Croissant Croissant Café, and where to find it

The lunch at the restaurant was high in emotions. We were celebrating the years of work of my former boss, who was about to move to another company. The day’s temperature was scorching hot. Everyone was eager to go back to their air-conditioned office – or car. That’s when my ex-boss said, in an offhand comment, that she might try to grab a coffee before heading to her next meeting.

I enthusiastically interjected: “Yeah, me too. With this sun, I’d love an iced coffee right now.”

The mental image of ice and sun got a couple of members of our group on board as well.

We walked by the nearest café, Café des Bois, but didn’t stop.

“It’s a nice spot, but their coffee is way too intense,” said a coworker. So instead, we went to the next building, “Croissant Croissant.” I still took a mental note to test out the infamous intense coffee on some other day.

Café Croissant: An Unlikely Encounter

Café Croissant is on a main street, Mont-Royal, but pretty far from any metro station. The relatively hard access gives it a bit of an underground feel. The huge window on the storefront is inviting; with it's big "CROISSANT CROISSANT" in all caps.

By the way, if you’re an American reader, you may think that they’re trying to go for a Paris-like experience. But I’m pretty sure that they’re not really aiming for that touristic experience, especially not in this part of Montreal. Croissant is just something Quebecois people eat too, without any exotic undertone.

Once I walked in, the way the furniture is set up put me at ease. The rectangular service counter is against the wall, one side used for the cash register, and the adjacent one to give out the orders. I have a pet shop near my place that uses the two opposite sides of their rectangular service counter, and for some reason, it irks me each time. Maybe it’s not feng shui.

Croissant is just something Quebecois people eat too, without any exotic undertone.

Against the wall, there’s a shop section. It’s not colorful or fun to look at, but it seems to have damn practical coffee accessories and really good jam.

Iced Americano – sì, sì!

I ordered an iced coffee and 2 brioches. I think there's some ambiguity going on with their menu. I’ve been to Café Croissant once before, and when ordering the same thing I got a canned cold brew poured into a cup. This time around, I have an Americano with ice.

And it’s super good. You can really taste the coffee beans even if their aroma probably doesn’t spread as well at low temperatures. I once heard a rumor about where the “Americano” name comes from. As Wikipedia says: “There is a popular belief that the name has its origins in World War II when American G.I.s in Italy diluted espresso with hot water to approximate the coffee to which they were accustomed.”

But it turns out it’s just one anecdote among several more researched etymologies.

To me, Americanos are way better than filtered coffees. And that day I found out I was no exception, even when iced. The only problem at Croissant Croissant is that they offered sugar in a bottle, diluted in water. It might seem perfect to mix with a cold drink, in which sugar grains might not dissolve very fast, or at all. But with the diluted solution, it was really hard to gauge how much I needed to add.

Maximizing Space and Experience

Café Croissant is pretty big. There’s a lot going on, but your eyes have a lot of negative space to lie on before your nervous system picks up on the logic of the space. We’re far from the happy chaos of La Graine Brûlée.

If you looked at the pictures so far, you've probably noticed the bright and pastel colors, the graffiti, the small tables but in a playful circle, around a bench that's itself a circle.
- Roxane Nadeau, "La Graîne Brûlée - The Sound of Ste-Catherine"

There’s a leisure room with vintage seats and a corridor running parallel to it. The corridor has windows looking into the leisure room, so no poorly lit alcoves.

When you cross that room (with a couple of tables and some spots for kids), there’s the back store of a bakery. Sitting there, you’re between the good smell of baking goods and fresh brioches next to the cash register. Somehow, even during this hot day, it didn't feel too warm or humid. Maybe we can thank the big vent running across the store’s ceiling for that.

I got 2 brioches with my drink. They were a bit dry. But it's an art to ask for the right bakery item at the right time and get the best texture.

Post by @roxanefutur

View on Threads

We were there for maybe 10 minutes until everyone got their order. But I’m glad we went. Instead of a moment ending too fast, I have a jam-packed memory filled with great sensations. That’s why I like to bring friends to grab a coffee, before the little or big goodbyes. It’s like cheating time.

You like what you’re reading? Don’t forget to subscribe so you can grab the next cup.

Special thanks to Eleonor who sponsored my next 10 coffees. You too can buy me coffee here :