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| - La Panthère Verte has a lot going for itself: a convenient downtown location, social & enthusiastic staff, reasonable prices*, healthy vegan food, & a comfortable & welcoming space (love the socks area! Basically an elevated table in a little alcove near the window, surrounded by cushions, where you can sit cross-legged, chill & be the envy of everyone else). As if this was not already enough, it can also boast of serving the best falafel in Montreal.
It comes in a pita that can only be described as "moelleux", a term for which I cannot find any satisfying English equivalent. Moelleux it is, then. In addition to the falafel, the pita is stuffed with carrots, alfalfa, some coleslaw, delicious pickles, and THE glorious tahini sauce. I must have eaten this plump little wonder about 7 or 8 times now, & I'm always reluctant to try anything else on the menu... With good reason.
Thing is, despite all the positive elements I have mentioned above (plus the peanut butter-chocolate cookie, how could I forget!), La Panthère has a number of serious flaws. It seems, in my opinion at least, like nothing it makes can compare with its falafel. I have tried the tofu BBQ sandwich, which was good, but not exceptional; I have also had the veggie burger (to be fair, at the other branch on St. Viateur, but oh my Lord, I have rarely experienced such bitter disappointment) & the végépâté, which was simply bland. The fact that ALL the sandwiches are served in a pita further takes away from the appeal of the place. It really gets redundant & I sure would appreciate more variety. Finally, the brownie was too dry & friable; I was using a fork & actually had a hard time eating it because the bits just crumbled when I cut them. A much better one can be found at Aux Vivres.
*Reasonable in so far as we exclude juices & smoothies. Grossly overpriced, these ones.
Still, with all that being said, I will keep going back for my fix of falafel - really, really, REALLY the best in town. You can't afford to miss it.
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