I found this gem of a Middle Eastern bakery a couple of months ago, just around the corner from Polish Rye Bakery. Hardly a day goes by without me thinking about coming back. I was confused as heck when I first tried ordering from their pastry section, but now I'm starting to wrap my head around their system. There are two ways of buying: per piece (about $1.50 per piece), or by weight (which is much cheaper!).
I initially just pointed to the pastries that I wanted, and the store assistant quoted $21 for the 14 pieces that I chose. But she strongly hinted that I should order by weight, a hint which we (eventually) picked up. So we ordered a few more pastries to make up 500g, and she boxed up the ~17 pastries for us for a grand total of $12.50 instead. (I ordered from the cashew-based pastry section. Pistachio-based pastries would be priced higher.)
I LOVE the middle eastern pastries here. The Baklava is a universal favourite, although as I understand it, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. We like the rhomboid-shaped ones and the rectangular ones. Unlike some bakeries who can be too heavy-handed with the syrup, these ones are lightly drizzled with syrup, which is just-right. My friends say these are perfect in small quantities, though I know from experience that it's hard to stop myself from reaching for more...
We also had lunch here. I really liked their Lamb Shawarma, which was perfectly-roasted and deeply flavorful.
Falafel was decent, hot and crispy on the outside without being dry on the inside. I was a little disappointed by the hummus; Zomato users unanimously exclaimed how extraordinary it was, but it tasted pretty ordinary to me. I much prefer Zikrayat's version.
Because there were a few of us, we also had several of their single-serve Lebanese pizzas. It takes some time since the pizzas are baked on order, but I don't mind waiting a little for freshly-baked goods.
The Zaatar ($1.50) (meaning spiced) was pretty novel and delicious. It's herby, like flatbread baked with olive oil and dukkah.
Another one of our favourites was Meat pizza ($3). The topping can be a little sparse, but for the price, who can complain? The meat was pretty good - surprising for its unappetizing appearance. One of my favorite order.
The A1 Special ($6) came with an abundance of feta cheese and melted cheese. It was pretty good, though my mind doesn't register 'Lebanese!' when I ate it.
The Egg Omelette was perhaps our least favourite. If Ned Stark was a quiche, Jon Snow would have been this egg omelette pizza. It tastes like quiche filling, is what we're saying.
The Verdict
Terrific Middle Eastern pastries and great Lebanese pizzas - all for such a good price. I would be back more often.
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