Riviera Bakery

Bakery: Riviera Bakery 
Address: 576 College St, Toronto ON 
Website: https://www.rivierabakery.ca/
Style: Italian 
Price: $$-$$$ 

Given that Italian bakeries are some of the more prominent European bakeries from coast to coast, I was hoping/expecting that Little Italy would be overflowing with them. :D Really, it's not... which is probably why I've never done that much touring in the area. Nonetheless, there is Riviera, and Riviera is without a doubt Little Italy's bakery institution. After all, it's been here for around 50 years -- you gotta know your cannoli after that long!

Stepping inside, you're greeted with a more compact bakery than the usual deli/hot food/display case Italian bakery, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It's cozier. The baked goods and breads are right there, centre stage. On a late weekend afternoon, I'll admit, there wasn't that much left, but those famous cannoli were still available along with all the classic Sicilian pastries. The only thing is that Italian bakeries are almost always very well-priced, but Riviera remains an exception: it's not cheap. In some ways, I would have liked to get more, but found that $3.50 for a cannolo was just too much, especially when paired with what I got.

 Yes, the question was: should I try the cannoli? I was being drawn in that direction, but a big ball of dough kept getting in my way, calling my name. Asking what those weird balls were, I was told that they were Sicilian Inas(?): fried dough balls stuffed with ricotta. Apparently, they were super good. My choice had been made. The Inas it was ($5.00 each -- oh, by the way, given it is by far the priciest "individual" item on the shelf, it would be nice if it had a price!).

Cracking this massive thing open, I saw a hefty ricotta cream filling dotted with chocolate chips and with a hint of citrus stuffed inside a dense, bready dough. The kind you would associate with panettone. This was fried and rolled in a nutty crumble. Impeccably, almost unbreably rich, but very good. I really didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did: the fried, coated crust, that delicious cream filling... mmm, Riviera! 50 years has taught you well. :)

Rating: ***