Antosha

Bakery: Antosha
Address: 5986 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website: n/a
Style: Russian
Price: $

I've fallen behind yet again, it seems, but here I am! :) This is from last week when we went a-driving along Bathurst, on the hunt for two of my fave baking styles: Russian or Jewish. And boy, did I find it in Antosha, a Russian pastry shop sandwiched in between a Russian deli (which I regret not going to and getting *more* baked goods.. this place was heaven *-*) and a Jewish/Kosher deli. This was a coffee shop-like establishment with nothing but sweets and goodies: behind the glass, there were various cakes either sold as individual slices or as a whole ($25). You had a choice of many of the Russian staples: Opera, Amadeus, Smetannik, (something that I know was the Russian equivalent of Ptasie Mleczko) and others such as cheesecakes and chocolate cakes. On top of the counter, you're also offered with a whole bunch of baked goodies which looked so good that I could have easily taken everything. ;)

In fact, (another hint to bakery owners) we would have taken a LOT more had we known how much we were going to pay, since this place was unbelievably cheap, but there were no signs indicating what anything cost, so we were a little unsure of what to get and how much to get. When you can get overcharged just up the street (that is, at the super disappointing trip to What a Bagel Bathurst & Steeles a long time ago), you're really unsure of yourself. Fortunately, we were very pleasantly surprised... but of course that's not just because of the price. ^-^


First up was what my brother picked out: a slice of Dobush tort ($2.80; pictured above), the Russian take on the Hungarian cake. It was a cake made up of several layers of dough and chocolate (I forget what he told me it was -__-) cream with a coating of soft caramel on top which oozed during transport and ruined the fancy designs on top. He said it was pretty good, but it couldn't compare to the cake masters at What a Bagel Richmond Hill. And I'd probably agree... ;D

I also picked out two items for me: first of all were these triangles which I keep forgetting to check their name. (and OMG, I love these things). They had two other toppings, but how could I resist? I took the poppy seed ones and at 70 cents each (yes!), I regret not taking.. half a dozen more at least. XD I've had a few of these over the years, from various places, but this is hands down the best: perfect dough that's not too hard, an excellent poppy seed mass and a light dusting of powdered sugar. Perfect! This is the place to try these delectable little treats. :)


While on the poppy seed brigade, I also took a slice of this long strudel-like, yeast-based cake ($1.00) because it looked so good, and it was! Although it was certainly the least picturesque of the three goodies, it was still really tasty: perfect dough, although it was hard to get a good taste at it... because there was SO much poppy seed! *-* YUM!!

Overall, I really cannot wait to return to this place. I know it's my duty to go around and try different places, but man, will it be hard to return to the neighbourhood (it's hard enough, since it can only be done by car and it's very inconvenient for me) and NOT pop into Antosha... and just buy up half the store. Next time, however, I'd opt out of the cakes and torts and settle for all the goodies on top. :)

Rating: ***1/2