Once upon a time, there was only one place to go to satisfy your appetite after a night out on Boul. St. Laurent. Fattouch introduced me, and many, many, other Montreal imports to the wonders of Shish Taouk (or chicken shwarma, for those from Toronto or New York). Before poutine, and even before 99-cent slice, the garlicky, pink radish & chicken filled pita was the choice fare after a night out on the Plateau’s main pubbing street. Oh, and the nights that promoted 2 for $5.00 were like music to a hungry student’s ears. Even my vegetarian friends would rejoice in eating a falaphel sandwich.

Alas, all good things come to an end. It had been at least 5 years since I’d eaten at Fattouch. (I couldn’t help getting slightly turned off by my friend discovering pieces of glass in his wrapped sandwich.) So I can’t say I’m surprised, but passing by the other day and noticing its closure made me fondly remember where I’d lost my Taouk virginity.

One would be tempted to chalk this up to the northward creeping gentrification of Boul. St. Laurent. But this conclusion was inevitable. The decrease in quality shish taouk coincided with the explosion of Lebanese restaurants in the city which provided ample competition – now there were at least 5 quality places to stumble into at 3 am on a Friday night on St. Laurent.

Besides, maybe I’ll like Italian ice cream. It is almost summer…