Skip to main content

Pear & Brie, Fresh Attracks, YYZ Airport



After a conference of sandwiches, how could I eat yet another sandwich?

I certainly wasn't craving any more road-weary sandwiches, but I knew for the 5 hour plane ride ahead, I would need something substantial, something that wouldn't take up a lot of precious space, and something that didn't need to be reheated. Plus, the options were really limited in the nether region of the Toronto airport where I had to change planes between Ottawa and Vancouver. There was an Irish pub and a Tim Horton's and there a few cafes way off in the distance. That's where I found this, and upon lifting it, I knew it would carry me over. All the way over. I don't think I even had dinner that night.

The bread itself was the main ingredient, a loaded raisin walnut affair that would be fine with a dab of butter unto itself. The slices of brie and pear were not holding up that well out of the cooler, but I ate this over two sittings on the plane and it satiated all hunger pangs that those dry bags of crackers and cookies only procure with their handful of salt or sugar. I did have to ask for water though, and WestJet is either being skimpy with water (they refused to refill my water bottle, instead handing me another plastic cup of water) or the crew member hates the world. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Monty’s Bakehouse wrap, Air Canada

I’d rate this wrap as strange. Its packaging created expectations of a more appetizing experience, which it was not. After a vastly superior egg salad sandwich from London Heathrow, I could not greet this airplane freebie with serious interest, but at least it was hot, and  at least I could review it for this blog. Steaming contents were oozy and largely undistinguishable, but suggested some kind of red pepper or sundried tomato origins.

Haloum Grille, Depanneur Le Pick Up, Montreal

A friend and I agreed the personality of the sandwich changes with each person who prepares it, and today we felt something was a little less than parfait with our Haloum Grille. Folks at Le Pick Up seemed stressed . The longest wait ever, and our lunches sat around too long. Temperature of the cheese is important to experiencing haloumi’s firm the texture and the release of its saltiness, and I prefer when it’s grilled directly before entering the sandwich.  Creamy spicy slaw of red cabbage, carrot, and kale soothes the major crust burn associated with the crispy multigrain toast. Ideally it’s the bread that should be soft and the haloumi that gets to shine as the crispy grilled champ that it is.   Nevertheless, we stayed for hours at the back picnic tables, chatted with the servers, overheard some drama about the evening closing procedure, broke a dish, and spilled a coffee. A good day. 

Croque Madame, Word of Mouth Cafe, Leith,

A damn fine Croque Madame can be found at Word of Mouth Cafe , an incredibly comfortable and chic cafe I was taken to walking up from Leith. From the well oiled dark stained wooden tables to the soaps in the loo, the overall aesthetic of the cafe was incredibly convivial to a certain tempo in how I like to enjoy my meals and conversations. The food was also exceptional, beginning with a very berry smoothie that reminds me of home, classic crispy frites which I never knew I missed until being only offered chunky rubbery chips, a light vinaigrette over the mixed salad, and a very well done croque madame, with the right saltiness of ham to cheese, with the egg seemingly embedded into the top of the really good thick slice of bread. The clincher was the liberal use of dried parsley, which is a sight for sore eyes, dashed over everything hot and visually tied it all into the salad. Maybe the food in Scotland has just been really bad, but I went really wild for this meal as it's fresh an...