Pochiche Falafel and Salads Chickpea dreams brought to life
It’s never too late to pursue a dream you have a passion for.After dedicating a long career in marketing and advertising, new restaurant owner, Michel Massoud, finally decided it was time to share his talent and passion for delicious and healthy Mediterranean inspired food and fair.
Pochiche Falafel and Salads is the new all vegan restaurant in the heart of Montreal West. The newly-redesigned space, formally an Avenue Video for many years, has had a complete makeover and is now is a beautiful, bright, open space to enjoy a quick bite, take out, or lunch meeting.
A background in advertising and marketing goes a long way for owner Michel, beginning with the clever name he came up with one evening, Pochiche, which is a french play on words for “pois chiche" which means chickpea in english. Keeping up with trends, Pochiche’s marketing and ads, displayed in the restaurant and, on the website are inspired by Games of Throne theme and characters. Michel even created their own lingo with the catchy phrase “VASYVA” another french play on words meaning go there.
When we arrived, we were greeted right away by the owner’s son Gabriel , who also helps out at the restaurant daily. Michel was also on hand preparing falafel in the Kitchen.
We sat down at one of the many comfortable booths as we waiting for our order, which was almost just as quick as any take-out restaurant, except here, everything is made to order. Our food was hot, fresh and made with attention and care.
My guest and I decided to share a falafel salad and a falafel pita. Instead of ordering a side of fries, we were intrigued to try the “Putty Butty”, which is a pita stuffed with french fries, coleslaw, and vegan mayonnaise.
The salad was a very generous portion with 4 large falafel ball, mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, drizzled with a tahini dressing and garnished with fresh parsley. Full of flavor, the falafel was crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft with each bite.
It was hard to share half of that fully dressed falafel pita. Every bite more delicious than the last, falafel cooked to perfection, and all the vegetable inside were fresh and crisp. The best part was that it didn’t feel heavy on the stomach, but rather light. A good part of this is due to Pochiche's regimen to clean and filter their cooking oil everyday.
The Putty Butty was an unexpected delight, as the flavors mixed very nicely together with the warm fries, fresh coleslaw and extremely tasty vegan mayonnaise, definitely worth ordering if you have a big appetite.
Their menu is very reasonably price and is in the midst of expanding with new exciting menu options to come. Pochiche is a great choice, if you are craving a hearty but healthy meal. You can enjoy their falafel and salads, on the go, sit-in, or order in with delivery on the Just Eat app.
Pochiche is open Monday through Saturday, 11am - 8pm. Located at 54 Westminster N Ave. Montreal-Ouest. You can visit the website at pochiche.ca or contact them at (514) 488-0004, info@pochiche.ca