Super Kolbasa [RIP]

Bakery: Super Kolbasa
Address: 131 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto ON
Website: n/a 
Style: Polish
Price: $$-$$$

[Another Polish casualty on the no-longer-so-Polish Roncesvalles, Super Kolbasa closed its doors earlier this year so quietly that I had to walk past it twice to notice it was no longer there. I wonder what will take its place. Hopefully not another Tim Hortons!]

While Super Kolbasa may not seem at first a destination for baked goods, I arrived on Roncesvalles to find that my go-to Polish baked good destination (Benna's) was closed for renovation -- in fact, I was thoroughly relieved to find it so; the last time I had gone, I found it looking strangely empty and was fearing they were closing down completely. Stuck in Roncesvalles without baked goods? Unthinkable! I had to think up an alternative, though that's hard given that more and more Polish businesses are closing shop. So, I popped into Super Kolbasa, a couple (literally) doors down from Benna's, where business seems to be particularly booming. Please note also that Google does give you the wrong address for Super Kolbasa -- they moved a few years ago and the previous location is boarded up.

Super Kolbasa is, of course, a meat shop first. They make their own sausages and maybe cold cuts as well as ready food such as pierogies and countless salads, but they do have a case behind the counter of slab cakes you won't find anywhere else as well as a few basic baked goods (doughnuts) in a small case along the opposing wall. It's the cakes that really stand out, most of which are either your standard varieties of cheesecake or creamy tortes. Prices are, as always when it comes to Polish bakeries/delis, unmarked and cake slices are sold by weight. Unlike Benna's (although they have gone up and aren't as well-priced as they used to be), the prices were a little staggering at Super Kolbasa. A woman in front of me wanted to know the price of a cheesecake with poppy seed; a small square (equal to 1.5 or 2 portions) was weighed in at $9 -- the lady declined. The piece I got was also quite pricey: $10 for a piece that usually sets me back $6-7. For a cake with no cheese (the most expensive and heavy ingredient), I found this a little much. I don't even want to know how much a heavier cake would end up costing. O.O

I did get this cake because it was different from the usual culprits. One worker called it the "strawberry cake" while the other worker raved about how good the "rhubarb cake" was. Personally, I was hoping for the rhubarb, especially as it was rhubarb season. It turned out to be strawberry and, considering it was strawberry, it would have been nice to have had more fruit in it besides the odd slice. The taste was good, though: tasty shortbread dough on the bottom with vanilla pudding and strawberries topped with a delicious crumble (I do love crumble :P). A little too bland (again, more fruit would have been nice), but it was still good and really nice to have something more homemade in style.

Overall, I'd probably stick to the meat products, but it's a good option, whether you want to change things up or you're waiting for Benna's to reopen. ;)

Rating: **1/2