Rumi – An out of this world experience

The 411

Brunch comes in all shapes and sizes, or tastes and flavours in this case. Anywhere you go in Montreal you can get a brunch ranging from a classic eggs and bacon place, to a bar that does bistro style brunches or even restaurants that make their brunch with an ethnic inspiration. Rumi is the latter in this category. Rumi is already a popular restaurant on Hutchison that you should go check out for dinner if you ever get a chance as it is one of my personal favorites. To describe the cuisine is not easy, its a mix of North African, Persian and Turkish and its 100% yummy.

At 1st glance

Having been here before for dinner , when my friend told me they did brunch we knew that it would not be your run of the mill, classic Canadian brunch but rather an adventure offering a feast for the eyes and mouth. As such, we did not hesitate one bit to book a nice Saturday morning to check it out. You notice that this place is not like other restaurants . The moment you walk into Rumi the interior is absolutely amazing with lots of decorative artisanal accents all around you, as well as a simple yet nice outdoor terrace. It is literally like stepping into another country and few other places really offer that experience. When you sit down and go over the menu you notice that it is quite limited and is probably more on the salty side than the sweet.

Food

Now with twelve options and three sides you do not have a whole lot of choice and must be prepared to accept what is offered and possibly be a little adventurous because you will not expect to find eggs and bacon . However, trust me when I say that if you keep an open mind your stomach and taste buds will thank you later. The best way to describe the food options would be to say that it is similar to Byblos in that it has breakfast accents but still different enough on account of its ethnic flavour and look. Normally I’m not crazy about non traditional breakfast/brunch but this place does an amazing job and succeeds where others have failed by still making the dishes something you would want to eat in the morning i.e. not a dinner dish. Now of the 12 dishes, half are breakfast and those are between $9-$12 the rest are more on the lunch side and are more expensive with prices ranging from $12-$17. There’s 3 omelettes ($9.00), an eggs plate ($9.00) and a special vegetarian dish (in fact, if you ask them to hold the cheese it can qualify as vegan).

We began with Binta ($6.00) which is comprised of yogurt drizzled with honey as well as with dates and nuts inside. This was very tasty and well priced considering the size of the plate is generous and you also get dates which are a very nice pairing especially with the honey so props to whoever came up with that one. Then we had Fridaus ($9.00) which is an omelette consisting of dates and cheese. The first thing I noticed from this was the pronounced aroma, I mean you knew there was cheese in here and the good kind of cheese with a nice robust smell and wow was it tasty. The use of dates in this omelette and the right amount of spices made for a truly memorable dish that I am definitely coming back to taste again. Lastly, there was the Sabzi ($9.00) which was a feta cheese and herb omelette. This omelette was even cheesier than the Fridaus and I would say tasted even better although mine had dates on it which I enjoyed very much. There was another plate we did not order but the table next to us did and when we saw it come to their table, we looked at each other and knew we had to try it next time. This was called the “Assiette de Levant” ($12.00) and it encompassed a variety of small plates presented on this nice silver tray with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, black olives, mint, fresh jam and naan bread. When I saw this I was so jealous.

Service

Our waiter was very nice and he does this cool thing when you order tea where he takes it and pours it four feet over the cup kind of like how they do it in Morocco. He also came to check up on us a couple of times and the bill came quickly.

Vegetarian

Most of the plates on the list are vegetarian. There are a couple of omelettes as well as vegetarian dishes although if you are looking for vegan option you are out of luck. Some dishes like “Assiette du Levant” come close to being vegan although it has cheese in it. I suppose if you requested the dish without the cheese, you may come close to vegan.

Wrap up

I strongly suggest you check out Rumi as long as you are up for an adventure and are not expecting your classic eggs and bacon joint. If you have ever been to Byblos for brunch than that would be a good way of comparing the menu and food style. Be your own judge – I know I did and will come back again for a different experience.

View Rumi in a larger map

Price	$$	$10
Overall		4/5
Wheelchair Access	NO	0/3
Parking	Parking Meter/street	Fair
BUS	80, 365, 535, 51, 368	Get Directions
Metro	Laurier	14 minutes

HOME