The best baguette in Leslieville?!

Update: Le Matin closed in August, 2013.

If you’re of the gluten-eating carb-friendly variety, I knew I’d get you with that headline.

So without further ado, let’s discuss Leslieville’s best baguette (or at least the best of the baguettes I’ve tried to date).

It all started, as it so often does, at my other local coffee shop, Voulez-Vous Cafe. One day last spring, I noticed baguettes had appeared in baskets to the left of the counter where I order my coffee. With nothing planned for lunch with the little guy that day, I picked one up to bring home. From that day forward, I was hooked.

I don’t quite know what it is about this bread that makes it so addictive. It could be the slightly salty and crunchy exterior. It could be the soft center that pulls apart in fluffy bread clouds, perfect for dipping in oil and vinegar. All I know is that this baguette is the only one I’ve come across that can stand well on its own, without toasting or topping, the NEXT DAY.

Upon further investigation, I was told the baguettes were courtesy of Le Matin, whose kitchen was now situated next door to Voulez-Vous, but whose retail shop was further west in the heart of Leslieville.

This past weekend, I decided to defy large snowbanks blocking side streets and check it out:

Upon arrival at 11:00 a.m., I was surprised to find many empty baskets! There were a couple of white baguettes left, as well as a good number of multi grain, but the poppy seed baguette, the sourdough and a few other items were MIA. Luckily a delivery was on the way from the Voulez-Vous kitchen, so I waited around for a bit, and Voila!

And so of course I took one of these:

Le Matin baguette

And one of these:

Le Matin Sourdough

Although I was surprised at the delivery time of bread on a Saturday, I was happy to get a toasty warm loaf of sourdough. And it didn’t disappoint. Same salty, perfectly crusted outside as the Le Matin baguette, and delicious, soft, slightly sour centre. Not a speck was left of this loaf at our house after two days. And I’m glad I enjoyed it, because at $5 for a small loaf, it had better be good!

For some reason I didn’t enjoy the baguette as much as I have in the past. Either it was up against some tough competition with the sourdough, or the recipe has changed slightly, but it wasn’t quite as soft and fluffy inside as it used to be. It’s still good, make no mistake, but the addiction level went down a notch or two after this past taster.

As you may well have guessed by now, Le Matin is a french-inspired bake shop. Aside from baking in the french tradition, you can also pick up some tasty looking imported delicacies, such as:

And my personal favourite:

For a tasty gluten-laden treat, check them out! (although you may want to call first to make sure the bread has arrived!)