Les Moulins La Fayette

Bakery: Les Moulins La Fayette
Address: 1481 ave. du Mont-Royal E, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.lesmoulinslafayette.com
Style: French
Price: $-$$

Les Moulins La Fayette is actually a fairly impressive chain of bakeries with several locations in the Montreal area as well as a couple in other areas of Quebec; this is notable for me, since I can't say I never noticed them, at least not until this year (ironically, I walked by another location shortly afterwards). Nevertheless, like other local bakery chains, they offer a pretty wide selection of French breads, pastries, and elaborate tortes, either by the slice or sold whole, and as one may expect elsewhere, items are fairly standard, clearly labelled and priced. Expect buttery, flaky dough, colourful macarons, creamy millefeuilles and other decadent treats.

Petit pain au chocolat

As luck would have it, I was walking along Mont-Royal during some sort of street festival; the street was entirely closed off to cars, there were tons of people, and most businesses had some sort of tent set up outside their store. For Moulins La Fayette, this meant a tent of specially baked goodies, miniature versions of the products indoors, most sold for a downright ridiculous $1 each, tax included. Madeleines were $0.75 each and chouquettes $0.50 each or cheaper if you bought a whole bunch. Even if I had enough baked goods already, I could not pass up this amazing opportunity of trying another bakery without paying too much and getting more baked goods than I could handle (this in itself is not that big a problem, I assure you :P). $2, all inclusive, gave me two treats: an abricotine (apricots and custard cream in a buttery pastry) and a pain au chocolat!

... and remind me never to take phone pics again

The former could have been a little flakier on the outside; perhaps keeping it in plastic bins in the heat (it was very hot and sunny that day) had done that. The dough was soft for both items, but it was good. Not to mention rich and buttery, just the way I like it. :) There was enough soft apricot, not mushy; it was fresh, soft, and tasty.

Same goes for the pain au chocolat with its similarly buttery dough and a chocolatey filling that was made with good quality chocolate. Mmm... notwithstanding the other baked goods I had and had to buy that day (I was actually on my way for half a kouign amann .__.), I could have certainly made off with the full-size version instead. ;)

Rating: ***