Cafe Aroma Latino

Bakery: Cafe Aroma Latino
Address: 5780 North St, Halifax NS
Website: n/a
Style: Mexican, South American 
Price: $

This is my final "Great Canadian" Cake Tour of the year; well, this is the last stop on my trip to the Maritimes a couple months ago and it's taken me this long to finish things up. Nevertheless, Cafe Aroma Latino, though I had wanted to try it and someone I know recommended it as a budget-friendly, tasty place for food, was actually my plan B. I had yet again tried the local market a couple doors down and found nothing -- this time, they did have a tray, with corresponding prices, but everything was gone! -.- So, off to Cafe Aroma Latino I went!

Cafe Aroma Latino specializes in, as the name suggests, pan-South and Central American foods, both savoury and sweet. It features a hodgepodge of small, well-priced dishes with a description and country of origin written beside each item. The selection isn't huge, but it's interesting with its choice of cheese stuffed items (such as arepas done more than one way) and, of course, there are several (rum-soaked) cake slices (at around $2.50 each) to choose from. That's what I'm talking about! ;) Unfortunately, it seems to be just my luck that the aforementioned cake was unavailable that day (as was another similar one) and, stating that I wanted to save this for my train trip the following day, the worker recommended I grab a sweet empanada instead. (around $1)

Sweet empanadas, por favor! :P

Well, no rum cake for me. :( But I take up the advice and got, among other savoury items, a sweet empanada. Normally, one would associate empanadas with meat fillings, but there are countless sweet variations. The shell was similar, if not identical, to the savoury kind, though perhaps slightly on the sweeter side. The filling was pretty interesting and, in fact, not exactly what I was expecting, though I'm not sure what I *was* expecting... It was a flavour-packed, delicately spiced fruit paste filling, though I have a hard time pinpointing the actual fruit used. I want to say fig because of the small seeds and dark pulp, but I don't think it was fig. It has so boggled me, I even did research and can't come up with a definitive answer; authentic sweet empanadas are stuffed with anything from pear, pumpkin, rice, to a variety of tropical fruits I've never heard of. To be quite honest with you, I liked the Colombian arepa (cassava patties stuffed with cheese) the most of the items I got, but the empanada was, nonetheless, a tasty and unique treat.

Rating: **1/2

Madison Sweets [International Correspondent] [RIP]

Bakery: Madison Sweets
Address: 511 State St, Madison WI
Website: http://www.mysweetmadison.com
Style: American
Price: $-$$ 

This is finally the last place we went to during our road trip! It was actually the first "bakery" we went to; we just wrote down the wrong name and neither of us could figure out what this place was called. The only thing is that we didn't buy any baked goods or cakes here. I wanted to, but you have to buy a whole cake (I wanted the Guiness cake) and no one wanted to split it and someone was getting mad at me for wanting a whole cake "on the very first day", whatever that's supposed to mean. [editor's note: please calm down... and why on earth are these photographed on a piece of paper towel?!? x_x]

Different flavours of chocolate truffles

The only reason we walked into this cake and chocolate shop was because we walked by and thought it would probably make a good stop to put on the map, especially when this was our first time in Wisconsin. I was a little disappointed that it was pretty much a cupcake place and nothing really attracted my attention, except the Guiness cake I already mentioned. I didn't want a cupcake and so we were pretty much left with the chocolate truffles. I don't know if that even counts as reviewing the store, but the truffles were probably the best thing there, but I like chocolate.

The small chocolate truffle balls ($0.97 each) had hard shells and a soft interior, the variety depending on the decorations on top. These were rather good, which I would expect from a chocolate shop, but at the same time I can't say they were amazing either. I would have probably preferred the Guiness cake or any other chocolate cake they had on sale, though I don't know how much I'd like it. Pretty good.

Rating: **1/2

Kevin's Taiyaki

Bakery?: Kevin's Taiyaki 
Address: Inside PAT Mart (675 Bloor St W, Toronto ON + other locations) 
Website: n/a
Style: Korean, Japanese
Price: $-$$

Eep, you do know this isn't really a bakery?

Well, it's not quite a bakery, but seeing as someone brought back a whole box once, I was inspired and decided to make a tour of it. ;) Kevin's Taiyaki operates out of small stands in mostly Korean supermarkets  throughout the GTA and some of their products are available in Oriental supermarkets, even when they don't make them on-site. As unbelievable as it seems Kevin's has indeed clamped down on the taiyaki market (if such a thing can even exist) and turned it into a empire.

More specifically, taiyaki are traditional fish-shaped waffles with a variety of fillings: you have a choice between the classic red bean, custard, green bean, and black sesame. Baked constantly throughout the day, these come fresh and are best enjoyed that way, losing some of their "pow" when eaten the following day, for instance. An idea, in that case, is to stick them in the toaster, which works unless the filling somehow starts oozing....

"Contains no fish" (reading that always makes me laugh...)

At any rate, I had the choice of sampling two flavours: red bean and custard. ($1.50 each) Custard is certainly the most "approachable" flavour for non-Asians, although the red bean was unanimously the best, both fresh and reheated. The dough was slightly crunchy with a soft, warm filling on the inside. The custard was pretty good upon purchase, but later on, it didn't hold up as well. It certainly doesn't work so well, regardless of the fact the waffle itself is the same, in the toaster. I thought the custard a little too set, especially when custards and creams found in Korean buns are generally... exceptional. *-*

Overall: Kevin's makes a tasty, impromptu snack while/after grocery shopping, but it's not really anything to write home about... rather, bring home. ;)

Rating: **1/2

Coffee Matters

Bakery: Coffee Matters 
Address: 1 Military Rd, St. John's NL
Website: http://www.coffeematters.ca/
Style: Canadian
Price: $$ 

A cold Sunday morning was the setting for my last day of cake touring (and my last day in St. John's) and it proved to be unsuccessful one, at least at first. One bakery showing up on Google no longer existed, another was considered a bakery on Google and was a restaurant, and yet another was closed that day. Dejected and depressed, but not wanting to ruin the rest of my plans by going off in some other directions, I walked past this coffee place and thought that I could pop in for some coffee and to sit down/warm up before the rest of my long walk Upon entering, I noticed that the sign also said that they have pastries. All was not in vain!!! ^o^ Now, Coffee Matters is a coffee place, serving  well-sized, tasty mugs of the stuff, but they have a pretty impressive selection for what they are of cake slices, squares, and scones. And I might be forgetting something even then.

And a partridgeberry in a pear tree~! :D (excuse me...)

Thus, in addition to the coffee, I grabbed myself a partridgeberry square (around $2-2.50; prices for baked goods are not listed), since I knew I wouldn't be able to find this anywhere else. In fact, I was very happy to get a chance to try some baked goods using local and unique ingredients. I learned from the liquor store label for lingonberry liquor that partridgeberry is the name for this small, tart red berry that I can only get here frozen and imported from Europe. That being said, I love baking with lingonberries: Finnish spice cake, Swedish "queen" cake with vanilla sauce, or lingonberry squares that look just like these ones. I couldn't wait to try this wholly Canadian version and it was a winner. :) Personally, I would have liked to have it slightly more sour (i.e. with less sugar in the fruit filling) so as to bring out more of the distinct flavour of the berry, but it was still delicious as it was: a nice amount of fruit filling and a great oat crumble reminiscent of date squares. Mmm... what a find, and just when I had given up hope on a final Cake Tour in St. John's/Newfoundland! :)

Rating: ***1/2 

Jacobs Lefse Bakari [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Jacobs Lefse Bakari
Address: 221 Central Ave, Osakis MN
Website: http://www.gotlefse.com
Style: Norwegian
Price: $$ 

We pulled over to use the bathroom or have lunch on our drive from Madison WI (where we spent the first night on our road trip) to Winnipeg and we randomly came across a Norwegian bakery. I'm not really a bakery fanatic [editor's note: *glare*]  myself, but even I was amazed at finding a Norwegian bakery at all, let alone in the middle of Minnesota. Although we weren't given any real guidelines about finding bakeries in the 1.5 days we spent driving through the US, we still thought this would make a great cake tour, both due to its location and style.

Almond loaf cake was soft and fairly good

I suppose that the main item at Jacobs is the lefse: flat, crepe-like pancakes. I already had some when I was in Norway several years ago (on the train from Bergen to Oslo, in fact) and thought them nothing really special. [editor's note: no matter where they go, they just can't be trusted! AND then they go ahead and photograph the thing on a paper towel!?! ;___;] Just crepes served with jam. And here you just buy the pancakes (without jam or cream), I think, and so I decided not to get them, but instead picked the almond cake ($5.00). The cake was a loaf-style almond cake with marzipan and coated with almonds and powdered sugar. It was soft and moist, but not the greatest ingredients list (especially disappointing for what looks like a small enterprise). It was good, but nothing special. I suppose the fact that it's Norwegian is the most remarkable and unbelievable of all.

Rating: **1/2  

Richmond Hill Deli

Bakery: Richmond Hill Deli
Address: 9631 Yonge St, Richmond Hill ON
Website: http://richmondhillbakery.ca/
Style: Russian, Eastern European 
Price: $$ 

A whole tin of mini poppy seed buns! ^^

Having found the address to this bakery/deli online and walking there from the H Mart plaza instead of repositioning the car, it never once dawned on me that the deli and bakery under the same name (and website) were actually two separate stores. Having purchased my baked goods in the deli (the first coming in from Yonge), I only realized once going to their website and  wondering why I didn't spot any cakes while there that the cafe/bakery is located seven units down. *massive forehead smack* Arrrgggh! Opportunity lost. Well, for now. :P While I'm at it, though, I can just go ahead and review the deli and either incorporate the bakery into this post in the future or devote another post to the bakery proper; I suppose it all depends on how similar/different the two happen to be. In the meantime, I am such an idiot, especially since I DID look through the website prior to visiting. So, a review of the deli it is.

Richmond Hill Deli is a well-stocked Russian deli and, as is the case with all Eastern European delis, although the majority is dedicated to cold cuts, prepared foods, and imported grocery items, there are baked goods scattered here and there. Some are located right in the front; others, such as pre-packed poppy seed and walnut buns are located on top of the cold cut counters. The selection isn't too large or elaborate (i.e. none of the cakes featured on the website -__-), BUT they do have plenty of poppy seed options and this is always a plus. How I love Russian-style poppy seed baked goods (sorry Poland)! :P

Mmm... so good!

My choices were between the buns and the larger coffee cakes. The latter also had the choice between plain poppy seed and poppy seed with walnut. Now, normally, I would jump at the plain poppy seed one, but the walnut variation (around $7.50) looked so enticing and more complex. A great choice. Loaded with poppy seed and chunks of walnut with just the right amount of delicious dough. Add a bit of glaze on top -- yummy!

I [heart]ed this too! :3

The second thing was a two-pack of these sweet pretzel-shaped buns ($2 for a pair); they were just plain dough, but something intrigued me and I felt like giving them a try. Super soft and fresh dough, slightly but not too sweet and a great snack that could be eaten for breakfast, tea time, or whenever. It reminded me most of Chinese sweet buns... except better. ^^ I'd definitely take both again!

Well, it's not quite the bakery just yet, but I'm not at all disappointed with my trip the deli portion of the Richmond Hill empire. :D Can't wait to see how the actual bakery fares!

Rating: ***1/2

Megan's Preserves and Treats

Bakery: Megan's Preserves and Treats
Address: @ St. John's Farmers Market (Lions Club), St. John's NL 
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$

Note: Not having made a note of who I bought this from, I only noticed too late that the label on the product with the ingredients also didn't mention it. As such, I really don't know if I picked the right vendor from the list on the Farmer's Market website. I know for certain it's not Stella's Kitchen, the major baked good supplier (and which I had to give up after two other bakeries), but I recall it also being a woman's name... and this is the only other on the list. Please let me know if I made a mistake and I'll fix it immediately. :)

Did I ever mention I love gingerbread?

Anyways, during my visit to the Farmer's Market, I was initially debating between this stand (which had a whopping two items left -- a loaf of gingerbread cake and a 6-pack of orange squares, besides some cookies baked with stevia) and the aforementioned Stella's, which had a lot more variety but I didn't want anything chocolatey (and I don't like banana bread ;P) or felt like buying a whole bag of scones. Remembering with great fondness the previous day's delectable spice cake, I somehow wound up returning to the gingerbread cake ($5), expecting great things. And I was not disappointed. Made with good ingredients like apple sauce and molasses, this was soft, super moist and perfectly spiced, just like I like them. Perhaps it didn't have that wow factor of a date and rum cake, but I can't remember the last time I had such a tasty gingerbread cake, regardless of the style.

I can indeed conclude at the end of my tour that St. John's makes a mean spice cake. Oh yeah.... *-*

Rating: ***1/2

Scandinavian Deli & Soppi

Bakery: Scandinavian Deli & Soppi 
Address: 307 Bay St, Thunder Bay ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Finnish 
Price: $$

I almost forgot about this place! I was looking through my remaining pictures from this grand tour and, having for whatever reason taken for granted that Harri Bakery was my only stop from Thunder Bay, I realized I still had these delicious doughnuts from Scandinavian Deli (and Soppi, though I'm not sure what this means)! :)

Fresh from the bag, Finnish doughnuts are so good! *-*

This stop come about purely by fluke: the international correspondents came across this "Scandinavian" deli (it's really just Finnish) while looking for a bakery selling Persians, which they never found. [And thus a trip to Thunder Bay is almost in vain. -_- Well, I say "almost", because I did get two Finnish bakeries which will beat pretty much anything! :P] Instead, I was treated to something even better -- which was even, even better for both correspondents who ate theirs fresh: Finnish doughnuts! Apparently, these guys sell a variety of classic Finnish baked goods which are either brought in from another bakery (but not Harri) or they have an individual baking for them (in either case, it's nothing open to the public since I don't know about it), since while there, someone was bringing in a whole tray of freshly baked pulla (sweet bread). Having already one loaf in the car, they decided to opt for the coffee and doughnut deal (sans coffee for me). Returning with one, they explained in some confusion that the lady behind the counter called them "monkeys".

Me: "You mean "munkki"?"
Them: (silence) Oh, so that's what it was!

Anyways, a munkki is the Finnish version of a classic, sugar-coated jelly doughnut. As it is, there's nothing overly different about a munkki; perhaps there's a little hint of cardamom in the dough and the jam is good, not this very un-fruity gloop found in some places -- whatever it is, wherever they're bought, munkit are amazing. They just blow (almost) everything else out of the playing field and yet it's difficult to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes them that amazing? Is it that they're perfectly deep-fried with a crunchier exterior and a soft fluffy interior? With tasty jam and classic granulated sugar on the outside? Whatever it is, it is so good and the one from Scandinavian Deli is no exception. :)

Rating: ****

Farmhouse Pottery & Bakery

Bakery: Farmhouse Pottery & Bakery
Address: 307114 Hockley Rd, Mono ON 
Website: http://www.pacepottery.com/site/Farmhouse.aspx
Style: Canadian
Price: $$$$ 

Well, this is a rather unusual one. One brother was going hiking in the area and drove past this pottery studio that also happened to be a bakery (!). Given the off-the-beaten-path location, he thought it would make a good cake tour. Naturally, I always appreciate such effort. :)

Strange, I don't see any gold  leaf or saffron in it...

Besides the pottery, the bakery doesn't have that much selection and if it isn't classic butter tarts, they sell pies (both are not priced). Not wanting to take back an entire pie, my brother opted for the butter tarts.... and, if you want to set any records, this might just be the world's most expensive butter tart. At $4 each, it's a rather jaw-dropping record. I remember once seeing a butter tart for around $3 and thought it was needlessly overpriced. In such cases, there were only really two ways this can go: the butter tart can be good or awful. You either feel confused, somewhat disappointed, or completely ripped off. Fortunately, Farmhouse did redeem itself; this butter tart was good. It was thick-shelled like typical Ontario butter tarts, but even given the thickness of the shell, it was somewhat soft and easy to crack into and not doughy like they can be elsewhere. The filling was a wonderful compromise between runny and thicker butter tarts. You had a little bit of buttery oozing, but also some "meat" to it (so that the whole filling doesn't run away on you like it once -_-) . The filling was so good! It's kind of a shame it doesn't qualify, geographically-speaking, for the butter tart tour, since it would certainly rank pretty high. Excellent butter tart, but still not worth the price.

Rating: ***

NLPita

Bakery: NLPita
Address: 82 O'Leary Ave., St. John's NL (@ St John's Farmers Market)
Website: n/a
Style: Middle Eastern
Price: $$

While in St. John's, I decided to make a visit to the Farmers Market, having heard there was some good food worth picking up. Naturally, I was hoping that "good food" involved baked goods. And it did. :P In fact, I told myself I would buy one item and that would be that. I grabbed two and was forced to give up on a third. One of the items I did try were the sweets from the NL Pita table outside. In addition to your usual pita bread, they had a few sweeter selections, such as date croissants (which I would have so taken had I had a bigger budget; the attestation from the seller that they were very good didn't help -_-) and slices of basbousa ($3), the Egyptian variation of semolina cake. The woman in front of me was asking what they were and the seller was explaining what went into them -- though I have to say likening it to baklava may be somewhat misleading for someone who has no idea what semolina cake is.

I'll have another piece, please! ^^;;

Made chunks of almonds, and drenched in a sugar syrup, these guys also added Greek yogourt instead of the usual milk or condensed milk. The result was a denser, creamier dough that stayed together as one mass and almost had the feeling of a cheesecake, often difficult with semolina cakes, which crumble and are more sandy. This was then soaked in sugar syrup, but not too much for it to be soggy and then generously topped with chunks of nuts. Having had no breakfast, I ate it on the spot and enjoyed it so much I would have probably run to buy more if my budget allowed it (it didn't -- I had already spent too much at the market .__.) and if I hadn't bought the last piece. ;)

I'm generally not the biggest fan of Middle Eastern sweets, so even I was amazed at how delicious this was! Another high ranker from St. John's.

Rating: ***1/2

Bear's Paw Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Bear's Paw Bakery 
Address: 4 Pyramid Rd, Jasper AB 
Website: http://bearspawbakery.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

I read in more than place about the "famous" Bear's Paw Bakery, although I almost wonder if it's famous because it's the only bakery in Jasper, and because it's in Jasper it'll be famous no matter what. We went to Bear's Paw bakery for breakfast and, although they have some baked goods (the overstuffed photos on their website weren't very accurate, by the way), they look more coffee-oriented, but I can't say that their coffee was the best I had in Jasper either, but maybe I shouldn't say that.

Scone (bottom right) and bear paws

We got two things, the first was a scone. You can tell what the selection is if I end up taking a scone, which aren't generally my favourite. I think it was wild blueberry or some sort of dark berry. Maybe just plain blueberry? Anyways, it tasted okay: nothing too impressive or special.

I'd probably say the same for the signature bear paws. Going in, I was thinking of bear claws (the pastry that's dipped in chocolate on one end or something like that??), which I wouldn't mind trying. Turns out bear paws are yeast buns, sold with or without raisins. They're like a cinnamon bun, but without the cinnamon. Or a Chelsea bun without the extras. So I guess it was pretty much a raisin roll. It wasn't very moist and as dry as it looks, so I have to say I wasn't impressed.

Actually, I was kind of disappointed with Bear's Paw. I was hoping it would be better or at least more exciting.

Rating: **1/2

Cafe Haiti [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Cafe Haiti 
Address: Geirsgata 7c, Reykjavik
Website: http://www.cafehaiti.is/
Style: Icelandic
Price: $$$

Right in the heart of the old harbour is the colourful, somewhat eclectic Cafe Haiti, which I had known about since my first trip to Iceland but which I had never visited until now. I came here with an Icelandic friend at her suggestion and thought that hey, I might as well make a cake tour of it. :P In fact, having covered all the bakeries-proper in Reykjavik, and certainly in the 101, I thought it about time to delve into the plethora of cafes offering their homemade baked goods and cakes located throughout the city. And do note that I'm not normally a coffee drinker, so well, we can just take out that part of the review, though I will admit that after coming back from my trip of coffee and cakes, I was offered a cup back home and bleh! was it ever disgusting compared to the stuff on my tour.

Nevertheless, while the coffee may come from Haiti, the origin of the Mrs. of the business, the  cakes are what you'll find in most Icelandic cafes (perhaps I would have appreciated some Haitian baked goods too .__.;;;). [Edit: Please make sure that the cake says it's homemade! While there a few years ago now, there were three varieties, two of which explicitly said were theirs; doing research for my Iceland bakeries tour guide, I went back on their website and the cover picture for their cakes showed cakes that were very clearly NOT theirs (I now have insider information) I have yet to return to verify if anything has changed/they still have homemade goodies]  However, I am a fan of Scandinavian apple cakes and Cafe Haiti does a mean version of it, though at 1040kr per slice, it seemed painfully expensive to me... a couple hundred kronur more and I'd have dinner. I'm not yet sure how much other cafes charge, not to mention the fact that Iceland is very quickly becoming very expensive, but with a generous cup of coffee thrown into the mix, it hurt. x__x

There is, however, a cake to be reviewed: homemade apple cake with a generous portion of spiced whipped cream on the side... oh yeah! Delicious dough with slivered almonds and a tasty apple filling at just the right consistency, neither too chunky nor too mushy. Really good! Not sure if my pocket can afford such an extravagance on future returns and we'll have to see how it fares with other cafes in Reykjavik, but as it was, I was impressed.

Rating: ***1/2

Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake

Bakery: Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake
Address: 598 Bay St, Toronto ON 
Website: http://uncletetsu-ca.com/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

Well, I finally did it! I finally got my hands on an Uncle Tetsu cheesecake. And it required very little waiting on top of that (but more on that later). Ever since I was given the chance to try a little piece of Uncle Tetsu, I have oh-so eagerly been awaiting my opportunity to try those famous cheesecakes. I was determined to wait it out this time, especially since the line-up wasn't *that* bad as it had been in the past -- there were perhaps 7-8 people in front of me outside. Meanwhile, my partner in bakery crime that day stood by and, noticing that the Matcha Cafe next door was completely abandoned despite the fact that they advertised they now sold green tea and green tea & red bean cheesecakes, I told her to check if they actually sold the green tea varieties in the matcha cafe or you had to buy it in the cheesecake shop. She hesitantly went in and several seconds later, I got my cheesecake. ^-^ (Apparently I lucked out since when I came back to the streetcar stop more than an hour later, there were lines out the door to both stores) And hey, if I have the choice of getting matcha, I will so take it!

Horrible lighting... phenomenal taste!

Both regular and matcha/red bean varieties are the same price at $8.85 (an even $10 with tax), but the regular is larger, obviously to account for the high amount of matcha they use in baking it and matcha is not cheap. Of course, I didn't mind at all. I happily, eagerly made my way home with my little box in its smiling bag (ignoring the fact that some guy started taking pictures of it on the streetcar -_-) and lovingly unwrapped the towel to reveal a petite, bright green cheesecake. Oh boy!

Oh yeah, keep the slices of  cheesecake coming!

I've tried "Japanese" cheesecake at Chinese bakeries as well as imported-from-Taiwan ones from the Chinese supermarket and I thought them pretty good, but I had never really tried Japanese cheesecake... and I am never going back to the mediocre imitations. I'm not sure if anyone in that line up is there because the cheesecake is actually good and they appreciate it, but Uncle Tetsu's matcha cheesecake blew my mind. Holy-moly! I honestly did not think there would be such a difference. This wasn't any old cheesecake, this was light-as-air, matcha (with a high-quality Japanese matcha, not the somewhat bitter, standard sencha-tasting stuff they put in pseudo-Japanese baked goods) mousse. Heavenly is as close a word as I can find. Uncle Tetsu, I'm in love! *-*

[UPDATE] I knew the day would come... I chanced upon the original cheesecake shop with just one person inside and finally had my chance to try the classic Japanese cheesecake ($10). I thought the fad had finally waned (the wave simply moved down the street to Tsujiri), but then after lunch, the line had returned... anyways, the original cheesecake is just as heavenly as its green tea cousin. With Bake Code's take fresh in my mind, I experienced the pinnacle of cheesecake at Uncle Tetsu's: light and fluffy, it's like biting into a cheesy cloud. At first I was thinking that I would have to love the matcha version more, but after my slice, I'm not so sure anymore. Either way, the rating abides!

Rating: ****

Georgestown Bakery

Bakery: Georgestown Bakery
Address: 60 Hayward Ave., St. John's NL 
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $ 

On a very rainy, very cold, absolutely miserable day in October, I decided to brave the elements and make the walk to Georgestown (also written Georgetown online; their store sign is with an -s??) Bakery, located in the historic neighbourhood of the same name. Stepping in on a weekday afternoon, I was pretty surprised to find the line to the door. Of course, the wooden interior worthy of a pioneer village is quite small, with most items laid out on wooden shelves behind the counter, but I hate to say that long lines at the bakery aren't (alas!) the most common of sights. At first glance, I was worried that my trip had been in vain: the bakery has a lot of rustic breads, but I couldn't see any see any sweets. Getting closer, I espied a tray of squares (date and some sort of nut and chocolate? ones), already wrapped individually in saran wrap and neither priced or labelled. The woman in front of me got the date squares and, turns out that at $0.75, they're a total steal! Ready to grab some for myself, I then spotted several spice cakes, wrapped, labelled, priced, and even including a list of enticing ingredients like real vanilla extract, unbleached flour, and some other good stuff.

Holy-moly... if only I could get these shipped!

Now, I love spice cakes and I was jumping at the super moist gingerbread when I spotted it: the date and rum cake ($4.30, taxes included). And oh yeah, there was real rum in it. How could I not take it? Too cold and wet to go any further, I soon returned to my room and instantly cut myself a slice. A-maz-ing! Fragrant and moist spice cake, some of the best I've ever had. My mom makes this fantastic date cake with date paste (actually, her baking beats most bakeries), so I already felt that I would love this one, but I especially liked how Georgestown threw in whole chunks of chewy dates right into the dough. The picture and modest loaf cake shape doesn't give this thing justice: I was sighing in pleasure after every bite. Insanely good.

Perhaps I had other places to visit that day and had to postpone them due to the fact my shoes were saturated and I was freezing, but nonetheless, I will say that the rainy trip to George(s)town was well worth it!

Rating: ****

Wild Flour Artisan Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Wild Flour Artisan Bakery 
Address: 211 Bear St #101, Banff AB 
Website: http://www.wildflourbakery.ca/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Nanaimo bars are a good choice

This was on the list last year, but I never got around to it (actually, the first time I went, there was a long line-up and I wasn't in the mood to stand in it); this year, we were pretty much ordered to go here [editor's note: You betcha!], because Wild Flour is Banff's only bakery. Personally, I would call them more a cafe first; it's more breakfast/lunch/coffee oriented than the sort of place you go for baked goods, though they have a display case of them. The breads have this rustic feeling, but the things we got, the first thing coming to mind wasn't exactly 'artisan', but that's okay.

My first pick was the Nanaimo bar. I like Nanaimo bars and am always disappointed that they don't seem to be seen beyond Western Canada. The one from Wild Flour was pretty good: they used good chocolate. Maybe that's why it was harder than usual; it also had a nutty bottom with a good cream filling. I would certainly take it again.

Another thing we bought was the lemon tart, which had a good creaminess; I thought the appearance made it seem fancier than it was. In reality, just a lemon tart. One issue I had was that the crust (somewhat similar to the Nanaimo bar, though this was less problematic) was too hard and made eating this challenging and annoying, since slicing into the custard was so easy and then the crust wouldn't break off. Either a knife was needed (which we did not have) or you ended up with pure custard/plain dough.

Lemon tart and berry (cheese?)cake

The second "fancier" item was, I think, a berry cheesecake. Or some sort of mousse cake. Honestly, I don't really remember much about this thing and I only made notes for the other two things. I don't know how that happened... [editor's note: Ohhhh, I am going crazy!!!] I know that it had the same base as the lemon tart, but because the main part of the cake was denser and heavier, it matched more. I guess it was pretty good, since I don't remember anything bad about it. Pretty good -- I did three "Rockies" bakeries this time: in Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise, and Wild Flour was definitely the best.

Rating: ***

Mosfellsbakarí [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Mosfellsbakarí
Address: Háaleitisbraut 58-60, Reykjavik 
Website: http://mosfellsbakari.is/
Style: Icelandic 
Price: $$ 

It's getting increasingly difficult to find new bakeries to visit on my return trips to Reykjavik. I've done them all! This year, I was planning on doing a bit of a tour of the outlying towns in the capital area just for the sake of bakeries (I'm so pathetic, I know), but with visiting old acquaintances, I didn't manage to find the time on my four-night stay on the way back from the Faroe Islands. Mosfellsbakarí, a few blocks east of Kringlan shopping mall, is close enough by foot to have already been done, and somehow it wasn't. All the better for me, I say. :P

Poppy seed buns... *-*

While this bakery operates mainly from Mosfellsbær, a 'suburb' of Reykjavik and the reason behind their name, this lovely location a little off the downtown core is definitely worth checking out for their pretty, old-world feel and the large selection of delicious-looking baked goods, pastries, cakes, and breads -- they even make chocolate. Unlike most Icelandic bakeries which seem a bit cold and commercial with their simplicity, you can almost tell by looking at the place that the baked goods are going to be good -- and the prices are reasonable at that!

It was, I have to say, a hard choice. Should I take something with flaky Danish dough? Should I go all-out and try some cake? And then, I was lured in. I knew I would be. The Icelandic poppy seed bun (295kr). Not everyone has them, but when they do, I am so there! *-* This tantalizing bun was big, freshly baked, and has a delicious soft, slightly airy moist dough rolled with whole poppy seeds and then drizzled with both vanilla and chocolate icing. The rock sugar sprinkled on top wasn't needed, but it was a nice touch. Mmmm.... so good! This was an excellent poppy seed bun and certainly up there for one of my top bakery experiences in Iceland.

Rating: ***1/2

Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food

Bakery: Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food
Address: 272 Water St, St. John's NL
Website: http://rocketfood.ca/
Style: Canadian
Price: $$

And the Cake Tour has left the mainland! ^^ Yes, in my desperate search to find where I want to live most in Canada (a search proving more difficult and complicated than I imagined), I took a plane from Halifax to St. John's, which I had been itching to visit for years. Well, and somewhere along the way, there were bakeries! ;)

Let's begin! Rocket is *the* downtown bakery, though it is more than baked goods. In fact, it's divided down the middle with cafe-fare (salads, soups) on one side and the bakery-proper on the other. The latter features a variety of home-style baked goods like cinnamon buns, partridgeberry scones along with pain au chocolat and cake slices. Items are labelled and relatively well priced. They open fairly late, but coming there in the evening will leave you empty-handed; I actually popped in, saw there was nothing, and then returned the next morning for some fresh cinnamon buns!

Cinnamon buns always make my day!

I love cinnamon buns after all; I spotted these on the sign first ($2.75) and then saw these lightly iced, "Maritime" (others I've had in NB and NS were very similar and unlike buns from anywhere else) versions of one of my favourite classics. No messy cinnamon and icing here, and that's exactly like I like it: soft fluffy dough with a drier cinnamon mass wound round (and then got nice and gooey in the middle) with some icing drizzled over top. Oh yeah, this was a great one!

Rocket seems to be the natural start to a Cake Tour of St. John's and what a start it was: fresh and tasty baked goods, just how I like them.

Rating: ***1/2

Joseph's Food and Cakes

Bakery: Joseph's Food and Cakes
Address: 24 Martin Ross Avenue, Toronto ON 
Website: http://www.josephsfoodandcakes.com/
Style: Polish
Price: $$ 

Every now and then, Starsky (the supermarket for all things Polish and Eastern European) brings in products from new bakeries. Sometimes the bakeries don't last long; some are on an off and on basis; some are replaced. In other words, you can't really count on them if you happen to like something. The newest arrival on the shelves are poppy seed rolls (classic Polish makowiec) and walnut rolls, available in whole or half rolls, from Joseph's, which appears by its location in an industrial area that it's more of a commercial, order-only bakery? Given that the shelves are already brimming with not-so fresh poppy seed rolls from all over the GTA, I'm always left wondering why bring in a half dozen of the same thing and let it get it old... Anyways, not only did the fact that Joseph's poppy seed rolls look a little different than the usual dry dough and brown filling lure me in, but it actually, unlike other products, felt fresh(er).

A day isn't complete without... poppy seed!

I took a half-roll of the poppy seed ($4.99 for half; I believe $8.99 for the whole; walnut rolls are $12.99 for a whole). At first glance, it had a softer dough than the usual Polish variety -- unless it's simply that every time I've tried a traditional poppy seed roll, it's always been stale -- and generous on the poppy seed. The outside was rolled in a bunch of them and the poppy seed mass actually looked like poppy seed. Some places, I swear, dilute the filling with raisins and dough and whatever they feel like putting in until it's a light brown (hence the reason why I generally don't like Polish poppy seed rolls), but Joseph's was a beautiful black and wrapped in such a way that you got both dough and poppy seed in every bite. Not too much dough, not too much poppy seed; not saturated in flavouring ("aromat"), so you could appreciate the delicious taste of poppy seed a little more. It was still dry, I admit, and probably looked more "different" than the usual poppy seed roll than it tasted.. and I was pretty disappointed to return and find that they had stuck on an ingredients list that was easily twice the size (certainly not in a good way) of poppy seed baked goods from other bakeries. :/

Alright for the Polish version, but I feel that it would have been much better if it had been bought when made, but this is common complaint of mine when shopping in Starsky.

Rating: **1/2

Lakeview Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Lakeview Bakery
Address: 6449 Crowchild Trail SW, Calgary AB
Website: http://www.lakeviewbakerycalgary.com/
Style: North American
Price: $$


We spotted this bakery on our way back from Glenmore Park and thought we might as well stop in and see what they had to offer. Lakeview seems to specialize in breads and baked goods for special diets (allergies, organic products, low carb, etc.) However, we picked out some standard items from their selection of "Canadian classics" and some more interesting and unique products.

From left: caramel oat cookie, orange roll and rum ball

I like rum balls a lot. When I see a bakery with rum balls, I have to try it, so I definitely had to take this one. It was chocolatey with a good consistency and coated in the classic chocolate sprinkles. It was not very rummy, which got minus points from me, but good overall.

I also picked out the orange roll since it was something different, but neither of us really liked it. I thought it was okay. I can't say it was exactly what I expected, especially when it was pretty much a big chunk of chocolate, which was a little too much, even if I love my chocolate (see above).

The third thing, a caramel oat 'cookie' was good. It was a version of the sandwich cookie with two thicker oat cookies drizzled with a little chocolate and filled with caramel. Overall, I would say Lakeview Bakery was good; the more bratty sampler was complaining more than I was and said it was "okay", but I didn't think it was so bad. I'd say it's just a good neighbourhood bakery.

Rating: **1/2