Lou bakes her own bread, kneading it by hand, without a machine, in her Little Italy apartment. When she opens the door for me, she’s wearing an apron, and the woven sandwich in the paper bag she hands me instantly fogs up the stairwell…
The weather’s fine, the windows are open and, in addition to the immense pleasure of real home cooking, I have the guilty pleasure of discovering one of Montreal’s best-kept secrets…
Montreal is a city where a new restaurant opens every day, so it’s always a bit chaotic – but very exciting. I’m not the first to jump on the bandwagon, because in just three months of existence, Loulouta already has a list of regular customers who drop in one night a week to pick up their sandwiches, or who book Lou for events such as the Marché Vintage (an event that takes place over a weekend every month – to find out more, you can read a list of the best vintages in Montreal here…).
I was lucky enough to be able to try one of his kefta sandwiches, with meatballs, tomato sauce and homemade harissa-in a challah bread worthy of the best bakeries, the kind of challah that reminds me of his grandmother’s.
Lou makes all his ingredients by hand, and the harissa too – it’s rare and precious in the restaurant business, and adds enormously to the nostalgic taste of the sandwich, which is ultra-expensive but not at all heavy. It’s the craftsmanship, the heart and the locally sourced products that create an experience like Grandma’s.
Plus, I got to try Loulouta’s nutella babka, which is to die for and would be eaten for breakfast – mellow, airy and not too sweet. Chef’s kiss!
How do you get there?
Lou makes sandwiches to order, does pop-ups and food festivals, and also offers a catering service.
To try her sandwiches as an individual, you need to order in DM on Loulouta’s instagram account – @loulouta_mtl – before noon on Saturday, and pick them up on Sunday between 10am and 7pm.
We recommend taking an extra challah (or two), otherwise it’s going to be a long week between delicious sandwiches…
The menu is here;
For catering, it’s the same: send a DM to Loulouta’s account…
Enjoy your meal! Thanks, Lou!