Hodo Kwaja

Bakery: Hodo Kwaja
Address: 656 Bloor St W, Toronto ON
Website: http://hodokwaja.ca/
Style: Korean
Price: $

A very belated post, given that I've been regularly going (and eating :D) to Koreatown for years now and have taken these before, but here it is!

A tasty compromise between typical, "Westernized" (think cream buns and sugar cookies) and traditional, exclusively rice cake Korean bakeries, Hodo Kwaja is like a little factory, dishing out these small eponymous treats as well as a few other Korean sweets. Selection is limited and there is probably more variety in fillings than products, but nonetheless, it's hard to resist the little walnut cakes and stuffed sweet pancakes, both of which are very well priced (total purchase price: $3.75) and bursting with flavour.

Without a doubt, the main attraction is those walnut cakes ($2.25 for 6): a dense, spongy dough filled with a spoonful of either red bean or sweet potato and nut filling. The not-too sweet red bean with chunks of walnut is definitely the one I go for, but the potato was also pretty good.

This time, instead of grabbing a pancake, I went for the three-pack of what is known as Madeleines ($1.50). Well, perhaps the name is a little deceiving, since you won't be getting large buttery shells (Madeleines... *-*), but dense sticks baked with powdered almond that are neither chewy, soft, nor hard, but somewhere in between. It was definitely a unique texture and excellent as a "tea snack", particularly for those who love their cookies with very little sweetness. I'm not exactly sure if I would call them Madeleines, because I have a soft spot for the originals (and the green tea variety sold at Uncle Tetsu's ^^), and they don't come close to the other items up for sale, but still quite good.  

Overall, tasty sweets that make me wonder why on earth it took me so long to get this post up here! :P

Rating: ***