We are now in this food-obsessed era where we are hunting down authentic ethnic food in our own city. Sometimes when we can’t find food that tastes exactly like the one on our trip or food that we grew up eating, it becomes a business.
Patrick Abdelahad is the owner of the new Lebanese café-bakery spot Jouney on Ste-Catherine W. Jouney is inspired by the city in Lebanon where he was born and raised. He comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His passion for hospitality stems from his grandfather: he opened a resort by the Mediterranean sea in Jouney in 1958. Patrick came to Montreal in 2014 for an MBA at HEC; he couldn’t find a hangout spot in Montreal where he could share and eat Lebanese comfort food with family and friends. This is how Jouney came to fruition.
Jouney is more than just a café to catch up over coffee. You can have a typical Lebanese breakfast with a cup of Arabic coffee in the morning, wraps and salad for lunch, man’oushe (Lebanese flatbread) anytime of the day, Almaza beer in the evening, and desserts for the sweet tooth.
Jouney makes their dough fresh every morning and cook it in a traditional Mediterranean gas oven that goes up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The bread is fully baked within 1 minute.
Breakfast is served until 11:30am on weekdays, and until 4pm on weekends. You can either opt for 3 eggs or 5 slices of halloumi cheese cooked in a cast iron. The order comes with baked bread, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. For a full Lebanese breakfast experience, order their Arabic coffee served on a long-handled coffee pot called rakwe that is poured directly into a small cup called demitasse.
Man’oushe is Lebanese comfort food. They eat it as breakfast, as lunch, as a snack, and as dinner. At Jouney, you can have it as an all-day breakfast item. For a vegan option, opt for their za’atar with olive oil man’oushe. Za’atar is a Middle-Eastern spice mix made primarily of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. Here the za’atar is imported straight from Lebanon. Other man’oushe options include a mix of Lebanese cheeses (akkawi and halloumi), labneh (strained yoghurt), or lahmajin (spiced ground lamb-beef with tomatoes and onions). One order of man’oushe costs only $4.50!
For something more substantial, order their falafel, chicken taouk, or kafta wraps with a side of classic Lebanese salads (tabbouleh and fattoush) and hummus dip.
Don’t forget to end your meal with a man’oushe dessert. We highly recommend ordering their chocolate halewe (or halva). It’s nutty, chocolatey, and addictive! And their rosewater rice pudding is to die for!
Opening Hours: Sunday-Wednesday 7:30am-9:30pm, Thursday-Saturday 7:30am-12:00am
1486 rue Ste-Catherine O., Montreal, QC, H3G 0B4
(514) 846-9870
Photos by Victor Yu (@randomcuisine).
