Pâtisserie Saint-Louis de France

Bakery: La Pâtisserie Saint-Louis de France
Address: 3575 Rue Berri, Montreal QC 
Website: n/a 
Style: French 
Price: $$-$$$

On my annual trip to Montreal, I was leaving the Sherbrooke metro station (on the east side of Berri, in front of the bus stops for buses going east and north; do note that you don't have to enter the actual metro station) when I was hit with an amazing sight: a patisserie, right when I was fearing I'd have to put off my Cake Touring for one day, as it was already after five. So, running in with luggage and all, I made a bee line to the pastry counter. It being quite late, bakery-wise, I wasn't surprised to find that they seemed to be in the process of closing up and, accordingly, the selection wasn't the best, especially in terms of the viennoiseries, which I'm always a sucker for. Of course, they also have quite a nice selection (these were still plentiful) of fruit tarts, macarons, elaborate cakes and pastries -- you know, the usual French fare. That and your typical sandwich and bread counters. Prices, at $5+ for any of the pastries, are also your usual French ones. XD

In the mood for some less dessert-y and what could pass for a breakfast the following day, I took the last remaining apple turnover (chausson aux pommes)... actually, with the exception of one other pain au chocolat, the last remaining baked good of the day. I paid $3 on the dot, so I'm not sure if there was an end-of-day special or I didn't pay tax? Either way, I wasn't complaining that much; it wasn't cheap, but what you might expect from a French-style patisserie.

The goods: I've had a few of these throughout the city. It's one of my favourites and this didn't disappoint. I cheated a little bit and warmed it up in the oven so the apple sauce heated up and the dough got deliciously flaky, but man, was that ever a good idea! All those buttery aromas came out and the hot apple sauce in the middle was delicious. The distribution of the dough was a little off, with there not being enough dough in the centre for the generous dollop of apple inside and it being too doughy along the very thick edges. I don't want to say there was too much apple, but it got unmanageable and a plate was definitely required, since once in the middle, the sauce just started oozing out in every direction. Very messy, yes, but tasty. It doesn't beat some of my fave bakeries in Montreal, but it was still yummy.

Rating: ***