Sweet Tooth — Lebanon on $5 and an Opus card

Photo by Erika David

There are so many reasons to visit Trip de Bouffe, a Lebanese bakery and prêt-à-manger on the Plateau — and for those of us with a sweet tooth, none is more important than the atayef.

Atta-what?

You know, atayef. Ricotta-filled pancakes. Since they take pride in making nearly everything on site, I’d say desserts aren’t usually Trip de Bouffe’s forté, simply because the very little that they have is outsourced. But the atayef is 100 per cent their own, courtesy of co-owner George’s mama. And it’s amazing.

First, a set of six will set you back five bucks. Each piece starts with a soft, springy pancake that’s folded in half and pinched closed on one side. An unsweetened, airy mixture of ricotta and whipped cream fills it out, with pistachios sprinkled on top.

It’s super fluffy and without a trace of sugar, making it very plain — but that’s before taking a mandatory dip in a liquid miracle of tooth-ringingly sweet syrup infused with rose water and orange blossom. Um, yes!

Trip de Bouffe, 277 Mont-Royal E., 438-381-4383

Erika David blogs about her food adventures in Montreal at This is Why We’re Fat. Follow her on Twitter @erikadavidMTL.