Kin-Kin Bakery

Bakery: Kin-Kin Bakery and Bubble Tea
Address: Basement of the Atrium (Yonge & Dundas), Toronto ON
Website: n/a
Style: Chinese
Price: $-$$ 

Ah, finally I have a couple Cake Tours to do! I hit a dry spell last week, but one can't keep me away for very long. ^^ Anyways, I was in the Kensington Market area last weekend and having lunch more towards Eaton Centre; knowing that I'd covered all the bakeries in the neighbourhood, I recalled the Atrium had a Chinese bakery in the basement, so off I went. This location has seen a couple of Chinese bakery reincarnations, and this seems to be latest as well as the longest-lasting. Kin Kin seems to have a first location in Richmond Hill (at least, that's what I get when I Google it -- this location doesn't seem to exist anywhere online) and likewise seems to appeal more to a wider audience than your typical Chinese bakery with banh mi-style meat sandwiches; the usual large selection of meat buns wasn't that impressive, and there really wasn't that many traditional Chinese items. Prices weren't dirt cheap as with most bakeries, with most items at $1.50 and up; however, it was fresh, since one worker was running back and forth with trays of hot buns (though by the looks of it, I'm not sure they actually get the crowds for the amount they bake O.o)

Anyways, more due to a lack of anything more exciting (red bean, at least), I picked out the chocolate bun ($1.39), which was at least something unique. I hadn't really seen it anywhere else; it was similar to a HK-style pineapple bun in that there was the chocolate-y crust on top, with just the plain bun on the inside. It had a nice crunch and it was very fresh, but still ended up tasting like your average Chinese bun.

Besides this, I picked out the classic red bean sesame ball ($1.50). Fairly nice sesame crunch on the outside, soft filling, good taste -- nothing wrong, but at the same time nothing remarkable. Just your typical Chinese bakery fare, and with Chinatown a few blocks away, you can get it cheaper (but certainly not better).

Rating: **1/2

Piegus European Bakery [RIP]

Bakery: Piegus European Bakery
Address: 3478 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Polish
Price: $$ 

I seem to give Polish bakeries/delis a bad rap with their baked goods and yet more and more they seem to sneak up and surprise me with good baked goods. Or it's simply that everything in my area sucks. :P Anyways, so my youngest brother returned from a trip to Scarborough with the announcement that he had found a Polish bakery -- very good! :) I'm really lacking in places from GTA East, so it was a welcome addition to the Cake Tour, not to mention a yummy one. Yup, Piegus (second location in Oshawa) is a more or less typical Polish bakery and deli with your usual selection of doughnuts, cakes by weight, etc. They bake everything themselves and everything we got, at any rate, was fresh.

Doughnuts: well, of course they have pączki. A Polish bakery wouldn't be one otherwise, it seems. :D These come plum-filled (the brother snagged the mini versions for $0.55/each) and have a more watery glaze than the usual. These were good, although not remarkable.

What was remarkable were their doughnuts (oponki; around $0.99 each?). These I have yet to see elsewhere (in terms of style), but these were whoa! In a sense, they don't look like much: fried plain dough with powdered sugar on top. Fantastic crunch on the outside and you wouldn't believe how lightweight they were! I don't know how they did it, but these were weightless. I'm sure they didn't make *me* weightless (;DDD), but these were so good! Simple, not too sweet, and delicious. I had these alongside the Portuguese doughnuts I bought and I swear this was the best of the three.

Next up was the bakery's take on blueberry cheesecake ($17.00/lb) My brother swears it's the one of the best Polish cheesecakes he's had. I, on the other hand, disagree completely; this was actually one of my least favourite Polish cheesecakes and I do love cheesecakes. For one, I felt it was a ripoff with the large dollops of blueberry gloop (with not a fruit in sight) which weighed down the cake (more $$) without the addition of more costly cheese. The dough on the bottom was too thick and crumbled too easily. The cheese tasted more like a New York style cheesecake (and I sensed that regular cream cheese had been mixed into the baker's cheese): thick, heavy, and sticky -- this was for me a disappointment. 

Last up: oh yes, I got a poppy seed treat for the sampling! ^.^ A full makowiec (traditional Polish poppy seed roll; $7.99)! Normally, I don't like makowiec: I don't like the dough and I definitely don't like the grey-brown poppy seed mass in a majority of rolls, but this was one great makowiec. For one, there was tons of poppy seed and not that much dough -- a rather unusual thing for Polish baking. It was so tasty too! Mmm... with the exception of that cheesecake, I was quite impressed with this trip to Scarborough... ;)

Rating: ***

Golden Wheat Bakery and Cafe

Bakery: Golden Wheat Bakery & Cafe
Address: 579 Rogers Rd, Toronto ON 
Website: n/a
Style: Portuguese
Price: $ 

Not to be confused with a Portuguese bakery on College of the same name -- which I believe to be unrelated, although one never knows.

Anyways! The second bakery I visited on my very short, frigid tour of Rogers Rd was this one. It seems newer than its nearby counterparts and, in fact, both the name and outward vibe (not even I know what I'm saying at this point XD) don't necessarily scream Portuguese bakery and so I was wondering if it could be something else; that is, until I stepped inside and spotted large coconut rings, custard tarts, and a counter of fried goodies, from churros to crullers to cinnamon coated bread. Oh boy. :D As the name (somewhat) suggests, they seem to focus most on breads (more rustic in feel than your usual Portuguese bakery) and baked goods with the omission of the typical cake counter. Naturally, this didn't bother me all that much. And despite their more chic decor, I found them slightly cheaper than Seara. Yes, there were no prices or labels, but $2.50, including taxes, for two pieces of fried dough = very well priced!

I'd just received a message that my youngest brother was bringing back "lots of" baked goods from Scarborough, so I had to restrain myself at the official last stop of the day, although I would have grabbed that coconut ring. Anyways, for the sake of making a comparison, I grabbed one more Portuguese doughnut ($1.50). This one was lighter in colour and thicker (although also smaller in colour) with that same hint of lemon and coated in cinnamon and sugar. The cinnamon wasn't as strong and it was slightly too soft to have that fried feel; it was more doughy. Pretty good and it all depends on personal taste, but I preferred the one at Seara's.

The second item was the cruller ($1.00), a fist-sized ball of amazingness. Oh yeah, did I ever mention I love crullers? ;D This was one great cruller! Nice golden outside with super moist and airy inside, fresh and glazed. Mmm... the cruller definitely outdid the doughnut.

Although Seara came out on top, this was a very, very close second with merits of its own. Two notable Portuguese bakeries in one day -- I was more than satisfied. :)

Rating: ***

Seara Bakery and Pastry

Bakery: Seara Bakery and Pastry
Address: 605 Rogers Rd, Toronto ON (Two other locations) 
Website: http://www.searabakery.com/
Style: Portuguese
Price: $ 

Last weekend was particularly frigid (not that this week was any better, but I digress) so instead of my usual trip to Toronto, I decided to drive more than walk and, just like that, I ended up on Rogers Rd, in the north part of The Junction -- as with a great many Portuguese bakeries, they also have multiple locations, one on Keele and the other in Woodbridge/Vaughan. The area, more specifically, is home to quite a few Portuguese businesses and you can bet that whenever you have a certain number of Portuguese businesses, you'll have Portuguese bakeries. And as far I could tell, there were three of them (there could be more, but construction made me want to just get out of there)! One, a fairly extensive bakery chain, has already been reviewed and well, here are the other two. Nice. *-*

The first is Seara, discreetly tucked into a rather unexciting plaza; had I not done my research beforehand, I would have never said there was a bakery there (and a churrasqueira next door) Nevertheless, there's a certain repertoire that one comes to expect from Portuguese bakeries: coconut custard baked goods, a couple of cake slices, and, of course, those famous custard tarts. Seara is no exception: one display case is devoted to about half a dozen cake and fancier pastries and another case that houses several varieties of custard baked goods and fried dough. As always nothing is labelled or priced, so it's pure intuition, although this bakery is also no exception to the relatively good deal rule: all individual items seem under $2.00.

Item #1 was the Portuguese doughnut (around $1.25). I once got a Portuguese cookbook and the author said that these flat fried doughnuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar are, like custard tarts, a staple of every Portuguese bakery (whether that's true, I don't dare judge) -- it's kind of funny that it's so hard to find them in Mississauga! O.o Um, always a sucker for fried dough, I couldn't resist and grabbed this monstrous piece of dough, fried until golden brown with a delicate hint of lemon and then rolled generously in cinnamon and sugar. Chewy dough, lots of cinnamon -- this was fantastic and did in fact beat out the uh, second Portuguese doughnut of the day (hey! I couldn't resist! :P).

Item #2 was... I should really figure out what all these are called; this is probably my favourite actual baked good ($1.90): a relatively flat dough folded over a layer of coconut and dusted with sugar. Mmm.. it might not beat those doughnuts, but I do like this! This one in particular was a little dry, slightly too hard, especially along the ends, so it's not my favourite spot for them, but nonetheless, good stuff.

In short: Seara was my favourite Portuguese bakery in Little Portugal (Rogers Rd offshoot)! ^^;

Rating: ***

Lucullus Bakery

Bakery: Lucullus Bakery
Address: 7750 Kennedy Rd, Markham ON (one other location)
Website: http://www.lucullusbakery.com/
Style: Chinese
Price: $ 

So, the story seems to go that Lucullus is the best Chinese bakery, home to the best egg tarts and almond cookies. In fact, these guys have been on my to-visit list for quite some time, after having seen a newspaper article that went in search of the city's best almond cookie (and likewise stated -- something which I did agree with -- that all other Chinese bakeries were all the same and not so good); Lucullus was the victor. Granted, the emphasis was placed on the bakery's primary Richmond Hill location, and not the Markham one, but there seemed to be this impression that there was something remarkable about this Chinese bakery.

On a weekday morning, the only thing that was really remarkable about the Markham location, at any rate, was the fact that they had nothing and the "most Chinese" items in the store were red bean buns (and the usual meat buns). No cookies, no sesame balls, or moon cakes. Trips to Markham are few and far between, so it was a little disappointing, I must admit. Items are labelled and prices are slightly higher than your run-of-the-mill Chinese bakery, but still well-priced. I paid $4.85 for four items: two buns, two pastries.

Nonetheless, to the goodies~ the first was your traditional HK pineapple bun with red bean filling. Similar to the red bean doughnut (Japanese azuki doughnut or something along those lines; there was something "Japanese" about the name), it was fairly standard fare, although it was better than average without me being able to find any reason why. I guess it is higher quality and there isn't this commercial feel to it, like some bakeries. The red bean doughnut, in particular, was nicely fried with a good texture.

The third item were the "Chinese cookies" (I'm almost certain that was the English name, at any rate) which seemed to be flaky dough, the kind used in making 'double happiness' cakes, stuffed with a sort of tapioca filling. Is this tapioca? O.o Thicker than glutinous rice and more jelly-like, it wasn't bad in the first few bites. Fellow samplers (two brothers) said this was pretty good and the best item here. Good flaky dough, but I found that after you were halfway in, you start to realize that this tastes like nothing. It has no taste and this started to really bug me. I could have done with less filling too, but that's a personal choice.

Overall: I was a little disappointed with the lack of selection and would have liked to try those "famous" local almond cookies (I actually did buy the "original" ones from Macau -- I think it was from Macau -- and, yes, they're far from cheap, but they were really good! Not like the glowing yellow monsters sold here.... ._.;), but as it is, Lucullus didn't exactly blow me away. Above average, but nothing incredible.

Rating: ***

Mazurek's Bakery

Bakery: Mazurek's Bakery
Address: 543 South Park Ave, Buffalo NY
Website: http://www.mazureksbakery.com/
Style: Polish, European
Price: $$

Another trip to Buffalo, another bakery. I'm really starting to like this concept! :) Mazurek's seems to be the best Polish bakery and one of the best bakeries in the Buffalo area. Or, following a couple of not so stellar bakeries from previous trips, this is what I got from finally searching 'best bakery in Buffalo.' To be sure, Mazurek's -- from 1933 (!!) -- should have long qualified as a landmark and it certainly is better than that *other* Polish bakery in Buffalo, but while it tries to be to some degree authentic, I would actually say it's leaning more towards revamped German baking than Polish baked goods with products such as "stollen" (see below), German apple cakes, etc. Of course, you can still spot some Polish classics like cakes and doughnuts, although, like the previously mentioned items, they're not necessarily authentic, although at the same time, I guess you wouldn't expect anything else from a business that was founded so long ago.

Anyways, so I received two items this time. Actually, there were three, since the brothers got two pączki (around $0.80/each), although one didn't seem to resemble a jam-filled doughnut at all. At first, we thought both were identical, but it does turn out that one just wasn't a pączek. Rather, I'm not quite sure what this was supposed to be; it was a doughnut that was cut open and stuffed with cream. More of a Boston Cream, but no one was really complaining. The second was indeed the Polish doughnut we all know and love. ;D Both were the same dough, but the latter was covered in glaze while the first in powdered sugar. I think it was simply that they didn't deep fry it enough, since there was no nice brown crust on it. In fact, it reminded me more of the jelly doughnuts that Tim Hortons, for example, sells as opposed to something European with its soft, too-white exterior, but in taste it was pretty good.

The stollen (around $7) came in a variety of flavours and the brothers took this one simply because the old man in front of them specifically asked for it. ;) They had picked the sweet cheese and jam and they themselves didn't see anything remarkable about it. Remarkable in the sense that it was not a stollen. Sorry... it had to be said. I'm a purist. ^^;; Even if you'd like to make it more European, the name "strudel" or "danish" would do the trick perfectly fine, and in fact a strudel/danish it was, resembling a larger version of the classic sweet cheese bun. In some Polish bakeries, these can get pretty doughy and you get more dough than filling, so the ratios were just right. However, one ratio was *not* right: this was way, way too sweet! The cheese filling, jam, and dough were already sweeter than it needed to be and then on top of that, you had all the icing. For those like my mom, who seem to say just about everything is too sweet, this wouldn't be too big a surprise, but no, the opinion was unanimous: a baked good of this style should not have been this sweet. Despite the name controversy, the sweetness was really the one disappointment.

Overall, Mazurek's is one of the better bakeries I've reviewed in Buffalo, but I wouldn't necessarily call it the best. Of course, more reviewing is needed, but it looks like Dessert Deli still reigns supreme.

Rating: **1/2