Pâtisserie Cocobun

Bakery: Pâtisserie Cocobun
Address: 1500 Atwater Ave, Montreal, QC
Website: http://cocobun.com/
Style: Chinese
Price: $-$$

I was so convinced that I'd already done this bakery that I almost didn't take any pictures! Nevertheless, Cocobun is a small Montreal chain of Chinese bakeries, with four locations in high-traffic underground walkways in or near metro stations (which only seems to up the Asian factor). Every time I walk by this location in Alexis Nihon mall or any others, they're always busy, either with people lining up with trays of sweet and savoury buns, ordering drinks, or workers setting out another fresh batch of baked goods, whether that's Chinese classics like egg tarts and HK-style pineapple buns or a few more 'Western' ones along the lines of chausettes aux pommes and danishes. Despite this lightning-fast turnaround and some of the most reasonably-priced hot and cold tea drinks, Cocobun isn't actually the cheapest Chinese bakery on the block when it comes to those baked goods. Expect to pay on average a "whopping" $3 per item.

Montreal Chinatown used to have these amazing skewer doughnuts - the best I'd ever had - but the bakery closed and, since then, I haven't found another bakery to satisfy that greasy, freshly fried skewer doughnut fix. Sure, I could have easily picked from about a dozen other sweet buns, but at the same time... any place with skewer doughnuts will be tried for that item alone. ^^;;

 The skewer doughnut it was ($2.50). Outwardly, it brought back fond memories with its golden brown, sugared exterior and three big, puffy balls, but biting into it, I didn't find it as crispy on the outside and soft, almost moist on the inside as I wanted it to be. Of course, it was still quite good and the urge to pop into Cocobun whenever you spot one is almost irresistible, but I do have to add that it's not exactly... worth the price. Montreal has an amazing doughnut scene and for that price you could get some really, really good stuff. Fills the need for something sweet on the go without necessarily satisfying any cravings.

Rating: ***