Move over, maracons! Ciao, cupcakes!

With the opening of impossibly cute bakery/café Rustique on Notre-Dame Street West comes an all-new dessert craving: Pie.

We swooned for the delectable tartelettes ($1.65 each or in boxes of 6, 12 or 24) in classic flavors like peach, apple and blueberry crumble. Be warned: Flavors change daily – and can sell out quickly.

Other sweet treats include everything from cookies to bars to marshmallows and more.

Buh-bye, bikini bod – bonjour, pie! —Christine Laroche

4615 Notre-Dame St. W., Montreal, 514-439-5970, http://www.rustiquepiekitchen.com/

When we heard about the launch of a new artisanal bakery in the rapidly-gentrifying St-Henri neighbourhood, we were more than happy to rise to the occasion.

Nothing confirms the gentrification of a neighbourhood like the appearance of an artisanal bakery. In St-Henri, that boulangerie is “Sweet Lee’s,” a bread-box sized shop that opened its doors last week. Not only are the ingredients local but the co-owners, siblings Greg and Liana, live just around the corner too.

In addition to baguettes and artisanal loaves, Sweet Lee’s offers six varieties of savoury scones ($3.50), cheesecake and pastries. Flavours vary with the seasons; du moment combinations include the butternut squash, cranberry and hazelnut loaf ($12), and the molasses, ginger and peach cookies ($1.50).

Carbs may not always be a girl’s best friend, but when the Provençale olive loaf ($5) is this good, we could easily see this becoming our daily bread. —Sarah Lolley

Sweet Lee’s, 291 Beaudoin Rd., Montreal, 514-885-3504,  www.sweetlees.ca
Facebook page: Boulangerie Rustique Sweet Lees
Twitter: @sweetleesbakery

Watch Top Chef, and you’ll soon learn that culinary prowess can be judged on the basis of a perfectly cooked egg.

When it comes to our own breakfast we’re not quite so fussy, but it’s near perfection at Toi Moi et Café. After Sunday morning trips to the Atwater Market, refuel with the divine Le Parisien which includes mouillettes (strips of baguette) dipped into soft-boiled eggs, or the mouth-watering crêpes et gauffres enveloped in fruit and cream (from $6.50).  

And, with four pages of fair trade tea and coffee concoctions to choose from, you’ll be infused with enough energy to plan your own cook-off (minus the nasty eliminations).

Toi Moi et Café, 2695 Notre Dame W., Montreal, 514-788-9599, www.toimoicafe.com

November’s grey, rainy weather is no excuse to be a downer.

Take a cue from the English and brighten your spirits with a serving of bona fide pub grub at the Burgundy Lion. While we were tempted by old-school favourites like the Sunday Roast dinner ($20) and Bangers & Mash ($13), we ordered the Little Burgundy Fish & Chips ($16). We swooned over the crispy batter, the generous portions and the side order of mushy peas. It’s definitely worthy of a newspaper wrap.

Cheerio!

Burgundy Lion Pub, 2496 Notre Dame W., 514-934-0888, www.burgundylion.com

Long soaks in the tub might be good for the mind, but they’re turning our skin into the equivalent of the Sahara desert.

We’re fighting dry, itchy skin with yummy treats from Mooka Bath & Body Studio. Carolyn Wyse’s St-Henri shop specializes in soaps, bath bombs, body and lip butters that are synthetic-free and made from such mouth-watering ingredients as raspberry, cream, honey and avocado.

A zingy bar of Yuzu soap ($5.50) kicks our morning off on the right citrusy foot, while the Brown Sugar Whipped Shea Body Butter ($12) has us wishing we kept spoons in the bathroom.

Mooka, 3412 St-Antoine St. W., 514-509-7780, www.mooka.ca