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Sumac is Like a Big Jewish Dinner Party, Raves Sarah Musgrave

The Gazette casual food critic calls the Saint-Henri newcomer a 'Great Bet.'

Musgrave likes it all
Musgrave likes it all
Sumac

In what may be her best review of 2014, The Gazette critic Sarah Musgrave swoons over Sumac, the new cafeteria-style Middle Eastern restaurant from chef Raquel Zagury and David Bloom.

Launched at the start of October, it’s already banging; from our counter-height table, we felt the cold emanating off the jackets of the many people in line.

Musgrave writes that the restaurant is a welcome departure from the usual shawarma and hummus hawkers in the city. From pita to salads, dips to drinks, Sumac is all about solid bang-for-your-buck details. And then there is Zagury's falafel.

The falafel at Sumac does this city proud. So often these browned balls flatline when you bite into them; here they had the right depth of crust to crunch through to get to the relief of the moistness in a soft, herbed chickpea interior, pale green with coriander and parsley. They were sandwiched in a jumble of tahini, hummus, pickled turnip and crunchy chopped salad, with caraway-scented white cabbage and creamy purple cabbage nestled at the bottom. The sandwich presentation is irresistible: they come in a bowl, all chubby and round, busting out of the pita casing like cherubs in waxed paper pants.

The rave ends with this killer endorsement.

There isn’t really a place in town doing Middle Eastern quite this way. I’ll hit up Chez Benny and Panthère Verte for falafel and I’m a fan of Le Petit Alep, Daou and Damas. But Sumac feels fresh and modern, vegetarian egalitarian, and the many mix-and-match options make for a new old way of dining.

Sumac

3618 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Le Sud-Ouest, QC H4C 1P5 (514) 935-1444 Visit Website