Vasconia Boulangerie

Bakery: Vasconia Boulangerie 
Address: 4800 St-Denis, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.vasconia.ca/
Style: Colombian
Price: $$ 

This was an unexpected find upon turning the corner and walking down St-Denis on one of my bakery walks in the Plateau; Vasconia is the first Colombian bakery I've seen in Montreal. Perhaps it's the only one, I'm not sure about that, but always excited upon finding a less common ethnic bakery, I was very happy with this chance encounter.

Vasconia, unlike other Colombian bakeries I've been to, seems less overtly Colombian, with a wide selection of baked goods ranging from country-specific (guava pastries, cheese breads) to more universally enjoyed treats like blueberry turnovers, frosted cookies, and tarts. Most goodies are on shelves along one wall of windows overlooking the street -- I love when baked goods can be seen in the window; you don't need any other advertising besides that! ;D Everything was clearly labelled and priced, and the majority of items -- with the exception of tarts, a few cake slices, and the tres leches cake -- are self-serve. Not so dirt cheap as I've seen elsewhere, but more appetizing -- and the selection really is notable.

I actually didn't spot the case at cash with more items until I was ready to pay, since I would have taken something there instead, but I was intrigued by this towering spiral of a cinnamon bun. I really should have taken something more traditional, but I don't really like the taste of guava and, doing an average of three bakeries a day while in Montreal, I wanted something a less rich than anything with dulce de leche. .___. So the mountain-shaped cinnamon bun ($2.30) it was. I'll admit this looked more exciting/unique than it tasted. Good glaze and flaky texture similar to what usually contains guava, this was difficult to eat without completely tearing it apart (it also didn't fit in the bag, hence the ruined glaze on the peak) and there wasn't that much cinnamon between the layers. A little too doughy and overwhelming, it was a tasty treat, but not the best from that day's tour.

Rating: **1/2