Loukoumania Cafe

Bakery: Loukoumania Cafe
Address: 3120 Rutherford Rd Unit 10, Concord, ON 
Website: https://www.loukoumania.ca/
Style: Greek
Price: $$ 

I can't even remember the last time I encountered a new 4-star sweet spot in the GTA - it's been a long time! I'd driven past Loukoumania a couple times and kept saying I'd give it a try in the future. The idea of a cafe specializing in the greatest of Greek pastries - loukoumades - was certainly an appealing one, though having tried them elsewhere, I wasn't really prepared for how good the ones from Loukoumania were.
 The one thing Loukoumania definitely has going in their favour is that their loukoumades - honey-soaked dough balls - are made to order so they're not sitting around at room temperature all day, getting soggy and losing the incredible crunchy outer layer they have when freshly made. Of course you have to bypass all the gimmicks and go with their traditional, in as big a pack as possible ($16.95 for 36). They're soaked in honey and dusted in cinnamon, deliciously crunchy on the outside and, with a quick crack, you have a moist spongy centre. These were a transcendental experience - I'll never look at loukoumades the same again!

Rating: ****

Fugetsu-do [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Fugetsu-do (風月堂)
Address: 2 Chome-1-3 Kawayuonsen, Teshikaga, Kawakami District, Hokkaido
Website: n/a
Style: Japanese
Price: $$

After a disastrous and downright humiliating trip to what is listed online as the only "bakery" in the village of Kawayuonsen (there are two next to the train station a few kilometres away), I was beginning to lose hope that there was a bakery here. However, there is a cluttered knickknack/cafe and confectionery on the main street that seems to always look closed and outwardly resembles a convenience store. Despite the closed, albeit unlocked, doors, minimal lighting and complete lack of staff until you make enough noise, this rather eclectic spot has a surprising array of pretty cake slices, gift boxes and other treats.
Their signature item - as the countless newspaper articles and increased signage indicate - is without a doubt the "ponta" cake (250 yen), an adorable slice of chocolate cream cake with a little raccoon popping out of the top. Despite not being a big chocolate cake fan, I decided to give it a try. It's a good thing I did - this was absolutely delicious! Not only was it very fresh, the cake was unbelievably complex with layers that included vanilla and chocolate cake, white cream, orange jam and nuts - not to mention the chocolate coating on top and soft meringue underneath the cute critter's face. Amazing.
I also took a rhubarb cream cookie (160 yen). One, because I can't remember seeing anything with rhubarb in Japan. Two, because it seemed like another specialty, especially as there were multiple flavours of cream filling. The cookie was soft and slightly airy with a delicious brown sugar streusel top. There was just the right amount of cream in the middle so it wasn't too rich combined with a slightly tart rhubarb jam. Maybe it wasn't on the same level as that chocolate cake, but it was excellent nonetheless. What a totally unexpected hit!

Rating: ****

Pan de Pan [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Pan de Pan 
Address: 1 Chome-6-6 Akancho Akankoonsen, Kushiro, Hokkaido
Website: https://tsurugasp.com/akan-pandepan/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$

This, the only bakery in the hot spring town of Akanko Onsen, is a cute, incredibly red space with a small selection of baked goods, both sweet and savoury, laid out on wooden planks, some pastries and a few gourmet products scattered here and there. There are quite a bit of larger loaves of bread and repeat products taking up room, making the assortment look bigger and more varied than it really is. Prices are good, especially considering that they've got a monopoly in town and are located in one of the larger hotels.
 Bypassing all the usual Japanese bakery classics, I went with their seasonal special: the pumpkin danish (80 yen each). I love pumpkin baked goods and I even had a few really tasty ones on this particular trip, so I was pretty disappointed to find that the pumpkin filling had almost a savoury taste to it, despite the fact that the danish itself - too soft for my liking - was clearly a sweet baked good. The pumpkin, on the other hand, wasn't sweet at all and was literally just mashed pumpkin. It hadn't been seasoned or spiced in any way and had the texture and blandness of sweet potato. Certainly not what I was thinking about when it came to pumpkin pastries. This was all trick, no treat. x__x

Rating: **