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| - Incredibly pretty North African desserts.
Jean Talon market is a market like no other for North America in terms of breadth, depth, cleanliness, value, and selection of international foods reflective of Montreal's multiculturalism.
One such ethnic eatery is Patisserie le Ryad which has a large collection of pastries and also a few savory items like burekas. Frankly, I didn't pay any attention to the savory part of the menu or even traditional middle eastern sweets like baklava for the former didn't look too enticing and the latter are pretty much ubiquitous in Middle East and North Africa.
But, there were so many unfamiliar items that I had to confirm that these are of Moroccan heritage (though also found in neighboring countries like Algeria and Tunisia). I laud the bakery for the pleasing aesthetics of all sweet things baked and also for being adept at ensuring that they aren't too rich (perhaps French influence?) compared to their Middle Eastern cousins that appear to be jacked up in sugar to help people survive in the dessert. There was a pleasing mix of semolina, almonds, honey, orange flower, and dates in most of the items.
My one concern would be that I don't know what kind of turnover they see, despite such a prominent location in such a popular market. I only loved a couple (M'chekla and Dziriette) of the 5 items I purchased and they tasted comparatively fresher. I don't think the pricing is exorbitant compared to that at non-Arabic bakeries, but I can understand why a few of the customers and window shoppers thought the small pastries (CAD 2.95 plus tax) to be kind of expensive. That's a shame, because these guys are pretty unique in terms of what they have to offer. (3.5 stars)
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