2129, avenue du Mont-Royal Est | Tel.: (514) 590-0733
rick walls, funky designer jewellery, vintage clothing, a great big bowl of café latte, and the best omelette in the city. Where else could I be but the Plateau region of Montreal? A bit east of the usual stroll on Mont-Royal, past the long line ups at other hip joints, is this breakfast spot. Serving eggs and toast and bagels and fair trade coffee. Displaying art for sale on the walls, leopard-print velvet dresses for sale on the racks, complimentary newspapers, small tables along the wall individually lit with reading lamps. What used to be two separate owners sharing the same storefront (one with bagels, one with bangles) is now a combined store known simply as Le Placard (The Closet).
The lighting is dim, the interior warm and inviting, full of regulars and neighbours. The tabletops are topped with tile mosaic, the old unfinished hardwood floors creak when you walk past.
And the food is prepared to order, nothing complicated or overly fancy. I like the toasted bagel sandwich with ham and egg and cheese for $3.99. My dining companion loves the Cowboy omelette ($7.49), which is prepared a bit differently from the regular soft, squishy egg dishes with the same name. No, this version is eggs cooked flat, rolled over with ham, red pepper, onions, zucchini inside, and then the cheese is put on top to partially melt on its way to the table. The result is a firm, tasty mixture, the right balance of spices, that doesn’t drool all over the plate. Topped with a multigrain toast, lots of butter, and a side of seasonal fruit (this week it is kiwi, orange, grapefruit, and strawberries).
Cowboy omelette
Bagel egg sandwich
Le Placard also serves lunch until 3:00 pm, although I’ve never tried it... but the tuna and cranberry sandwich with soup or salad appeals, as does the saumon soleil sandwich (salmon with sundried tomatoes), either for $7.99.
The proprietor is always there, familiar without being intrusive, as he hums along with the music. There’s nowhere else he’d rather be than overseeing his full, bustling restaurant on a sunny Sunday morning. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be, either. -- Reviewed by Shelley MacDonald Beaulieu
[Shelley's on loan to MontrealFood from her new home at www.oneroastchicken.com]
