Au Pain Doré

Bakery: Au pain doré
Address: 1415 rue Peel, Montreal QC 
Website: http://aupaindore.com/
Style: French
Price: $$ 

 Another stop in Montreal. :)

Mmm.. I love Au pain doré! *-* Even before the Cake Tour, I would regularly stop in here during my trips to Montreal for a chausson aux pommes or another one of their absolutely delectable, buttery baked goods. And their cakes look even more heavenly! In the beginning, I never noticed the name and thought that this place and Première Moisson (another Montreal must-visit) were one and the same. Both are chains (with these guys having three locations, PM having more) and both succeed in proving to you that French baking and pastries are indeed freakin' amazing. ;)

Ahem, despite the somewhat cramped (rather, always crowded) Peel store, they have so much selection in all things sweet (breads and sandwiches as well, but who cares about that? :P): fruit tarts, macarons, elaborate pastries, croissants -- you name it. Actually, out of the five bakery visits this time around, this was the only place where I was unsure of what to pick, simply because so much stuffed looked so good! And that was at 5pm, a deadly time elsewhere. Nonetheless, let's just get right to the purchases:

This time around, I picked out two items (photographed with absolutely horrendous lighting x_x): the first thing I had here, the chausson aux pommes (apple turnover; $2-something), a thick pocket of flaky buttery dough folded over and filled almost to bursting with apple sauce. This is really good, especially the dough.

The next purchase was a breton (around $2), a sort of cookie made with almond paste. The description in store resembling that of a gâteau basque (oh the wonderful memories) made me grab it (the last one!) immediately and indeed, the texture is quite similar with that rich, semi-moist denseness that has to be almonds, although, as the description indicated, it was more of a cookie than a cake, but this is not a bad thing. I mean, imagine if cookies were all like this! I'd be a happy girl. :P Slightly dry/burnt along the edge, but other than that, another great find. Nothing from this place has ever disappointed, that's for sure!

Rating: ***1/2

Herrle's Country Farm Market

Bakery: Herrle's Country Farm Market
Address: 1243 Erb's Road, St Agatha ON
Website: http://herrles.com/
Style: Canadian, North American
Price: $$ 

So here comes another unofficial bakery, but as the brothers stopped here and brought back baked goods, I thought why not? ;) In addition to their fruits and veggies up for sale, this place also features two types of boxed buns (if I recall them telling me, there was nothing else besides this): cinnamon buns and Chelsea buns, both at $5.59 a box.

Thinking he had never had Chelsea buns before, one brother picked these out: pretty much sticky buns coated with a clear, sugary syrup and topped with a bit of chopped walnuts. The verdict was fairly unanimous: it certainly won't beat a bakery and it didn't have that homemade yum to it either. The buns were too doughy with not enough rolled in between for there to be any real flavour. The sugary glaze was too overpowering and there weren't enough nuts either. Regardless, I'd certainly get the cinnamon buns next time, but sticky buns have never been my thing.

Overall, it's a good thing to try while buying something else in store, just when you're in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip here for the baked goods. I was going to say there's Anna Mae's for that, but the brothers are saying they aren't close to each other, so uh... there goes that line. :P

Rating: **

Anna Mae's Bakery and Restaurant

Bakery: Anna Mae's B&R 
Address: 4060 Line 72, Millbank ON 
Website: http://www.annamaes.ca
Style: Canadian, Mennonite 
Price: $-$$ 

 A moment many have been waiting for... okay, maybe not, but there's nothing wrong with blowing things up a little. Uh, yes, so we're back to more local bakeries! World Tour 2013 is at an end (though I still have to write up a few "at home with..." segments)! :( In the two months I was scouring three countries (four if you count the one trip in Finland), the brothers covered a few places, but before that I have a few I did upon my return. Oh, the excitement~~

Anna Mae's, in the heart of Mennonite country, has apparently been on my brother's must-visit list for the longest time -- every time he's in the Kitchener-Waterloo, he's wanted to come and try their "famous" broasted chicken. Of course, when there, he absolutely had to try the bakery as well... at least, he *better* have been thinking that. Anything else would have been unforgivable. O_O Then again, the idiot bought three apple fritters for five people and that right there is equally unbelievable...

Nevertheless, he went and did bring back something for the Cake Tour. :) These guys seem to pride themselves on their simple ("rustic" if you prefer to be fancy ^^;;) Mennonite-style food and baked goods. With the latter, it's almost guaranteed you'll see two things: pies and apple fritters. And indeed, we got pies and apple fritters this time around too!

Firstly, they picked out a raspberry pie ($8.99), which looked good: homemade raspberry filling and pretty pie shell. As raspberry is not the easiest to get on the pie market, it was an exciting find, although cutting into it, you begin to realize that something that would normally be good (lots of filling) is not so good when it's in excess. That was the problem here. There was simply *too* much pie filling, way too much, and not enough dough for it. At one point, I began scraping it off and it became apparent that there's enough filling on this thing for two pies, not one. Had this been more like jam or just pureed fruit, I think it would have been delicious on its own, kind of like a cobbler of sorts, but it also happened to be really thick (too much starch) and well, it was gloop. And I'm not a fan of gloop. :| Amazing concept, too much gloop.


Next up were their apple fritters (around $0.80 each). Seriously, three apple fritters, five people. This is what happens when you send three morons out to "get baked goods for everyone". After much dispute, I ended up with half a fritter, and it was a lovely half a fritter. *-* Mmmm... perfect icing, great soft dough, plenty of apple chunks -- this is what apple fritters should be! An excellent, excellent example -- and imagine how many you could get for the price of that pie!

Rating: ***

La Brioche Lyonnaise [RIP]

Bakery: La Brioche Lyonnaise 
Address: 1593 rue St Denis, Montreal 
Website: http://www.labriochelyonnaise.com/
Style: French 
Price: $$ 

I was in Montreal a few weeks ago for their film festival (as always) and for two of those, that involved heading over to the Latin Quarter. Tweaking Google maps to show you bakery locations, this place pops up as one of the only in the area. In an old tour guide of Montreal my brother found, La Brioche Lyonnaise is listed as one of the quintessential patisseries to try while in Montreal, and yet I really can't ever find that much here. I popped in last year and left just as quickly -- on an afternoon, there was nothing sweet except a few large (as in for six people) fruit tarts. This time around, it was a little sooner and only slightly better (with a few slices of something chocolate-y and maybe some macarons, maybe, if I remember correctly). Not wanting to walk around with their few pastry options, I took the last raisin bun and there were a handful of croissants left. Despite the tour guide (and their own sign), I don't see them as a patisserie, but just a cafe for crepes, quiches, and sandwiches. Breakfast and lunch and nothing else was my impression of it. :/


Nonetheless, I did finally buy something! As mentioned above, it was the last raisin bun (around $2.50). I myself don't exactly like raisins, so I wasn't too eager to try this, although the raisins weren't that overpowering (as in, there weren't that many -- if you like raisins, this might be a minus) Great buttery dough though! Ha ha I didn't have nearly enough good, buttery buns in Sweden, so this was a nice thing, although I really can't expect any less from French viennoiseries. ;P A little too much glaze, in my opinion, but not bad. Maybe next film festival, I won't be in such a rush, sit down and try a cake or something, though I just wish there was more selection in this as well! I'm not here for the quiche! ;)

Rating: **1/2

@ Stockholm Arlanda Airport [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery?: Arlanda airport
Address: Stockholm
Style: Swedish
Price: $$

This was officially my last visit on the Stockholm Cake Tour -- I wasn't even thinking of putting this up, but then I looked back and discovered that I actually have quite a few unofficial Cake Tours in airports (and trains) from a few countries... which means I can put them up as well, although I'll write up my pending local bakeries, fear you not. :) They're certainly not bakeries and them baking the goods themselves is highly improbable, but they're still unique treats.. and sometimes not as bad as you might expect from commercial food for the masses. So, away we go to those treats eaten uh, on the go. ;D

Essentially, Stockholm Arlanda is pretty good in terms of food options past the security check. They have a few cafeteria-like places along the duty-free corridor and, as is usually the case, the one directly on the other side had the best prices and it only goes up the closer you get to the gates, although by far the most impressive was the one attached to Street Food by Marcus Samuelsson, with cake slices and delicious-looking buns. However, at 28kr for a cinnamon bun, it's worth walking back to stand #1... unless you're absolutely intent on spending the last of your kronar (I did so at the Swedish food shop ^^;).


Given that airports are some of the most overpriced places ever, getting a cinnamon bun (my last in Sweden ;_;) for 24kr (or was it 22kr?) wasn't bad, as you can pay the same throughout the city itself, although it certainly didn't beat that many bakeries and the selection wasn't so great either. Perhaps if they substituted chocolate muffins for something more... authentic and original? The dough was different than the usual fluffy and yeasty bun and was more hard and dense -- perhaps so that it can sit longer. Team that up with not enough cinnamon in between the rolls and simply way way too much rock sugar -- the feeling I got eating this was of hard candy. With every bite, you had that crunch in your mouth and that wasn't very pleasant. :/

So, maybe it is worth those extra four kronar after all to go down the corridor, not sure. At any rate, there is a choice, not a big or cheap one, and not really a knock-your-socks-off one either, but it's there.

Rating: **

Kökugerð HP [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kökugerð HP 
Address: Gagnheiði 15, Selfoss [Sold at Kolaportið Flea Market] 
Website: n/a
Style: Icelandic 
Price: $$ 

This is another bakery I spotted last year, but only got a chance to try this time around. Kökugerð HP (selling under the sign "Selfoss Flatkökur" in the food court area weekends at the flea market) is a bakery from good old Selfoss (I have many, many wonderful memories of Selfoss, though I never found the original location of this place and whether they actually have a store in town), without a doubt most known (or so they themselves claim) for their "flat cakes", which are like browned, thick crepes, more savoury than sweet. This browned taste is a distinctive feature and uh, they're worth a try. :) 

However, I wasn't interested in flat cakes! (mainly because I had bought a big pack at the supermarket two days earlier ;D) The one minus of the flea market is that everything is sold "club pack". They have traditional doughnuts, all sold in big bags (around 500kr) as well as breads, pound cakes, and other goodies. 

Absolutely intent on sharing the Icelandic baked good... love, I couldn't help but try the apple cake ("eplakaka"; 600kr for a large tin that can be split 4-5 ways). Good, simple ingredients and an undeniably home baked taste: soft, airy cake topped with baked-in apple sauce, cinnamon and sugar. Not much in the looks department, this was so good in taste. Perhaps a little more apple sauce would have been nice, but the dough was so tasty nonetheless. Not too sweet, nice and soft. Even if you're not checking out the other stalls, it's worth popping in to sample these guys. :) 

Rating: ***  

Cafe Kvosin [Mimi's World Tour] [RIP]

Bakery: Cafe Kvosin
Address: Aðalstræti 6, Reykjavik 
Website: n/a 
Style: Icelandic 
Price: $-$$ 

As you may see, my World Tour for this year will soon come to a close. :( I have one more Swedish destination (the airport), but as it's not a real bakery, I can wait with that. I'd rather run away to Iceland... which can be said in any circumstances. Help me live in Iceland!!! ;__; 

Erm, in the meantime, we have Cafe Kvosin. Located in the heart of Reykjavik, it's quite easy to find and chances are, if you've walked around for a few minutes, you'll find it. ;) I noticed this place in previous years but never went, simply because I was saving it for another time (because, of course, I will always return to Reykjavik ^^) -- as it was a Sunday and the Sunday preceding the holiday weekend, the one new bakery I had seen in Vesturbær, where I was staying this time around, was closed. So I came here. Cafe Kvosin is more an eat-in bakery than an actual cafe, with the inside housing a few tables amid racks of souvenirs -- the outside had a few tables as well (with some very cold Australians XD) The bakery isn't so extensive, but features all the Icelandic classics: kleina, cinnamon buns with chocolate and pink icing, etc. No longer in Sweden (lol), I caved and went for the square... and paid less than anything bought in Sweden. I love you, Iceland. ;) 

Although the worker had a bit of trouble explaining what it was, I took this piece nevertheless (300kr) and found out afterwards -- on the plane, actually -- that this is a Hjónabandssæla, "wedded bliss cake", a crumbly square cake made of oats and whole grain flour(s) and filled with prune, rhubarb or berry jam, depending on the version. It looks simple and looks like it would taste like a cobbler or granola bar, but I really can't believe how much I enjoyed this! The dough itself wasn't as crumbly and crunchy as I had expected; in fast, it was perfectly chewy, with the right amount of homemade fruit filling. Mmm... definitely worth popping into! 

Rating: ***1/2

Gateau [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Gateau 
Address: Basement of Centralstation/T-Centralen, Stockholm
Website: http://www.gateau.se/
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$

I wasn't exactly planning on this visit on the tour, but I had a bit of time to spare before taking the train (biggest, biggest ripoff ever! And I'm not even talking about the express train. I really didn't like Stockholm. -_-) to the airport, and so I popped into this place, which I had seen a couple of times while at Central station.

Despite the French name, Gateau is a purely Swedish place and also -- so I found out from their website -- touting a stone oven. While they might not get more French than the basket of croissants, they do have cake. :) At this location, they're locked away in a wall of glass -- it's very impressive! Lovely marzipan-topped torts and strawberry cakes.... Behind the normal counter, there was also an impressive selection of "rustic" baked goods and breads, one of the more drool-inspiring displays I'd seen in Stockholm. Prices weren't exactly cheap, but well-priced, especially for the location; it is easy and convenient to just pop in on your way to well, anywhere.  :P

Knowing that I wouldn't get one any time soon, I concluded (well, somewhat, as I purchased something at the airport as well with the remainder of my kronar) my Swedish Cake Tour with... a cinnamon bun! (22kr) After all, I love Swedish cinnamon buns, even if I didn't encounter that many amazing ones, but Gateau seemed to take some pity on me... even when SL didn't. *rolls eyes* The cinnamon bun was indeed a tasty one! Perhaps not as freshly baked as I had hoped, but great texture, plenty of cinnamon rolled into the various layers and a nice sprinkling of rock sugar. I'm not sure if it was necessarily knock your socks off amazing, and I don't recall it being buttery (as it should be), but it was nonetheless a pleasant farewell.

Rating: ***

Thelins [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Thelins
Address: Sankt Eriksgatan 43, Stockholm
Website: http://asp.thelinskonditori.se/
Style: Swedish
Price: $$

Thelins was my last Cake Tour in the city of Stockholm... okay, not really, since I couldn't help but buy (or two) on the way out, but as it was my last full day in Stockholm, this was "splurge" day. So, I went to Thelins, one of the places recommended to me by Lonely Planet (though I'm not sure I can trust their opinion anymore; Cafe Saturnus' (which isn't even the name of the place?) cinnamon buns were 45kr! I thought this was the budget tourbook. :/) on their so-called "konditori tour".

To be quite honest with you, I didn't see anything really more different at Thelins than at your everyday, corner bakery -- in my head, I imagined the more prestigious names resembling French patisseries. Just like a vast number of konditori, the majority of the goods were actually lunch items like sandwiches and the sweets were relegated into a single case. I don't recall there being so many baked goods -- as I wasn't interested in them this time, I didn't make a note of it -- and there wasn't that much selection with anything else either, except four or five varieties of mazarins (almond tarts) and toscas (these almond things :P). Perhaps their specialty is almond tarts and other sweets? Oddly enough, everything was labelled, but not priced (at other establishments, it's either all or nothing), though at 26kr for an actual "pastry", they were decently priced, I suppose. Well, decently priced for Stockholm bakeries, that is. Don't start converting that... x_x

Anyways, I picked out two of those aforementioned mazariner, because well, I like Swedish almond tarts. ^^ So I picked out one apple mazarin and the other was... something with a Spanish name? Seriously, I can't remember, only that one was actually called a mazarin and the other wasn't... although it was pretty much an almond tart with a different topping. *shrugs* I paid 52kr for both. 


I always search the place I'm reviewing for the address; sometimes you get reviews along with the other results and I couldn't help but notice that Thelins actually has one of the worst overall ratings I've seen for a bakery. O_O They really weren't bad, in my opinion! Although one word kept coming up in both the English and Swedish reviews: service/personnel. The same could be said for my experience. While the worker wasn't rude or anything like that, the big minus was that she just threw in both tarts into a paper bag. I can't say I've ever gone anywhere and been given tarts as though they were croissants -- even Canadian pecan tarts, which aren't necessarily anything "fancy" or need preserving, have always been given a box. Both being topped with icing, both being sticky, they -- quite naturally -- stuck to one another and the result was a visual disaster: the apple tart had been smushed flat and the second tart had completely lost its top (and, I gather, what made it actually unique). This was glued to the bag and, after some reconstructive surgery, only half was salvaged. :/ I was really disappointed, to tell the truth. I didn't spend that little, even for Swedish standards, and was hoping for better treatment!

Taste-wise, both were quite yummy, although nothing exceptional. Both tarts were made with home-baked shells (they better!) that were quite tasty, although a little soggier than I expected. The apple mazarin was pretty much an almond tart with an additional top of chopped apples, cinnamon and a doughy top (kind of like a mini apple pie); I don't know if it necessarily matched, but I liked it. :) The second item was a little dry; the parts that actually had the nuts and raspberry were quite tasty, but just the almond filling and tart wasn't too... exciting. :(

Overall, Thelins pretty much finished off a not-so stellar tour of Stockholm -- with just two amazing bakeries out of a handful of mediocre ones. I really shouldn't have expected too much, but Thelins, I believe, was a place that should have delivered a lot more than it did.

Rating: **1/2

Nybergs Konditori [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Nybergs Konditori
Address: Norrtullsgatan 25, Stockholm
Website: http://www.nybergskonditori.se/
Style: Swedish
Price: $$$

I was in Norrtull (which seems to be what the neighbourhood around Odenplan metro station is called?) a lot during my few days in Stockholm -- this is where the good Korean restaurants are. :) So, I thought I'd try one of the few bakeries in the area. The better-looking one was closed for holidays (along with almost everything -_-) so I went to Nybergs a few buildings away. I can't say it was necessarily a smart move, given I could have gone somewhere completely different and especially when this was not a really pleasant experience. Actually, if I mentioned something was the worst Stockholm bakery beforehand, it must have been because I chose to forget about this place. x__x

*sighs* The day before, I had purchased an amazing cardamom bun for 24kr, bemoaning the price through and through, and the next day, I bought a vaniljbulle (vanilla bun) for 22kr at just your average bakery/cafe with not a lot of selection. For the place, I thought it a little too much; for what I got, it was too much. I guess it was dumb of me to take it in the first place, simply because I wanted to recreate the deliciousness of that vanilla thing from Grillska Huset. Instead, I got what was pretty much a giant doughnut (reminiscent of your classic, sugar coated jelly doughnut) filled to the brim with this think, clumpy pudding-like vanilla filling and topped with an almost solidified sugar layer. Add to that the fact that they chose to flavour it with lemon, so it was slightly sour and gave the impression of the vanilla custard or cream having gone bad. I actually ended up taking a knife and carving out all the vanilla and just eating the dough. One of the -- if not the -- worst choices I made on the trip and one of many disappointments on this leg of the tour. :(

Rating: *1/2

Fabrique Stenugnsbageri [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Fabrique Stenugnsbageri 
Address: Rosenlundsgatan 28, Stockholm
Website: http://www.fabrique.se/
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$$ 

Sadly, it was inevitable; I had to return to Stockholm eventually. I would have liked to stay north the whole time, but at least the weather pitied me -- it was pouring rain every day I was there. Nevertheless, staying in the opposite end of the city as last time allowed me to stop in a bunch of different places, Södermalm being one of them. Actually, I came upon Fabrique, a small-ish chain of stone oven bakeries in Stockholm, entirely by accident -- I was given the address of another bakery as a recommendation and either didn't manage to find it (forgot to make a note of the address, for one -_-) or it no longer existed. I'm going with the former. It was rather late in the afternoon (around 5pm) so I was happy I chanced upon *something*. 

Now, you hear of stone-oven pizza, but it's not often this applies to bread and, even more remarkable, baked goodies. Although they get bonus points for actually pricing everything, I found them quite expensive, though I would find other pricier places (and walk out :D). When you start converting prices, Stockholm gets depressing really fast... I still bought my cardamom bun (24kr), but all the while I was thinking 'this better be good for the price'. 

In a very rare example of good fortune, it was. Oh boy was it ever! As I was paying for mine, a mother and little boy came in and the kid cried out: 'I love their cinnamon buns!' -- this kid had a point. At last, a perfectly soft, buttery bun rolled with plenty of cardamom and just... worthy of Swedish baking, because almost every place in Stockholm -- with the exception of this place and the amazing Grillska Huset -- did not live up to my expectations. Mostly due to the lack of butter which is... unforgivable. *glares* So, whether it was the butter or if there was indeed a stone oven difference (I like to think there was), this was a delicious, memorable experience. Best cardamom bun. Without a doubt. 

I'm only disappointed that their new arrival -- smörbullar (trans. butter buns) with bourbon vanilla -- only showed up in August. Man, I can imagine how great those would be! *-*

Rating: ****

Nyfiket [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Nyfiket
Address: Lasarettsgatan 19, Gällivare
Website: http://www.nyfiket.nu/1.html
Style: Swedish
Price: $ 

Having a little less than an hour between my bus from Jokkmokk and my train to Stockholm, I went hunting through the dug up (it seems like the whole thing was under construction) town of Gällivare for any sort of bakery. I walked along what looked like the main street as well as the streets branching away from the train station (also closed and under construction) and found nothing at all. In the end, I was forced to walk back where the bus had gone to the cafe I remembered seeing. That was Nyfiket.

Coming here in the afternoon, I wasn't necessarily surprised to find it pretty much empty, even though the people behind me were, so I was happy that there were still some sweets available. Saran-wrapped and kept in the refrigerated case and with a typical lack of pricing, that's true, but they still had a few choices.

Having this gut feeling that I would not buy any other sort of dinner for the train (I was hoping to find some decent takeaway -- Sibylla so doesn't count :/ -- before my departure, but that never happened), I did a rare thing and bought two treats (though waaah, it would have been so better to have noticed the bakery in Jokkmokk *before* seeing it through the window of the bus ;__;): a vanilla "twist" and a cinnamon bun. At 29kr for both, these guys were decently priced.

The in-train treat was the vanilla knot which, despite the refrigeration, was in fact nice and fresh with a generous sugary crust on top, hints of cardamom in the soft dough, and a delicious, but not overwhelming gloopy filling. This certainly beat the train treat on the way there!

My breakfast (eaten once arrived at my place in Stockholm) came in the form of a cinnamon bun, likewise generously sugared. It had a more dense dough and was different in texture than the vanilla bun, but it was still tasty, despite it being 15 hours old. Actually, I kept this in my hand luggage in the train compartment and the scent of cinnamon just pervaded everything in my bag. Opening it up was a very pleasant experience. ;)

Therefore, while the town itself didn't wow me all that much (I was actually contemplating spending the night here versus Jokkmokk because the bus went here direct from Pajala, so I'm really happy I didn't do that :P), Nyfiket was worthy of a visit and just proved yet again: when in need of baked goods in Sweden, avoid Stockholm and just go north. The same can be said in general, but let's just stick to the baked goods here.

Rating: ***

Swiss Cafe Konditoria [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Swiss Cafe Konditoria 
Address: Puthaanrannantie 5, Muonio 
Website: http://www.swisscafemuonio.com/
Style: Swiss 
Price: $$

This is going to look *amazing* on my Google map, this little spot a hundred or so kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. And it's going to look amazing on the Cake Tour as well: the first Swiss bakery, the northernmost bakery in well, everywhere, one of the only 'ethnic' bakeries on my European Cake Tour and the only bakery in the town of Muonio, Finland! I am so grateful to my hosts for bringing me here; it's like they knew how impressive this would look on my little site -- thank you! *-*

Anyhow~ the name says it all. Swiss is indeed a newer Swiss (owned and operated, including the baker) cafe in Muonio, complete with faux Alpen accents, silly cows with Swiss flag motifs, and a wonderful array of only authentic cakes, pastries and squares (I believe there was just one Finnish sweet bun available). Having never been to anything Swiss before, I was a little... disheartened to find I recognized pretty much everything as you'll find similar, if not identical items at German and Austrian bakeries and confectioneries, but at the same time, I should have expected it: Sacher tortes, linzer squares, and a variety of cream cakes that are just... typically German. :P

Saying this, I have to admit I'm not too big a fan of German cakes, so I didn't want anything too, too rich (though I was at first contemplating the Sacher torte to compare it to the original; it just didn't look chocolate-y enough) and finally settled on the 'orange curd cake' (all cakes and goodies were between 3- to 4€ each; for four pieces of cake and three cups of tea, we paid 22€). In addition to this, we got a cream/fruit cake, a walnut square... and something else (I forgot :P), all with rave reviews. As for mine, it was pretty good. The curd layer was light and fluffy with a nice, mouse-like texture and a nice orange taste, which could taste overly sweet and artificial elsewhere. Nice sponge cake bottom. And you get a little chocolate macaron-like cookie with your tea too! That was a nice touch. :P

This was definitely a noteworthy -- and delicious -- introduction to Swiss baking, though, to be quite honest, it couldn't beat Maria's *amazing* cloudberry cake (future "At Home With..." post). Holy smokes, my mouth is still watering at the memory of that thing. *-*

Rating: ***

Börje Olsson Konditorier [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Börje Olsson Konditorier 
Address: Storgatan 36, Luleå
Website: n/a 
Style: Swedish 
Price: $$ 

Bakery #2 in Luleå was a wee bit of a splurge and total indulgence for me (which I pecked at for three-four days afterwards, simply because it was so big and rich), but spotting this for the first time, I absolutely had to try it. 

Börje Olsson is the only listed confectionary in Luleå's city centre; I say 'listed' because the bus to Gammelstad rode past another cafe, though it looked more like a place for coffee than sweets. Alas, my bus was 80 minutes delayed and I was unable to eat anything, let alone try another place. :/ So this was my only opportunity and what an opportunity it was! Not overly fancy, but with plenty of goodies lined up, this is a fairly well priced confectionery and cafe with most Swedish staples, although lacking variety in baked goods. Unlike other bakeries, everything was labelled and priced -- though I don't know why they took away the trays of danishes onto the back counters so you can't even see what's there.

However, this was the only time where I was actually stopped by something entirely different. A while back, I took out a new Scandinavian cookbook from the library and they had a recipe for this. I could have sworn it said this was Danish, not Swedish, but I could be wrong. At any rate, the explanation claimed that every bakery in (Denmark... could be Sweden) had this treat available -- this was the first and only time seeing it in either country: potatis bakelse (30kr). Quite literally "baked potato", this is made to resemble a potato... on the outside at least. ;) On the inside, you have the absolutely delicious though doubtless fattening combination of liquor-soaked sponge cake and whipped cream, reminiscent of prinsesskaka, another whipped cream masterpiece. ;DDD Mmmm... this is one of these things that you have/should have once in a year or so, but it was worth it. What a find (and another instance of Stockholm so not delivering)! 

Rating: ***1/2