Formerly known as Rumi Grill, Rumi Express is basically the same but with cheap-looking table card menus and ketchup bottles on every table. The previously problems with ventilation – leaving diners smelling strongly of smokey barbecue – have since been fixed.
Aside from the lack of a/c in the summer and its distance from the metro (~10 blocks from Mont Royal, which is a looong way away when you’re already really hungry), this is a pretty good francophone Turkish resto with killer baklava. Menu has a yummy-looking selection of pita sandwiches, plates, and salads – dare I even mention vegetarian-friendly. I don’t usually order vegetarian, but the eggplant “fries,” hummus, and tahini sandwich would be worth getting again, and the fries were hot and browned and chewy on the outside and soft an fluffy on the inside (good). Functional decor cheapened by the laminated diner-style card menus on the table and the crumpled, stained paper placemat menus that are reused. Fortunately, everything else is clean. Outdoor seating off the sidewalk during warmer months.
4403 Blvd. St. Laurent at Rue Marie-Anne E.
Metro: Monty-Royal
See my September 2009 review here: https://rachelrecommends.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/rumi-grille-cafe-b/
Rachel Recommends 