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: ***