Monarch Bakery

Bakery: Monarch Bakery
Address: 1823 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver BC
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Monarch Bakery looks like a bit of a relic in the midst of newer, renovated commercial development. There is nothing fancy about the almost austere window display of cookie trays lined with baked goods as well as the small grouping of refrigerated cases, but there is something refreshing about just being greeted with sweet treats in all their raw simplicity. With it being located across the street from one of Metro Vancouver's best bakeries and greatest Polish doughnuts west of Montreal, they also have some hefty competition, at least the way I see it.

So how does Monarch fare? One thing which is nice is that they seem to have regular specials, so you can get stuff at really good prices. The second thing is that they have a nice selection of baked goods, rows upon rows of cookies, and what I assumed was a nice selection of doughnuts -- they were all gone by the time I showed up. A few cakes, but again, it's rather no-frills and perhaps not exactly as "European" as I was hoping. One special at the time was two Copenhagens for $2.75. I grabbed the last two available. The price was too good to pass up, but almost too good to be true: could a pastry that cheap be tasty?

Yes, I admit I was doubtful, but just putting it on the plate to take a picture, I found it flaky and hefty with the delicious scent of almonds. One bite and I was hooked: layered flaky dough wound round like a cinnamon bun of sorts with softer dough on the inside stuffed with a generous amount of almond mass. Then, a bit of plain old icing on top. This was... so good! My doubts were groundless.

Now, whenever I make the mandatory trip to North Vancouver for Polish doughnuts, it'll be almost impossible to step across the street and see what's on special at Monarch. One of the top bakery picks on the North Shore!

Rating: ***1/2

Kyozuan [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Tezukurikobo Kyozuan 
Address: 16-20 Fukakusa Haraigawacho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
Website: http://www.kyozuan.co.jp/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

Kyozuan, with two locations in equally touristy Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama, is what seems to be a favourite type of shop in temple areas: the soy milk soft ice cream/doughnut shop. Freshly fried, super moist, it's one these things you just can't resist while wandering the overly crowded streets.... These were, in fact, my inaugural soy milk doughnuts and boy, I've no regrets ever since.

While the focus is without a doubt the super stiff soy milk ice cream, Kyozuan serves their doughnuts either room temperature or hot and sells them in packs of 6 for 300 yen with not quite one toothpick per doughnut, but more than necessary. Maybe it's your sign that one person isn't supposed to eat them all? Oh well. :P These adorable little plump things, with barely a hole in the middle, have a slightly crispy, fried outside with a soft and moist dough may not be sweet or that complex in flavour, but they are good, though I had better later on.

A great introduction to soy milk doughnuts and certainly not the last to be reviewed on this little site.

Rating: ***

Chelsea's Bakery [RIP]

Bakery: Chelsea's Bakery 
Address: 1415 Hillside Dr, Kamloops BC
Website: http://chelseasbakery.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

It was a near miracle that not only did I find this bakery on my way out from Kamloops, it was still open! With one closing at 3, another at 4:30, Chelsea's closing at 6 was something worth celebrating. Of course I had to stop! Quite empty so late in the afternoon, which was not quite surprising, a great part of Chelsea's are the shelves of breads, packaged and frozen/refrigerated items. Thinking that there was more than just the small display cases of sparsely stocked sweets and baked goods, I walked around a bit and discovered that, yup, that was it.

Examining the front, there were a few squares, some cake slices, and a few baked goods. The cinnamon buns were gone, so I can't say how they were, but everything else remaining had the curious impression of looking like it came from a supermarket bakery. The products available were ones that you could find in any good bakery: danishes, chocolate cake, Nanaimo bars and cookies, so it's hard to describe. They just seemed... strangely, inexplicably generic?

The figure 8 danish ($3, available with apple, cherry or blueberry filling) was no exception to this. Fluffy yeast dough that had gone soft that was slathered in partially melted icing and filled with cherry on one side and custard on the other (all fruit variations had one half custard, unfortunately). Despite trying my best, I still could not shake off this feeling that it was like eating something from Safeway: was is the remnants of icing, the standard cherry filling and danish dough? Not sure.

Rating: **

Westlynn Bakery

Bakery: Westlynn Bakery
Address: 1199 Lynn Valley Rd #103, North Vancouver BC
Website: https://www.westlynnbakery.ca/
Style: Canadian
Price: $-$$

Located inside the little mall, Westlynn looked a bit like it had just moved in when I was there; there was no sign and there was this distinct feeling of newness about it even though I see it's been around for several years. Perhaps they've moved inside following plaza reconfiguration? At any rate, upon arriving at a condo construction site (they really don't know where else to put these things, don't they?) I was worried that they'd gone and demolished the bakery altogether, but checking inside just to make sure, there it was. What a relief!

Disregarding location confusion, Westlynn is a busy bakery filled with an eclectic range of baked goods that features a bit of Italian (cannoli), some Dutch, perhaps, Canadian classics like cinnamon buns and pies with a few others thrown in for excitement. Some, however, are only sold in those big packs I'm not such a fan of.

Most sweets come from their display cases and feature both baked goods (danishes) and big selection of squares and pastries. I grabbed two items: the raspberry walnut square (around $1.50) sounded and looked interesting with its shortbread bottom, raspberry jam, a nutty, granola-like middle filled with chopped walnuts and a layer of icing on top. Almost a cross between a date square and carrot cake... just with raspberry. Yum.

I'm always a fan of almond tarts and grab one whenever I have the chance. This was what I call the empire style with a candied cherry on top of a thick layer of icing and a thin layer of raspberry jam along the bottom. Nice flaky shell with a good ration between the icing and almond filling. Another yum.

Overall, a well-stocked home-style bakery, even if most of it is bread, that you wouldn't quite expect to find inside an uneventful mall, unless you knew what you were looking for. 

Rating: ***

Gebacken [Mimi's Cake Tour]

Bakery: Gebacken 
Address: Sennyuji Monzencho 23, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 
Website: http://www.gebacken.jp/
Style: Japanese, European
Price: $-$$ 

With three locations in Kyoto, Gebacken is a fairly typical European-style Japanese bakery with affordable prices and a nice selection of baked goods, cakes and pastries. As with a great many of these types of bakeries, don't let the German name and little German flags on some products fool you: there really isn't anything here that's trying to be German -- except, perhaps, those omnipresent Baumkuchen. On the contrary, the European-styled baked goods, like flaky croissants and danishes with a variety of fillings, are more French than anything else, but of course that's just me being picky.

 At first glance, I was only trying to decipher the various fillings and didn't want anything with red bean (alas, not a fan); narrowing down my results, I was debating between a few options and finally, I just gave in and fell for that silly face: the bunny bun (120 yen). Looking back, I remember the chocolate from the eyes and swear it was chocolate, and yet my notes say it was strawberry. Was it? With a bit of strawberry jam tucked inside a thick, egg-basted bun, I guess it didn't leave that big an impact with me.

Given the ridiculously low price of 40 yen, I couldn't resist grabbing a matcha croissant. Slightly flaky on the outside with an airy, nicely flavoured, colourful dough, it was more than worth the price, though I would have liked it to be slightly flakier. Still, it proved to be the highlight from this bakery; I could have had six of these! :P

Rating: *** 

Westwold General Store

Bakery: Westwold General Store
Address: 4876 BC-97, Westwold BC
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian
Price: $$-$$$

Driving along Hwy 97 en route to Kamloops, you drive through the small town of Westwold. Right past the gimmicky diner, there's a sign that might make you just stop in the middle of the road and frantically turn in: "fresh hot donuts". It's possible. In my case, it involved doing a U-turn down the road and coming back to the general store, a sort of convenience store/restaurant/cafe with a little bit of everything. Except doughnuts, that is.

That's right, I ran inside and found the store smelling of freshly fried bacon and curiously lacking in what that game-changing sign advertised. Where were the doughnuts!?! At the risk of looking a little too doughnut-hungry, I would have asked at the front counter had I not received such a chilly reception upon entering. Did you need to order them or something? Instead, I checked out their small selection of baked goods, ranging from already saran-wrapped buns, scones and pies. It was better than nothing and a great way to put Hwy 97 on the Cake Tour map.

I opted for the cinnamon bun ($3.25). Given the lack of doughnuts and my subsequent disappointment, I had a bit of a bias against it going in; however, it almost irritated me (ha ha hate when that happens...) when I unwrapped it, took a bite... and found it to be quite good. Sticky and yet not too gooey, this was packed with cinnamon flavour and had a tasty partially-melted icing/syrupy topping. Fresh, with nice texture, good taste, I would have given half a star more for the cinnamon bun alone... except I really wanted those doughnuts. :(

Rating: **1/2

Solly's Up Main

Bakery: Solly's Up Main 
Address: 4071 Main St, Vancouver BC
Website: n/a 
Style: Jewish, North American 
Price: $$

Solly's, a sort of breakfast/lunch New York-style bagel spot with a side of baked goods, got my attention with their giant street-side sign: "best cinnamon buns". I must have gone past Solly's sometime during previous Vancouver trips, since it seemed vaguely familiar, but I never considered it a place worth checking out in terms of potential Cake Tours. Of course, with a claim like "best cinnamon buns", they need to be put to the test.

Actually, I was surprised that they had more baked goods  and that it had more of a bakery vibe than I thought they would. The selection isn't huge, but it's nice to see cinnamon buns alongside chocolate babka buns and some sort of mini bundt cakes. That chocolate babka did look rich and delicious, I couldn't resist, but I think it was first my duty to challenge that claim to fame: does Solly's indeed have the best cinnamon buns? That is the question.

Solly's cinnamon buns ($3.50) are baked in trays and cut out in squares. They have an ooey-gooey syrupy topping that gives the buns a stickiness, though beyond that top it's actually more doughy, almost reminiscent of cinnamon/raisin bread; because of that, they're not overly sweet, which is good, but still loaded with cinnamon between those thinner layers of dough. The best? Probably not, but still tasty.

Almost identical in style, texture and execution to the cinnamon buns, the chocolate babka ($3.50) also comes in bun form, though it's certainly the richer of the two with a chocolatey filling in addition to that chocolate swirl on top, though I think the cinnamon buns were moister. Very good; perhaps not the best I've had, but a great place to stock up when you're craving classic cinnamon or chocolate buns in Vancouver.

Rating: ***

Kiitos [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kiitos
Address: Mibubojocho 33-5, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 
Website: http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~kiitos/
Style: Finnish 
Price: $$ 

When I was doing my bakery research prior to my Japan trip and Kiitos popped up as an option, I excitedly clicked on the listing and, in a state of utter rapture, saw pictures of Karelian pasties and cinnamon buns. A Finnish-style bakery in Kyoto? I couldn't believe my eyes. Yes! It was like a dream come true and I instantly put it on my must-visit list (as a matter of fact, it's still on my must-visit list). Wow, a Finnish bakery in Kyoto! All the French- and German-style bakeries had nothing compared to this find.

Now, let's begin by saying that I love Finnish baking; it's certainly not an easy to one find, and it happens to be almost impossible outside of Finland itself. I've been fortunate to find a few in Canada and I myself bake some pretty good korvapuustit and karjalanpiirakat, but other than that, it's a hard craving to satisfy. Hence my absolute excitement at finding out about Kiitos. It was, however, a miserable, rainy day and my first attempt earlier in the day led to me not being able to find the bakery. I'd printed out a horrible map without making note of the address and eventually gave up, not wanting to spend my whole day at it. Taking a break later on, I stumbled upon some free WiFi and looked up the bakery's location and its opening hours. Luckily, it was still open and I made a run for it. Unfortunately, it was all in vain, since the basket of cinnamon buns was all gone and I was a little saddened to find that Kiitos actually only bakes one sweet item: cinnamon buns. Everything else is savoury: countless varieties of rye bread, some French breads, cheese and meat buns, and pasties. It's disappointing and frustrating, but as a lover of cinnamon buns, I do need to try these eventually.

In the meantime, I grabbed one of my other favourite Finnish treats: a karjalanpiirakka with rice (178 yen). Having already encountered some not overly authentic "European" treats, I was pleasantly surprised at how original these pasties were. The shape was certainly there; it had a nice, soft rye shell with a slightly browned rice filling. So good and just like I remember the last one I had from Finland!

I also got a free bun, perhaps because the lady behind the counter/owner? thought I was Finnish! :) Ha ha I wasn't exactly sure what it was and it didn't really give me any Finnish vibes: a very dense white bun, kind of like a dinner roll, but it was still sweet of her. Kiitos! ^-^

And speaking of sweet, a Cake Tour can't possibly exist based on a dinner roll and a pasty, so I made the fairly long detour back on my return to Kyoto, right in the morning in the hopes of snagging a cinnamon bun. If I knew enough Japanese I'd ask, but... I don't. So, to my disappointment, I yet again found an empty basket. :( Final rating pending, since yes, when I return to Kyoto, whenever that may be, I'll get that cinnamon bun once and for all! I won't give up!

Rating: ??

Craig's Bakery

Bakery: Craig's Bakery
Address: 1800 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops BC
Website: http://www.craigsbakery.ca/
Style: Canadian, European
Price: $$ 

Craig's is a from-scratch bakery on Kamloops' north shore (or whatever it's called officially) that also has another location in nearby Chase. Now, wait for it: it also happens to be my personal pick for the best bakery in Kamloops. I have one more to do, but it will be hard to beat Craig's ample selection of baked goods, ranging from a nice selection of Canadian classics including doughnuts, danishes, cinnamon buns and tarts, along with a dash of some more European surprises thrown in for fun; after all, it didn't take very long after spotting those poppy seed buns for me to grab that four-pack. ;)

 Coming around 20 minutes before closing, the selection behind the counter (that is, individual items as opposed to pre-packed ones along the wall) wasn't the greatest. Not wanting to necessarily commit to eating six of their old-fashioned doughnuts, but wanting to try one, I asked about a smaller pack and was told I could have the six for $1.50. Really, I didn't need all those doughnuts, but how could I resist that? .___. Despite not being the biggest fan of cake doughnuts, these were just like I liked them: soft and moist, simple and unadorned with great texture and taste.

The star attraction, however, were definitely the poppy seed buns ($3.60 for a 4-pack). Incredible value and just look at them! You can usually tell a baked good by its appearance, and this was no exception. Drizzled with icing, rolled with plenty of poppy seed mass, soft yeast dough with a hint of lemon -- mmmm, this was so good. I definitely didn't regret having four of these with me!

Rating: ***1/2

Swiss Bakery

Bakery: Swiss Bakery 
Address: 143 E 3rd Ave, Vancouver BC 
Website: http://swissbakery.ca/
Style: Canadian, European 
Price: $$-$$$

From the outside, Swiss Bakery looks like a classic European-Canadian bakery that's been here for a great many years. You know the kind. Maybe a strudel or a danish, Linzer tortes and Black Forest cake if you're really lucky. So for a first-time visitor, stepping inside and finding a brand-new, bright bakery is a little bit of a surprise. I'm not quite sure whether that's necessarily a good or a not-so good thing. For one, I instantly knew this new-and-improved bakery would be pricier than I first envisioned it, though it's not bad; beyond that, I noticed that the "Swiss" was more or less in name alone. Especially in the case of sweets, there wasn't that much there that could actually be called European, much less Swiss. Baked goods included several varieties of muffins, tarts and doughnuts with a few squares and a couple buns and pastries. The focus, however, seems to be their doughnuts, or, more specifically, their various types of cronuts. And if there are doughnuts to be tried, you definitely won't find me complaining. ;)

Yes, I'll admit that my first impression wasn't as favourable as it had been before stepping inside and examining their selection, but all turned out well in the end, and that was thanks to a pair of very yummy doughnuts. I grabbed the French crueller ($2) and the apple fritter ($2.50).

The crueller isn't an easy doughnut to nail. More often than not, despite being a small bakery, the crueller has that commercial taste to it. This was one of the best I've had: airy, soft and multi-layered on the inside with a crunchy, croissant-like crunch on the outside. I can see why they do cronuts.

The apple fritter was equally tasty, with a nice amount of apples and spice, with a good glaze, great soft texture that unmistakably fresh, fried "crust" on the outside. I'm sorry for having doubted you, Swiss Bakery! ^^

Rating: ***1/2

Shinshindo [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Shinshindo
Address: 22 日本生命四条大宮ビル 1F Shijōōmiyacho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Website: http://www.shinshindo.jp/en/
Style: Japanese 
Price: $$ 

Like a few bakeries I've already reviewed, Shinshindo is a Kyoto-only bakery with around 10 locations throughout the city centre in a variety of shapes and forms. The one I went to, right in front of the Randen streetcar terminal at Shijo-Omiya station, is more a booth than an actual bakery, with sweet and savoury baked goods and breads presented in a display case that you walk up to and order from. Perhaps the selection is smaller than normal Shinshindo bakery outlets, especially given there's not that much choice, but there was still a few sweet items, some veering more towards French viennoiseries and others more typically Westernized-Japanese. And it was so nice to see an English description under almost every item. I'll admit I'm not one fond of catering specifically to tourists, but after attempts at deciphering baked good labels, it was pleasant, for a change.

Having spent the greater part of the very rainy morning trying to find a nearby Finnish bakery and failing, I was feeling both exasperated and relieved to stumble upon Shinshindo. Spotting the cinnamon doughnut (151 yen), I knew I'd earned it. Of course, it also happened to be the most attractive and appetizing treat there, at least under 200 yen. ^^ Hey, Cake Touring adds up after a while... Besides, the cinnamon doughnut, braided round like a knot, is quite pretty. More than that, it tastes so good with its cinnamon sugar coating and its soft, moist dough folded with delicately flavoured cinnamon mass. Fresh, flavourful and delicious! Mmm... after all that rain, this is exactly what I needed!

Rating: ***1/2