Meeting with Fatih
In the middle of Ramadan, the little family is busy preparing delicious Turkish desserts. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the stalls of Turkish delight and baklava.
After leaving Turkey, Fatih spent a few years in the rest of Canada before arriving in Quebec. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, he opened his pastry shop with his wife Malek. Fatih learned to cook Turkish desserts directly in his country, from his family. Today, he has three businesses in Montreal and its surroundings and will soon open a new branch on Jean-Talon Street.
Antep Kunefe offers homemade baklava and künefes, as well as Turkish delights and drinks imported from Turkey. Malek describes all the kinds of Turkish delight available: strawberry and chocolate, fig and walnut, rose or even pomegranate; that we have the chance to taste. The candy is delicious and not too sweet, which makes you want to have some more!
But what makes Antep Kunefe so successful is its signature dish, künefe. This dessert has several variations depending on the eastern region in which it is prepared. Here they prepare the Turkish version which is a bit more crispy. Malek explains to us: “There are several kinds of kunefe, several varieties. We make it with angel hair and we make the cheese too. » Their best seller? The Antep special which is a mixture of cheese and pistachios. Fatih explains to us that the pistachios used to make the desserts come from Turkey and that's what makes the difference.
The entrepreneur prepares the famous dessert for us in the kitchen. Arrived on the table, he pours in front of us the sweet and boiling syrup on the pancake of cheese and pistachio, which makes everything crispy. Each bite is a treat and contains a perfect balance of cheese, nuts and sweet syrup.
Why this love of pastries? “In fact, we are communities that like to eat. It's not just food, dessert is very important to us. At 1am, 3am, there are shops in Turkey that are open just for that! » Malek tells us.
