Lee's Donuts

Bakery: Lee's Donuts
Address: 1689 Johnston St, Vancouver BC
Website: facebook 
Style: Doughnuts
Price: $$

After my trip to Vancouver last year, someone sent me an article about the top sweet treats you must try across Canada. As with most lists like this, I disagreed with a lot of what they put and questioned the rest, but when I saw Lee's Donuts, I couldn't believe I'd missed it. It was nothing outlandish, no crazy ice cream contraptions or questionable head-scratchers. They were just doughnuts, classic doughnuts -- and I'd missed them! Yes, you can imagine my horror, but being in Vancouver again late this summer, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I made my way to Granville Island, waited in line, and got my doughnut!!

Lee's Donuts is, without a doubt, a classic, old-school doughnut stand. While they feature a little maple bacon, the doughnuts come in all the traditional flavours. They may be a bit Granville-priced (why do the fritters cost so much!?), but they're fresh -- and popular.

 I didn't even know that the honey-dipped doughnut ($2.00 all doughnuts) was their signature flavour. I like to take it because it's a good way to gauge how good a doughnut is without all the bells and whistles attached. Of course, whenever the humble honey dip is the signature flavour, it's a good sign. And while it didn't come to me warm as stated, it was nonetheless very fresh with a soft, translucent glaze that crackled every so slightly upon contact. The dough was moist and so soft. It was like a Tim Hortons doughnut, but actually good. And the same can definitely be said of the blueberry jelly doughnut. Simple sugar outside, good jelly to dough ratio on the inside. Great doughnuts, but in the end, it wasn't mind-blowingly phenomenal; it's just what doughnuts should taste like!

Rating: ***

Napan Baykery

Bakery: Napan Baykery
Address: 1802 Water St, Miramichi NB
Website: n/a
Style: Canadian, German 
Price: $ 

It seemed that many of the highlights of this Maritimes trip happened in New Brunswick and Napan Baykery was one of them. With their appetizing selection of German classics and a few original creations and ridiculously affordable prices, this was one bakery worth the somewhat confusing detour into Miramichi. ;) I can't believe I missed this when I was driving through Miramichi a few years ago.

Nevertheless, I decided on two treats, both around $1.50 -- almost too cheap for what you get -- the Napan square and the wild blueberry danish/bun. The Napan square was filled with apples, walnuts and some raspberry jam on the bottom. Especially with the crunch from the nuts, this was good.

 The wild blueberry bun was just loaded with wild blueberries sitting on top of a soft, fluffy dough with a light crust and translucent layer of icing. I especially liked how fruity the filling was; this was not sugary gloop; this was real fruit whose taste you could taste with every bite. Yum!

Rating: ***1/2 

Piast Bakery

Bakery: Piast Bakery
Address: 3280 Cambie St, Vancouver BC
Website: facebook 
Style: Polish
Price: $

Piast Bakery actually resembles your typical Polish deli: fully-stocked shelves of imported products, cold cuts, and of course the little corner dedicated to baked goodies and cakes. Given the fact that they do consider themselves a bakery, and not a deli, the selection isn't as impressive and everything else kind of drowns out the small array of cakes in the display case and mostly yeast-based baked goodies behind the counter. Of course, coming to find all the doughnuts gone didn't help... how are there never any doughnuts left for me?

 But! there were poppy seed buns and I couldn't resist. These buns were ridiculously well-priced ($1.35 each) and looked promising with a spiral of poppy seeds and a perhaps too generous dusting of vanilla sugar. Taking a bite, I was amazed at how they managed to get so many poppy seeds on top when the inside had so few, barely any... I never understand how they do it. It was very doughy, airy but not exactly fluffy -- basically slightly sweet bread, even more so when you didn't factor in the sugar on top.

Similarly, there was the summertime classic: the blueberry bun ($1.35). It was, after all, blueberry season in BC and what better way to celebrate! This, like the poppy seed bun, was very bready, with a lot more dough than filling. Actually, the former was overpowering and you couldn't really enjoy the taste of blueberries. I think it would be better for them to raise the prices a little and put more filling.

Rating: **

Le Fourneau Acadien

Bakery: Le Fourneau Acadien
Address: 2637 Acadie Rd, Cap-Pelé, NB
Website: n/a 
Style: Acadian 
Price: $  

This humble bakery, looking a bit like it took over an ancient Country Style with loaves of white bread in place of doughnuts, is nonetheless your destination for all things... Acadian. Yes, the name does say it all; however, as is the case with what I'd call the 'doughnut diner' that it so resembles, Le Fourneau Acadien does sell a little bit of everything, from hot breakfast, burgers, to clams and well, baked goods including sweet buns and pies. The latter was at such affordable prices that you feel like you're robbing the place!

These baked goods are sold either individually, including pies, loaf cakes, and buns, or one smaller trays in packs of two or more (two muffins, more cookies, etc.). I was intrigued by these two buns: one a blueberry bun and the other a bit like you rolled a bun with tarte au sucre filling. At first glance, they looked like flaky dough, a sort of danish; however they looked better than they tasted. Not that they didn't taste good -- on the contrary -- but that the more dense, puffy dough reminiscent of a cross between a cinnamon bun and a scone wasn't the texture I was after. Good in taste with lots of respective topping, and at $2.75 for both, it was still well worth the price.

Rating: ***

Bjornbar Bakery

Bakery: BjornBar Bakery
Address: 102-3053 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver BC
Website: https://bjornbarbakery.com/
Style: European, Canadian 
Price: $$$ 

On my last trip to Vancouver, I stayed in North Vancouver, which was a first for me. Well, staying, not seeing. And what better way to mark this not that remarkable occasion than reviewing a North Vancouver bakery and making a dedicated tag? I know!

BjornBar Bakery has been intriguing me for the last three Vancouver trips I or my correspondents have been on (and the bakery itself isn't even that old), mostly due to the Scandinavian origin of the name. Perhaps I was expecting a grand spread of danishes and cinnamon buns... in this sense I was a bit disappointed to find it fell more into the French-inspired meets gourmet squares. When I arrived later in the afternoon, I could really only deduce this from the signs left on empty shelf space and the wall of meringues and savoury pastries. Even the display area dedicated to two rows of squares was more or less cleaned out besides a few that did not manage to capture my attention; the size-price ratio was not working in my favour, either. After all, for a place that uses "classy" to describe themselves on their site, I expected higher prices and certainly found them. I wasn't, however, expecting  to wait so long to be served while the employee was simply standing behind the counter, ignoring me; it was only after a man whom I took to be the owner/baker came out, apologized, and kindly took my order that I got what I wanted. It was a bit frustrating, insulting and I can't separate it from the whole BjornBar experience.

 Nevertheless, I disregarded those famous squares this time around and instead went for the strawberry and white chocolate galette ($4.25). Really, it did not resemble a galette all that much except for the concept of dough and berries in the middle; actually, it looked a lot like a spandauer, a real Danish "danish", if you will. With its flaky, flower-shaped dough with a thick berry filling in the middle and white chocolate drizzle instead of classic icing... how is this not a spandauer!? *calms down* Still, in Danish as well as French baking, the dough is king, and this dough was light and airy, perhaps a little too airy and not flaky enough, and not possessing as much buttery flavour as I would have liked.

A charming place to take someone and sit for a bit, but not my first North Vancouver pick.

Rating: **1/2

Angelika's German Bakery

Bakery: Angelika's German Bakery
Address: 19893 Route 2, Hunter River PEI
Website: http://www.angelikasgermanpastry.com/
Style: German, European
Price: $$$

On a more extensive bakery tour of PEI compared to last time, I finally managed to stumble upon a small-town bakery. And it was a German bakery, which always makes things that much more exciting. ;) Nevertheless, Angelika's really is a German bakery and is filled with some of the most famous German baked goods: an exciting assortment of strudels, cookies, Black Forest cake along with some more local favourites like Nanaimo bars, cinnamon buns, muffins and danishes. Considering how humble the establishment is, I was a little surprised at finding it quite pricey. Some items were downright jaw-droppers.

Still, I picked up two items: the cinnamon crunch ($3) and the apple strudel ($4.50). Both were given to me automatically warmed up which I didn't quite appreciate, especially when I would probably not think of eating either heated. Of course, there are some things that are very good warmed up, like apple pie, and others that taste better warm, simply because the warmth mimics the feeling of a freshly baked treat when it's... not. But I think that this is a decision made after trying the cold one and realizing it needs a little freshening up.

Putting that aside, I would have like both to have had more flavour and spice, particularly with the apple strudel filling, which lacked a hint of cinnamon or a bit more sugar. Not sure. I would have preferred the dough to be a bit flakier as well. In the end, I was hoping for better.

Rating: **1/2

Brambles Bakery & Cafe

Bakery: Brambles Bakery & Cafe
Address: 2151 Quilchena Ave, Merritt BC 
Website: https://www.bramblesbakery.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

I made a bit of a detour on the way to Vancouver and popped into the town of Merritt, whose one bakery-related merit (ha ha ha, I crack myself up sometimes!) is Brambles. Stepping inside, I was welcomed by a sight that I hadn't really seen in awhile: what I like to call the BC bakery. Right down to the biodegradable packaging. You know, slightly eclectic, rustic, home-style baked goods and decor that has a little bit of everything for everyone. Yeah, I kind of missed them following my trip to Victoria. Not necessarily because I wanted the vegan brownie, of course, but it's a cozy kind of place and Brambles is no exception.

 Unfortunately, their "famous" sticky buns were nowhere to be seen and the baked good selection wasn't that extensive on a busy weekday lunch rush. I wasn't really in the mood for that vegan brownie, but I spotted the one thing I did want: apple pie ($3.25 per slice) I haven't had apple pie from a bakery in a long time, mostly because they never look and taste unique. Gloopy pie filling that could very well come from a can and a starchy white, cookie-cutter shell. Not here. This generous slice was golden and flaky with slices of apples baked with cinnamon to form a sweet, runny sauce that oozed out of this beauty. No starchy gloop here. And then the crunch from the crust dotted with coarse sugar. Mmmm... I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an apple pie like I did here!

For my more health-conscious fellow traveller, there was the apple spice muffin ($2.49). Lots of apple and oats with hearty, spiced dough that didn't taste like vanilla cake (always a concern when it comes to muffins). A great start to the day -- and to the weekend trip to Vancouver!

Rating: ***

Buns and Things

Bakery: Buns and Things
Address: 25 Brackley Point Rd, Charlottetown PEI
Website: http://bunsandthings.ca/
Style: Canadian
Price: $-$$

In some ways, I'm a little disappointed at the lack of bakeries in Charlottetown. I would think it would be a perfect place for a bakery. Tourists love bakeries as do locals and I'm sure Anne herself couldn't resist something a little more home-style than BeaverTails. Unfortunately, this is not the case and there actually isn't that much beyond the now two bakeries covered in the city. It's downright scandalous.

 Nevertheless, Buns and Things is certainly that more home-style bakery with probably their focus being bread and cookies. There are slices of cake, but it's very simple, the most elaborate being some sort of chocolate caramel creation. With that being said, they aren't presented in the most flattering way, with most items sitting pre-packaged and saran wrapped. I've encountered a few bakeries like this and have always wondered... yes, it keeps items fresher, longer, but items should be fresh regardless and it only makes them look a little like gas station baked goods, regardless of how they taste.

Still, I decided to try their carrot cake and the cake doughnuts (around $2-3 for both). Both were soft and moist with good dough flavour and consistency.  The carrot cake had a good amount of carrots, a nice bit of spice, and tasty icing on top. I also liked the classic sugared doughnut, but felt that that the saran wrap was especially not good with iced goodies or fried/baked items that are supposed to have a bit of a crust on the outside; the former -- the carrot cake -- ended up with most icing sticking to the plastic, resulting in a mess, and the latter were soft. A bit of a shame, because they both tasted good!

Rating: **1/2

Specialty Bakery

Bakery: Specialty Bakery 
Address: 16-150 Hollywood Rd, Kelowna BC
Website: https://specialtybakery.ca/
Style: Canadian, German
Price: $$ 

When I was doing preliminary bakery research for Kelowna way back in June, Specialty Bakery was one of the foremost bakeries I wanted to visit. Yes, they lured me in with their signature item: the Kelownut, a croissant-doughnut (the cronut, alas, makes a bit of a return) stuffed with pastry cream. O.O Oh yeah, count me in! So I waited patiently to have a taste of it myself.

One day, I popped into this location on Hollywood Rd and found void of well, anything sweet. There were definitely no Kelownuts to be found. It being a weekend, I thought I would have higher chances on a weekday and at their main location on Finns Rd. So I braved the traffic (requiring lots of patience, believe me) and went there approximately three hours, possibly more, before closing... and found the shelves empty except for a couple loaves of bread -- unbelievable! Fortunately, their other location isn't *that* far away and so I decided to take the risk and return... luck was on my side and there they were: Kelownuts, a few other doughnuts, and cinnamon buns. Not a lot of selection, but more than I'd ever seen before. Do they even have any more?

 Nevertheless, at last it was mine! The Kelownut ($2.19). A towering doughnut ring of layered dough stuff with cream. It was a grander achievement in theory than in reality. The dough, though layered, was far from flaky and was more chewy than anything else: it didn't really have the crunch of a fresh doughnut. This chewy texture and the incredible height of the doughnut made it difficult to bite into and grab a piece. With the cream, which resembled a thick custard, it tasted very Portuguese, so much so that I didn't really find it that distinctive. I came in with way too high expectations -- after all, I thought this would knock my socks off -- and came away feeling a little disappointed.

Even more so considering that the cinnamon bun ($2.19??) was, in my opinion, better than the Kelownut. Fluffy egg dough rolled with plenty of cinnamon mass (a bit too much in the middle) and a nice coating of glaze on top. As always, it could have done without the raisins, but this was still a tasty cinnamon bun. An underwhelming experience, perhaps, but the results were still pretty good.

Rating: ***

Safeway

 Bakery: Safeway
Address: 2339 Hwy 97N, Kelowna BC (countless locations throughout Western Canada)
Website: http://www.safeway.ca
Style: Canadian
Price: $-$$

Well, in some ways this is a little silly and I'm always a little ashamed of frequenting big supermarket bakeries. Really, I do it very rarely, since 9/10 times they're awful and not even worth looking at, but growing up, I loved going to Safeway for baked goodies -- it did help that they gave free cookies to kids. ;) Returning to Safeway after a very long hiatus (due to relocation), I went to check out the bakery purely for old time's sake and found an entire area dedicated to doughnuts. Not icing- and candy-coated doughnuts, but good doughnuts like apple fritters, chocolate glazed, deep-fried croissants. For $0.89.

I was intrigued and went a little closer. Smooth glaze, perfect coverage that crackled slightly upon contact - a sign of freshness. A deep-friend crunch on the outside - another sign that they were freshly made. I have, however, returned on two other occasions and, on Sunday in particular, didn't find the doughnuts at peak freshness, though they were still baked that day. The classic glazed doughnut was... amazing and still remains my favourite after trying the delicious apple fritter as well (these two are the best of the bunch). I know, I know -- it's Safeway. I couldn't believe it myself and yet every time I passed Safeway, the craving returned. I just thought of doughnuts; I wanted them... it's shameful, an embarrassment for a proud supporter of small bakeries like me. How is this even possible!?!

Rating: ***1/2