Posted by Salpy Kelian in bakeries, middle eastern, pastries, shops on May 21, 2007 at 8:08 am

Patisserie Royale
1801 Lawrence Avenue East, Unit 9
416-755-6323

Growing up in an Armenian family with Syrian roots, I’ve eaten lots of baklawa and other Middle Eastern pastries. Some of my experiences have been good, and others quite bad. I recall the time my aunt attempted to make nammoura, a semolina mixture that is baked and covered in syrup. Normally nammoura is soft and melts in your mouth. My aunt’s nammoura almost broke my teeth.

Many Middle Eastern pastries, like nammoura, are semolina based, and usually feature nuts, syrup, and rose water or orange blossom essences. Other desserts, such as baklawa, feature similar ingredients but have a phyllo pastry base. Phyllo dough, as those of us who have baked with it are aware of, is quite difficult to work with. This paper-thin dough is brushed with clarified butter and layered to create the desired thickness for a pastry dish. On the surface such desserts seem simple, but are actually quite tricky to make “just right”, as evidenced by my aunt’s nammoura.

Patisserie Royale has definitely mastered the art of making Middle Eastern pastries “just right”. Established in 1997 in an area heavily populated by Middle Eastern shops, Patisserie Royale stands out amongst the crowd as offering, in my opinion, the best Middle Eastern pastries around. The taste, quality, and texture of Patisserie Royale’s goods are exceptional! Owner Mounzer Jamous has been in the business of making Middle Eastern pastries for twenty-five years. Fourteen of these years were spent learning the art of pastry making at Patisserie Mahrouse in Montreal, which is run by the Mahrouse family, whose pastry making experience goes back three hundred years.

Patisserie Royale offers baklawa as well as many other Middle Eastern pastries such as loukoum and mammoul. All goods are made on site, and the smell of freshly baking baklawa always ends up making me buy more than I originally planned. My absolute favourite pastry is cream knefeh, a pastry that is only baked on Sundays. This heavenly pastry is crunchy on the outside, and has a centre that melts in your mouth. The balance of syrup, cream and crunchy semolina crust results in what I can only call a little bite of heaven! Do stop buy to buy a large slice for $3 (or $18/kg). Cheese knefeh, also very good, is available every day in case you can’t make it down on a Sunday. Their traditional baklawa (most varieties $20/kg) is also excellent. The phyllo is always crisp, light, not at all greasy in taste, and has the perfect balance of syrup and rose water essence. I believe one of the main reasons Patisserie Royale’s products end up so perfect every single time is Jamous’ insistence upon the highest quality ingredients. Each ingredient is checked upon delivery, and those that do not meet standards are rejected.

Usually I just buy some baklawa and leave, however this time I tried a small sample of their other goods. Their baton sales are a great snack for those lacking a sweet tooth. These breadstick like snacks were crisp, had the right amount of salt and a wonderful taste from the black sesame seeds they contain. Moving on to the other extreme, the nougat is a definite must for those who like things sweet! Biting into it was like having a chocolate bar without the chocolate coating. The nougat was soft, chewy, and contrasted well by the pistachio nuts scattered throughout it.

Next in line came the loukoum, a relative of Turkish delight, but not as sweet. Personally I prefer loukoum, but have a hard time finding ones that aren’t rubbery or stale. This loukoum was neither! It was soft, had the right amount of sweetness, plenty of pistachio nuts, and wasn’t drowning in rose water essence like some varieties do. Left for last was the barazik, a shortbread based cookie draped over pistachio nuts and coated with toasted sesame seeds. Normally I’m not a fan of shortbread, but this cookie was divine! Crisp, light, and with a wonderful blend of flavours, I could snack on these all night long! Since Patisserie Royale has so many lovely desserts, I highly recommend checking their website which features great photos and descriptions of each pastry they offer. Prices range from $5 for a small tray of nammoura, to $21/kg for some baklawa varieties.

Do stop buy at Patisserie Royale sometime to be greeted with a bright atmosphere, friendly service and mouth-watering pastries. If you can’t make it down and are brave enough to try making some baklawa at home, Jamous’ advice is to use high quality ingredients and not to take any shortcuts. My personal advice would be to have lots of patience, since it’s definitely a time consuming event.