbourhood and ended up in the Plateau... again. 

After finding a place to eat, we decided to walk around some new areas in the Plateau we hadn’t discovered yet. Although it was raining, breathing in fresh air was so refreshing considering we had been locked in our room the past 3 weeks trying to stuff 5 courses worth of information in our heads. 

I felt like I was in a European dramatic movie - walking in the rain with a little umbrella with my favourite person, discovering places with nothing else in mind. Queue the Parisienne music. 

We suddenly stumbled upon an exotic looking shop on the corner of a street. From the outside looking in, while we were dripping with water, we could see plants and wine and bright lights and greenery and comfortable couches and... coffee! Sold.

We went into the coffee shop and was immediately warmed with welcomes from the waiter. A coffee shop - but a different kind at that. The first thing that caught my eye was with no hesitation the lights on the ceiling. I don’t really know what the letters spell out, but they sure look aesthetically pleasing so I rolled with it.

The section next to the windows was very casual with the couches. There were mini candles decorating each table and plants flowing around every corner, making the space extra inviting - battling the coldness of the weather outside. As the Jazz music was playing in the background, we took a seat on the couches, avoiding the tables since we didn’t have laptops since we didn’t have school. Emphasis on the comfort!!! No school equals we can sit on the nice couches and relax. 

I saw students around me on their laptops still working very hard on their studies... accompanied with their glasses of wine instead of the usual latte. I liked it. I love coffee but i live for these different little details in shops. 

Let me explain the wine though, because it is a very important part of this “coffee shop”. It’s not really a “coffee shop”. It’s a hybrid. Half coffee shop, half bar. You heard that right. It’s also a bar. Order food, order alcohol, order coffee - sit at the huge circular bar for a nice glass of wine or beer or anything else, or sit on the couches like me and still order your usual. I got a chai latte this time so I tried to be a bit different than my regular latte. And it was delicious! One of the best I’ve ever had.

I felt like I was in a different country in this cafe. With decorations like mini instruments on the walls, to the candles on the tables, to the vintage looking decor, I also felt like I was in a Jazz club. Everything was so perfectly shaped together. 

I know I say I love all the cafes in Montreal - and I do, don’t get me wrong - but this place is really one of my favourites now. It made me feel like I’m in 1920s Paris and I lived for it. Next time, I’ll even dress for it.