At any given rate that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.
-Willa Cather
Unfortunately for me, my happiness is directly proportional to the amount of dessert I consume. My problem is desserts. I like desserts. Sometimes, I will overdose on sweets and crave savory. To solve this dilemma, my friend and I walked through the doors of a discreet entrance. It was a cold winter day and since we had never ventured into this mysterious place before, we were not sure what to expect.
Holy Crepe! (love the name) is situated very close to the University of Waterloo School of Architecture on Main street, and it has seen downtown Galt gradually evolve and ultimately thrive over the past three years. The co-owner and chef of the restaurant, Nancy Williamson and her daughter embellished the interior walls with pictures of France, creating a relaxing informal ambiance. As we spoke to Nancy, I could see her genuine warmth and kindness as she made suggestions about what to order from the menu. Just as we had anticipated, there were both savoury and sweet crepes, but the list was longer than we had imagined, making it that much harder to choose from. As for the icing on the cake, the price was quite reasonable, even for a student.
My friend ordered a savoury dish called ‘OMG!’ and I ordered ‘Desiree’. OMG had a mix of egg, aged cheddar, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and shallots, while the sweet crepe, Desiree was stuffed with raspberries, brie, chocolate chips and lemon juice. Replacing an ingredient with anything else was completely acceptable. And if you are allergic to nuts like me, you could always ask her to substitute nutella for the decadent chocolate chip cookie spread. Nancy suggested we each have half of both. In the world of Holy Crepe, it did not matter if you had dessert for starters. Of course, I believe we should all start our meals with desserts. It seemed like a good idea, till we had our first bite. Even though we were not that hungry, it was hard for us to stop at will. The delectable combination of sweet and savoury was worth all the calories we might have gained.
Nancy is originally from Italy and she has been successful at giving the traditional French crepe her personal Italian touch, creating quite the essence of ‘awesomeness’. As she sat across from me to chat, I could see the sparkle in her eyes as she confessed she was inspired to make her first crepe when her five year-old daughter brought home a Teflon pan from an Italian tour. This restaurant could be just the right final episode to that mother-daughter adventure, where they start each morning shopping for fresh ingredients. After our talk, she treated us to her special mocha drink and, I must add, it looked almost too pretty and decadent to drink. While I was sitting there, I was already scheduling in the calender my next trip to the gym.
I am guilty for knowing about this place for a while now and not sharing this information with anyone. Often, when we finally break from work for a good meal in the evening, one may not find the restaurant open. But if you let her know before 6pm by calling 519-267-7877, Nancy will be more than happy to stay until you plan to arrive for dinner. If you are walking by, or just in the area during lunch or brunch, don’t hesitate to peak through the glass doors of Holy Crepe! You might catch a glimpse of the usual customers, like me, who have made a point to relax in this appetizing eatery regularly.
33 Main Street, Cambridge, ON
519.267.7877
Prianka Smita is a graduate student at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. She grew up in the military environment of the east in which she was expected to serve her country. Currently in the second year of her masters studies, she is developing her thesis entitled Render Authenticity which enables her to engage in a dialogue between her passion for artistry and devotion to the progress of her native country. This pursuit brought her to return to Bangladesh in the summer of 2014 to conduct research. She says of her daily working methods, “I doodle when I want to organize my most obscure thoughts, listen to music when I want to be inspired, and write when I want to have a conversation with myself.”
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