L'Amour du Pain

Bakery: L'Amour du Pain
Address: 323 rue de la Montagne, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.lamourdupain.com/
Style: French 
Price: $$ 

The other Griffintown bakery with 'bread' in the name, L'Amour du Pain is smaller, cozier than its competition, and just because they have plenty of rustic breads, it doesn't mean their array of sweet baked goods and pastries isn't just as impressive. Along with French baking classics, they have quite a few one-of-a-kind treats that makes deciding on one item pretty difficult.

Should I have taken the pear pastry or the apple one; perhaps the hazelnut-stuffed bear paw? Everything looked so tasty, and yet somehow I knew the second I saw it that I would end up with the crémeux à l’érable ($3.45). There is something so enticing about the idea of maple syrup cream stuffed in a flaky dough rolled sprinkled with maple sugar. In some cases, the description alone attests to how good it will be and this fell right into that category. One bite and I couldn't get enough of it: the buttery layered dough, the rich maple cream, the chewy texture of the two together. Some chunks of maple sugar were a little too big and you noticed them a little too much, but a brilliant, delicious idea. I'm not sure if the other baked goods for sale can compare to this treat, but this pastry did indeed embody their slogan: masters of flour and happiness. ;)

Rating: ***1/2