Daryani Bakery

Bakery: Daryani Fine Bakery
Address: 10670 Yonge St, Richmond Hill ON
Website: http://www.daryanifinebakery.com/
Style: Persian, Middle Eastern
Price: $$

While in Richmond Hill last week, I thought it a great opportunity to try yet another Persian bakery along Yonge St and area (there are plenty, so the Cake Tour is almost endless ^.^), especially considering that I really think Persian must be my favourite Middle Eastern baking and fellow samplers agree as well. Daryani Bakery is, in fact, more a deli than a bakery in that they're quite large and not only have an ample grocery section, but hot table, etc.

The sweets section (because, realistically, I'd say it's the only thing I'm there for, but that's not entirely true since that Persian ice cream in the freezer looked amazing; that's next time though ;)) is quite extensive as well, with not only several varieties of baklava and baklava-looking pastries, but a nice selection of honey goods, cookies and even more "Western"-style cake slices and choux pastries. Not to mention breads as well! This is definitely the most varied Persian bakery I've been to. It was actually quite hard picking something out... that is, without going broke. ;) Nothing is priced, except the triangle "dumplings" at $22/kg, but it was fairly reasonable for Middle Eastern pastries. The items were weighed separately, but in total, I paid $7.50 for six items. Not cheap, but not bad either.

One thing that I did remark with all pastries was that they were very fragrant, even compared to other Persian bakeries. The baklava, in particular, seemed to ooze the scent of cardamom. I'm not that big a fan of perfumed baked goods, but all that cardamom... man, you can't believe how amazing it smelled. I love cardamom! *-* All pastries (except the doughy one with the pistachio on top) were also generously soaked in honey. And speaking of honey goods, they had the usual dough swirl-things -- yes, I have yet to get the right name for it -- but I couldn't resist trying the uh, pancake version (I'm sure someone who knows more about this is laughing right now.. but that just might be my secret urge to be more popular >.>): fried dough drenched in honey and, strangely enough, as crispy it was on the outside, the middle had this honey layer as well, especially in the bubbles. Mmmm... what a lovely thing!

Those triangular dumplings? Those were also saturated fried dough creations, but stuffed with banana. The most boring was by far the dough roll, which was a fluffy French dough but with no real taste. And there was the baklava, filo-rolls with shredded coconut on top while the second was with semolina (?), both of which were filled with the same fragrant, nutty mass. One brother complained it was too fragrant and there was too much mush, while the other, the self-proclaimed baklava expert, thought that it was very good, with deep, complex flavours that you can't find in a lot of Middle Eastern pastries. Me, I was also impressed. If you love baklava, nuts and honey, this is certainly worth checking out... and for those who are new to Middle Eastern and/or Persian baked goods, the selection and quality makes this a fantastic (and delicious) starting point. :P

Rating: ***1/2