The Market on Yates

Bakery: The Market on Yates
Address: 903 Yates St, Victoria BC
Website: http://www.themarketstores.com/
Style: Canadian
Price: $-$$ 

Well, the final bakery stop in Victoria, before continuing on to other parts of Vancouver Island, wasn't entirely a bakery and there were so many other stops before resorting to supermarkets, but... it's a long story. I had been saving BC's apparently oldest bakery, Willie's, for the last day and, not wanting to walk around with baked goods for the rest of the day, I decided to go when I was finished, only to get there five minutes too late -- the bakery closed at 4:00. Granted, I spotted that Willie's wasn't exactly the bakery I was expecting; it was, after all, full service and I didn't see that much available if you didn't want to sit down. Nonetheless, I was still disappointed that my plans at squeezing in one extra bakery on my last day failed. I was so dejected that I went to The Market on Yates, knowing it would be the only thing open on a Saturday evening. 

An independent supermarket in downtown Victoria, The Market does feature an impressive selection of baked goods, many of which, if not everything, is made in-store by them. There's a little bit of everything, ranging from cake slices, squares, cookies, and pies: well-priced and clearly labelled. Being a supermarket, it can't come close to the treats I had at the amazing bakeries in town, but it was definitely one of the most supermarket bakeries I've encountered!  Realizing on this final day in Victoria that I had not yet had a Nanaimo Bar and my Vancouver Island trip was almost done (sadly, I didn't get the chance to stop in Nanaimo itself), I was intent on having at least one. Imagine my frustration when the shelf was empty! However, I went around the store for more and returned to find the workers cutting up slices fresh from the tin. Oh yeah! Finally, something worked out!! :)

At $1.39, these Nanaimo bars are a steal! It's been a long while since I've had a Nanaimo bar and I was really looking forward to it; one bite was enough to bring back memories from my childhood and for me to say... wait a minute this isn't right! I remember I could never get these as a kid because they were rich and creamy and bad for you; that white filling wasn't just a mass of coconut. The dark chocolate top, yes, and the brownie-like bottom with chunks of nuts in it were spot on (probably the latter being tastier now than I recall it), but a Nanaimo bar wasn't supposed to taste so... healthy? O.o At the time, I felt a little disappointed , but after having a real Nanaimo bar at another bakery and nearly puking halfway in from the overwhelming amount of calories, I came to appreciate The Market's take on this rich dessert.... Despite all memories, I don't know how I'll go back to eating another authentic one, but I could have one of these coconut versions with great relish. :P

Rating: **1/2