Delicious downtown vegan resto is organic too

Success: I've found the perfect downtown Montreal lunch spot. It's a shame it's taken me this long, however, as La Panthère Verte, a casual, organic vegen resto, has been under my nose since it opened right next to Crudessence on Mackay St., almost a year ago (their other location is on St. Viateur). I knew of its existence of course, but I made the rookie mistake of assuming it wasn't worth trying since it always appeared empty, whereas next door, people were pilling in for overpriced, albeit inventive and generally tasty, raw, vegan fare. I also knew Panthère Verte's speciality is falafel, and as fellow falafel fiends will tell you, a craving for fried chickpea balls is tough to quell. So there I was last Friday afternoon, and Tuesday afternoon...

The healthy man's falafel 

For starters, the place was packed and I mean PACKED. Nevertheless, the small staff managed to be quick and friendly; taking people's orders and calling out their name's as their food emerged beautifully arranged from the open kitchen. The cashier taking orders was cute as a button, and seemed to be on a first name basis with the clients (regulars are always a good sign!). Plopping myself on a wooden chair, at a table designed to look like a tree-trunk (Panthère Verte's decor is Tarzan chic), I bit into my whole-wheat falafel pita ($5.99). Unlike the ubiquitous fast-food version of this dish, this one tasted healthy. I attribute this to the crispy, yet lightly fried falafal balls, as well as to the pita's fillings: pickles, cucumber, shredded lettuce, carrots and alfalfa sprouts (a.k.a. stuff that's good for you). No wonder owner Haim Shoham was recently quoted in The Gazette saying falafal is his passion. And who would've thought opting to add a salad to my pita (+$5), would be the best decision I've made in a LONG time. Not only did it get me an organic sparkling lemonade (sweet!), but the salad was no ordinary salad. A who's who of healthy ingredients gathered to make this dish, that included: carrot, quinoa, beets, sunflower seeds, arugula, asparagus, chickpeas, red and yellow peppers, sweet potato and cauliflower (I'm exhausted already). Topped with a zesty house dressing, this was the real deal.

The salad that has EVERYTHING

Much like the best things in life, Panthère Verte's menu is simple. Apart from the falafel pita and salad, there's a daily soup, a dish of the day, a hummus plate, a tofu BBQ burger, a tempeh burger and a veggie burger. There's also a plethora of fresh smoothies and juices (beet, carrot, apple and ginger anyone?). On Tuesday, the daily dish happened to be one of my all-time favs: chilli with brown rice ($10). Served with a green salad and pita, this was healthy comfort food at its finest.

At Panthère Verte, all the ingredients are organic, and when possible local. Plus, recycling and composting is a big part of their ethos, and there are designated slots for both. If you work, live or go to school in the area, you have no excuse not to try this spot and if you don't – it's worth the trip.

Side note: Panthère Verte is open weekdays till 9:00 p.m., so it can be a great dinner option too. On Saturday's they're open till 5:00 p.m. and Sundays they're closed.  

Chille