Swellness: Olive et Gourmando

Trekking to Fashion Week in Montreal is treacherous — it’s in Old Montreal and those cobblestone roads are not easy when you’re in skyhigh heels, such as these (I am very, very fortunate I did not faceplant, let me tell you).

But what makes me oh so very thankful MFW is held in Old Montreal? I can skip (well, as much as I can skip in heels on cobblestone) over to Olive et Gourmando.

Incredibly delicious, if somewhat greasy (bet that’s what makes  ’em yummy, though) grilled sandwiches. This melty thing here is the Cuban sandwich.

To die for baked goods; the fleur de sel turtle bar (chocolate, nuts, salt, caramel) is my weakness (but then again, I’ve always had a thing for sweet and salty). I limit myself to bringing home just one each visit. And I throw in an almond croissant, too.

This time around, I tried the macaroni and cheese and it was rich, with plenty of earthy mushrooms and gooey cheese throughout, and had the perfect balance of crunchy topping (it’s served baked in a shallow cast iron pan so every bite includes some crunchy goodness). I don’t seem to have a photo of it — I know I took one but I must’ve not saved it properly as I was in a mega rush to dig into my food.

Just. Go.

Here are their hours. Word to the wise — they’re always busy. Always. Go at lunch hour and it’ll be rammed (in fact, a group of us risked missing a flight by staying in the long lineup one time…that’s how much we wanted lunch from there). This time I went at 4PM (a slow time, you would think) and there was not an empty table in sight.

Olive et Gourmando, 351 rue Saint Paul Ouest.