Our Crepe [RIP]

Bakery: Our Crepe 
Address: 377 Burnhamthorpe Rd E, Mississauga ON 
Website: http://www.ourcrepe.ca/ 
Style: Polish, European... Crepes 
Price: $$-$$$ 

No, this isn't necessarily a "bakery", but well, not only am I getting a wee bit desperate (though I do have a few places still needing a review) and hey! they make their own sweets... maybe not cakes and baked goods, but it's dessert and it's yummy. And it sure beats Tim Hortons -- because, yes, when you search bakeries on Google, your map search is heavily skewed by Tim Hortons locations. Bear with me. I have two bakery reviews pending. :)

Craving some sort of cafe to just sit down and endure the miserable weather (this was following the first giant snowstorm of the season and being stranded at home for two days) inside, we somehow got the car over to Our Crepe. Yes, it was a bit of a drive, but really, there aren't that many cafes where you can go for the food (versus for the wifi and coffee a la Starbucks -_-) and I've been wanting to try this place. Our Crepe is the Canadian (the only North American, for that matter) and second international location of the Nasz Naleśnik franchise from Poland (which I can't say I've heard of and neither has any of my family, but then again none of us hail from Warsaw ^^;;). They carry a large variety of crepes, both sweet and savoury (and well priced got drinks to accompany them) and are open from late breakfast/brunch to dinner. Perhaps it's more busy during mealtimes or it was the horrendous weather, but coming at tea time (3:00), it was well, empty. 

So, we, quite naturally, took a crepe to try (horrible pictures courtesy of the phone). One must try the specialty, of course. Their sweet selections include crepes stuffed with fruit, ricotta cheese, or the traditionally French variety with Nutella. Pretty much all are the same price ($7.49), although I have to say that some are more worth the price than others. Looking through the selections, absolutely nothing gives this place away as being Polish and even the varieties aren't in-your-face Polish either (though crepes are really such a pan-European thing with a lot of countries having their own version). We were, in fact, a little confused. Nonetheless, as the brother was treating all three of us, he picked out the flavour, one of the more unusual offerings: walnuts, almonds, honey, and whipped cream. ($7.49) This was... rich. I suppose the ingredients enough would tell you that. :P The fillings, I have to say, weren't the most generous -- I myself wouldn't even include the whipped cream as a topping; not that you needed more whipped cream, but nonetheless... It was quite good though; slightly thicker than French version and equally decadent. 

The second item was the new waffle -- ha ha, actually this was the reason we came. ^.^ My mom had read somewhere (most likely in her Polish newspapers) that Our Crepe now had gofry (a.k.a. waffles, Polish style; $4.99), so we just couldn't help trying one out. The last time I had real gofry (since I won't count the ones my mom made, as they just didn't cut it), they were... amazing! *-* Who can forget the heaping whipped cream, spread all over the top. Here, you can have it any way you want it (fruit, Nutella, etc.), but I wanted the whipped cream. Sadly, it wasn't the same as the one I had had. Spreading it out onto all the squares was a little difficult and the outside edge ended up having no whipped cream. It's no fun without whipped cream, though the dough itself was delicious (everyone agreed): crunchier on the outside, and soft, dense, and chewy on the inside. Mmmm... good stuff! 

Sure, Our Crepe doesn't beat a bakery, certainly not the good ones, at any rate (though it beats the not so good ones), but it's a tasty option in big-chain-dominated Mississauga.

Rating: ***

Au Kouign-Amann [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Pâtisserie Au Kouign-Amann
Address: 322 Avenue du Mont-Royal E, Montreal QC
Website: n/a
Style: French
Price: $$ 

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about what bakeries I would give a five-star rating and realized that not a lot of what I've tried has that 'wow factor'. The Danish Pastry House definitely has wow factor, and so does that French bakery with those doughnuts [editor's note: he's talking about Le Thobors and I will second that ^.^] In Montreal, there's Wawel -- that was really great too, though I haven't had in so long that I kind of forget it and I think that's really it. I haven't really travelled around and tried something else, but I can't say anything ever stands out for me here. But Kouign-Amann definitely has wow factor. Because it's more fresh in my mind than some sort of the other bakeries, this is even one of the first places I think of. Every time I think back to it, I can't believe how good it was.

I went with my brother and I can't believe that he actually didn't think of taking the thing the place is named after. That's the Kouign-Amann ($1.95). It's like this big layered pie of flaky dough just dripping in butter and you order it by slices.

I don't remember what else they have, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a lot of variety. I really don't know what else they had now, because all I bought was the Kouign-Amann. And next time, I'd probably come back for it again. This deserves a perfect rating and is one of the best baked goods I've eaten.

[EDIT] I only had to add (this being Mimi) that I agree wholeheartedly with everything written here and couldn't have written it differently myself. Au Kouign Amann is one of THE best bakeries I've gone to and is now a must-visit every time I'm in Montreal and every time I get it, this delectable butter and sugar pie blows my mind. I simply cannot believe how good this thing is. Always the same, always fresh. This is absolutely heavenly. There is a reason why these guys are constantly baking these throughout the day: they sell out fast and I know why! 

Rating: ****

Latin Taste

Bakery: Latin Taste
Address: 200 Baldwin St, Toronto ON
Website: n/a
Style: Mexican, South American
Price: $

On a somewhat recent trip to Kensington Market, one brother returned with a box of Mexican pastries, to my complete surprise, since I thought I was aware of all the bakeries (and businesses, in fact) in the market. Not remembering what it was called, he told me where it was located, and even this didn't do much. In fact, it took a trip back myself to get the name and address of this nonexistent business.

However, the goods themselves existed, ha ha ha, so here's the review. Like many, if not all, South American or Mexican "bakeries", this is a mix of traditional pastries and usually the more popular hot, savoury food, namely empanadas (which the brother likewise tried as his lunch and really enjoyed, so there's another recommendation for you). Like almost all Latino 'bakeries', this place is cheap, with everything costing at around $1.25, and you're sure to get your fill, especially of dulce de leche, with which all pastries are stuffed rather too generously; that is, unless you absolutely love the stuff. In that case, this might be the best place to fulfill that crazing. ;)

So he ended up getting quite a few things, many of which were pretty much variations on the puff pastry dough and creamy, caramel-like filling, one resembling more of a fan (more dough, less filling) and the other looking like a... pig in a blanket ^^; with the dough being slightly denser and covered in choco-vanilla glaze on the latter. A more decadent version was the sandwich cookie, with dulce de leche in the middle (and meringue? what is that??), two puff pastry cookies, and chocolate shavings and icing sugar on top.

Slightly different was the other cookie (an alfajor) which the brother thought to be filled with guava (a little like the Colombian version), so I claimed this exclusively for myself. Well, underneath that coconut was... you guessed it, more dulce de leche, this time sandwiched between two downright delicious shortbread cookies, not too hard.

Ha ha I have to say I wasn't too thrilled before trying it, since I got this impression it would just be this butterscotch-y concoction (something I don't like), but after the first bite, it starts getting to you and I thought that well, this wasn't bad at all. The brother responsible for the purchases was likewise pleased with his discovery; he thought it one of the best Latin/South American baked goods he's tried. And oh, don't forget your churro either... which doesn't come filled with that omnipresent dulce de leche cream (and is quite possibly the least photogenic baked good in existence)! :P

Rating: ***

@ Le Massif de Charlevoix [International Correspondent]

Bakery?: Le Massif de Charlevoix
Address: Quebec City-La Malbaie 
Style: Canadian, Quebecois, French 
Price: $$$

As a major part of my summer journey to the Charlevoix region, I took the train from Quebec City to La Malbaie. This trip not only entailed a breathtaking glimpse of the surrounding nature, including many sightseeing stops along the way, but included a delicious, unending sampling of food, highlighting local talent and ingredients such as Charlevoix veal and fresh produce, which was included in the price of the $275 ticket (the journey is to La Malbaie and then back).

Following each meal, there was also opportunity to taste some delectable, bite-size desserts with coffee or tea (along with a digestif afterwards), including -- though certainly not limited to -- locally picked berries in cream or dark chocolate macarons, always with unique and colourful arrangements. Everything I had the chance to try was always very, very good and of the highest quality; in fact, I constantly had the impression that I was dining at a five-star restaurant. I would definitely recommend Le Massif de Charlevoix, the train (as there is likewise the ski resort), not only for the scenery, but for the food as well as the dessert. This was indeed worthy of a four-star experience.

Rating: ****

Vars Deli

Bakery: Vars Deli 
Address: 380 Kerr St, Oakville ON 
Website: n/a
Style: Polish 
Price: $-$$ 

So my mom swears that she never noticed this small Polish deli on Kerr st (in the Kerr Village shopping strip), but I have a feeling that it's been there a lot longer than she thinks -- though she did let me know that the Venezuelan place across the street is gone and a (another??) high-end patisserie is slotted to open in its place. The signs in the windows advertising pierogies and cabbage rolls just look like I've seen this place before, although I'm hardly ever here.

Nonetheless, this is an old-school small Polish deli selling homemade ready food and savoury items as well as -- surprisingly enough -- homemade baked goods! Sure, they don't have a lot of selection and there isn't a lot of anything, so it looks like everything is baked and sold daily (it certainly tasted like that too), but it is SO refreshing to have a place not have their pączki delivered to the store from the commercial bakeries, like so many small delis, and then sold cold and stale. And while they don't have any cakes or pastries, they do have the traditional yeast baked goods, namely sweet cheese buns and... poppy seed goods. Yup, they know how to get me excited! :D

Despite having poppy seed buns, my mom got me the poppy seed loaf ($2.50, sold as half a loaf) which looked unique and filled with poppy seeds. And it was! I'd call it a mix between sweet challah bread and a traditional poppy seed roll (makowiec) The dough was very light and airy while the poppy seed mass was delicious; team that up with the bit of crumble and icing on top -- delicious! And it does need to be said: having it nice and fresh really helped.

My mom also bought pączki ($0.99/each) for everyone, because she said they looked different and small-batch. A little more expensive than your typical place, they were nevertheless really good and certainly tasted a little different than your typical ones, especially the denser dough, though I have to say I'll always prefer the glaze over powdered sugar. .__.;; All are stuffed with strawberry filling (it doesn't say so).

This place was actually a little bit of a surprise -- I certainly didn't expect to find homemade baked goods at such a small place... and I certainly didn't anticipate both things sampled being so good! :P

Rating: ***

Sweet Boutique

Bakery: Sweet Boutique 
Address: 471 Jevlan Dr, Woodbridge ON 
Website: http://www.sweetboutique.ca/
Style: Italian 
Price: $$ 

Sweet Boutique is the third and final bakery I got to sample when the brother went to Woodbridge last week and brought back a few boxes of treats. These guys are certainly the fanciest -- judging by their over-the-top, red and gold packaging (apparently the worker couldn't handle it and the manager was called in) they could even add 'the pasticceria with bling' as a subtitle -- and the ones worthiest of the title of a real deal pasticceria, with plenty of pastries and cakes to choose from. To no doubt further enhance this uh, fanciness, the pastries (at $1.75 each) were all quite tiny. Actually, they were literally bite-size and it was a little difficult to really savour them. Splitting them so that everyone can try a little of everything (for the sake of the Cake Tour and a fairer opinion, this is often the case) was impossible. However, the mini pastries *do* allow you to try multiple varieties without feeling too guilty. ;)

Presented on a golden platter (included with purchase :D), the brother picked out four different pastries: an eclair (not sure what to call it), a rum baba, a zeppola, and an eensy weensy cannolino. And it turns out that a lot of the online reviews are right with this one (making a list for the brother of bakery locations, this place regularly came up as the best in Woodbridge): Sweet Boutique makes some good pastries. It's a bit of a shame that they came a little too long after the Great Zeppola Challenge.. maybe next year. Nevertheless, there were rave reviews from everywhere here as well. Despite the size, the zeppola had a healthy dose of amarena cherries and cream, the cannoli were likewise excellent as was the eclair (filled not with white cream, but with chocolate). And that rum baba! Whoa, that was indeed a notable treat. ^.^ The tray underneath it was wet with excess liquor! It was literally soaking.

Yes, Sweet Boutique is definitely worth a visit and came out as champion in the three-bakery trial (though Emily's came up a very, very close second).

Rating: ***1/2

Emily's Bakery

Bakery: Emily's Bakery
Address: 9591 Weston Rd, Woodbridge ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Italian
Price: $ 

Having for some months become hopelessly addicted to the Delicious Emily's computer game franchise, the first thing that pops into my head when I think of Emily's Bakery is the omnipresent theme song from the game. Not that you needed to know that. :D

Anyways, Emily's Bakery was the second stop on the brother's relatively small tour of Italian bakeries in Woodbridge (there are a lot more to go, that's for sure) and, simply from customers flocking to it, the most popular/crowded of the three he went to. Despite the name, it's more aptly a deli with imported products, cold cuts counter and, I believe, the usual, famous hot table, but there are nonetheless plenty of pastries at great prices -- I'm sure if all are priced the same, but dividing the sub total (with taxes), I got $1.67 for decently sized, quality pastries. That's well priced! And they were good too!

This time, we got three types of pastry for sampling: the all too famous cannoli with cheese filling which were thought to be really good by everyone. Actually, those who did try it all claim the same thing: probably the best cannoli they've had. Great filling, great shell.

Second on the list was... I have no idea what to call it: the walnut ball. A walnut cake rolled into a ball and coated with thick glaze and a little bit of walnut on top. This one was, as can be expected, pretty nutty and reminiscent of carrot cake or almost a spice cake, if you like. If you don't expect anything else besides this, it was another good find.

Finally, there was the uh, snail. Whether it's supposed to be a snail or not, it does look like one. See it? With the shell in the back. Yes, yes? Ahem, so even if you don't, this was really tasty. Mmmm... The pastry shell was very generously stuffed with the same, tasty cheese cream as the cannoli with a little swirl of chocolate cream on top that tasted like pureed Baci chocolates. Really good. *-*

So what's the overall opinion? There must be a reason why this place was full! Affordable, great-tasting pastries is what you can expect from Emily's -- definitely recommended.

Rating: ***1/2

Baked Goods by Maria

At Home with: Maria
Location: North Sweden

This is a fairly long time coming, mainly because once I finished with my World Tours, I completely forgot about it. .__. And because it won't look so nice as my tummy remembers it given that I was too cowardly to be caught with a camera, taking a picture of any of the yummy goodies I sampled...

Nevertheless, this past summer, I did another volunteering spiel, this time in North Sweden, very near the Finnish border, and this time, there were a lot of delicious memories to take along with me. ^-^ Towards the end of my stay, there had begun a conversation regarding my hostess' cooking and how they -- my hosts -- could open up some sort of lunchtime cafe or something along those lines because it was so good. Not to wholly disagree with this idea, they should just open a cafe serving coffee and cakes, and I'm referring to mostly the latter. To say I ate well would almost be an understatement! I was, to be quite honest with you, a little spoiled with dessert served daily in the form of delicious lingonberry cake squares or warm pancakes with jam and cream. Yum! *-*

Not to mention the fact that everything was gluten-free. I've spotted a few bakeries here serving a few nut- or gluten-free items and, to be quite honest with you, I do feel sorry for those that have special diets, simply because the things offered don't look at all good and are mostly targeted towards young kids with chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I don't see why there can't exist a little creativity out there. Seriously, Maria could start a baking revolution!! ;D

On top of everything else, there was the crème de la crème of everything and anything offered me during my whole trip of two months and three countries: the cloudberry torte. Holy-moly! O_O Get this: layers of alternating sponge cake and cream mass, including whipped cream, freshly picked cloudberries, and vanilla ice cream. Whoa, it was heavenly! As pathetic as it sounds, it was one of the highlights of north Sweden. Lol!

So, in the end, I'd just like to say: thank you for the dessert (and that famous torte!), Maria! :)