Hole-in-the-walls in Montreal: Charcuterie AnnA

It was past midnight and Jess, Lisa and I were roaming the streets by the apartment, looking for something savoury to counteract the slices of cake we had at Calories just moments before. Well, they were, I was still recovering from Korean BBQ. We didn't have a drop of alcohol in us, but we were giggly.

The depanneurs nearby had closed, but I noticed a light coming out from a familiar shop. "AnnA is open," I said.

As we approached, I saw the new posters they had put up advertising their food - the chicken nuggets poster had a picture of chicken nuggets, the fries poster had a picture of fries...

"Why does the poutine poster have a picture of..." I stopped myself before I finished asking the question. Brilliant. Best. Poster. Ever.

I first heard about Charcuterie AnnA not long after I moved into the Chomedey apartment just over two years ago when I randomly ran into a girl I knew from school about half a block away. I didn't know her very well, but well enough for her to say hi and give AnnA her stamp of approval. I never went while I lived there - well, actually I went in once, and there was no one behind the counter so I slinked quietly away in search of a food fix elsewhere.

AnnA has gone through some renovations over the past year and has swallowed the storefront next door, adding a small seating area and a colourful menu that matches the posters on the window. The picture of Putin is actually very fitting as AnnA is owned by Eastern Europeans; their deli specializes in Eastern European meats and cheeses, and they sell imported Eastern European candies and other delicacies as well. On the night Jess, Lisa and I went, the sisters shared a Hungarian salami sandwich and despite being a cold cut, I could smell the spicy meat as they enjoyed their sandwich.

So I had to make a trip myself.

I decided to bring a sandwich with me to Osheaga as I foresaw that the food would be expensive. Feeling guilty from all the meat I'd eaten over the week, part of me wanted to get a vegetarian sandwich, but the photo looked like it would just be vegetables and some cheese, and really, what would be the novelty in that? In the end I chose the Russian tuna, and my stomach growled impatiently as I rode to Jean-Drapeau with it in my purse.


This sandwich would've been more beautiful if I hadn't squished it in my purse.
So what makes tuna Russian? SPICE, apparently. I'd watched the guy behind the counter go in the back and open this special can of tuna, which was probably spiced with chili powder and/or paprika, with just a hint of tomato. There's a mandoline behind the counter at AnnA, which the man used to slice me almost half an onion (there was definitely no making out that day) and a bit of tomato. Although the sandwich had gotten a little soggy, it was still amazing.

*sigh* Why didn't I discover this place sooner?

Charcuterie AnnA
2070 Blvd de Maisonneuve O
Montreal QC H3H 1K8