Jo-Anna's Bakery

Bakery: Jo-Anna's Bakery and Cafe 
Address: 212 Main St, Thessalon ON 
Website: facebook
Style: Canadian
Price: $$ 

Jo-Anna's bakery and cafe is located in a big white house in the heart of Thessalon. From the outside and given the bakery-cafe title, you'd almost expect it to be more cafe than bakery; you know what I mean, a few homemade baked goods at the counter made for the express purpose of going with that hot drink you're enjoying on-site. In this sense, I was pleasantly surprised, since Jo-Anna's is indeed a bakery as well, with loaves of bread on shelves next to the cash along with a selection, albeit small, of classic baked goods like butter tarts and squares.

I decided to try the cinnamon bun ($2.50). Maybe a bit clumsily built, with big chunks of dough that didn't really stick together, but it was quite good with a slightly crunchy crust and sticky filling that was loaded with cinnamon flavour. A good, definitely above average classic cinnamon bun.

Rating: ***

Columbia Bakery

Bakery: Columbia Bakery 
Address: 2151 Bowen Rd, Nanaimo BC 
Website: http://columbiabakery.ca/
Style: German, Canadian 
Price: $$

Several years ago, I discovered that the city of Nanaimo has created a "Nanaimo Bar Trail", a local tour celebrating the city's homegrown hero: the humble Nanaimo Bar. Taking a look at the tour with the express purpose of covering as much ground as possible, I discovered that there really weren't that many locations, and not that many bakery locations, at that. Of the two on the list that I considered close enough to group together and make a Nanaimo Bar Trail of my own, Columbia Bakery was the first.

This long-standing European bakery in a relatively industrial area has a fairly impressive, almost deceptively lengthy array of cakes, baked goods and other treats that goes from simple cookies to marzipan sweets. I say deceptively, because upon further examination, many non-sweet items are located within this wall of display cases. One thing, however, they did not have was my star attraction: where were the Nanaimo bars? Can you believe it? They happened not to have any(more) that day. I couldn't believe it! My Nanaimo Bar Trail was going up in smoke before my very eyes...

Really, I would have been angry had it not been for the poppy seed square I had spotted. Yes, everything was right again! This classic poppy seed square ($2.99) had a delicious, generous poppy seed mass with a fragment of lattice and a thin layer of glaze on top. Yummy shortbread crust and overall fresh and flavourful. Would have liked to add a Nanaimo bar to this, but oh well... I'm happy as is.

Rating: ***

Esther & Sons

Bakery: Esther & Sons
Address: 652 Cook Rd, Kelowna BC
Website: http://www.estherandsons.com/
Style: North American
Price: $$$

The number of outstanding bakeries to review in Kelowna (and the Okanagan, for that matter) is quickly diminishing, so I was very excited when a quick online search had this "bakery" in the Mission pop up for me. Looking through the website, I spotted a certain southeast Asian inspiration behind many of their advertised products and was immediately intrigued. I love pandan cake, but have a hard time finding it anywhere; the Black Forest cake with Okanagan cherries or madeleines were also something I'd be willing to try. In fact, even their chicken congee with dough stick was right up my alley.
 
That being said, it was a good thing I didn't plan on going for lunch too, since stepping into the bright, airy space with minimalist decor and even more minimal counter space, I realized that the website clearly didn't reflect what was available in store. Esther & Sons really shouldn't even have been labelled as a bakery. Yes, they make their own treats, but isn't that how it should be with any cafe? The thing is, there simply isn't enough for it to warrant a special bakery tag: a few scones and muffins, one loaf cake and a carrot cake in the fridge. Moreover, there were no "southeast Asian" influences in anything, so had the cafe changed owners or management? Had they switched over to a more boring ahem, standard array of products? Expecting something unique, I was disappointed.

Not wanting to come for nothing, I went with their most unique item up for offer: the blueberry earl grey loaf ($4.05 with tax). Filled with whole, fresh blueberries, I could definitely see and taste those with every bite. The lemon icing was a nice touch, and certainly flavourful. The Earl Grey part... not so much. Pretty good in taste and texture, a bit dry without the fruit; it was too pricey for what it was and just not what I was expecting.

Rating: **

Pain de River [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Pain de River 
Address: 8 Chome-7-9 Shimoyamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture
Website: http://www.painderiver.com/
Style: Japanese  
Price: $ 

This somewhat tucked away, yet popular bakery has the distinction of selling everything for 100 yen. Of course, that's what their window says, but inside, there is a table of exceptions and tax is added after that initial 100 yen, so there is a bit of a catch. Nevertheless, the 100 yen selection is ample, with the same kind of sweet and savoury buns going for over 200 yen at other bakeries, including sweet buns, doughnuts and flaky pastries both Japanese and European-inspired. When it comes to baked goods, though, cheaper doesn't often mean better or tastier. So how did Pain de River fare?

I wasn't quite sure what to pick out; unlike some bakeries I'd been to, I had a few picks; for the price, I was almost tempted to stock up on more items, but in the end thought it wouldn't be wise since I would be the only one eating it. Having been in the mood for a doughnut for the past few days, I decided to try their simple sugared ring (108 yen).

That particular day was an absolutely miserable, cold and grey rainy day and biting into this super moist, slightly oily dough with a golden brown crust on the outside and an uneven sprinkling of sugar was exactly what I needed. Probably my favourite pick in Kobe.

Rating: ***1/2

Cake-Ya

Bakery: Cake-Ya
Address: 2415 Clarke St, Port Moody BC
Website: facebook
Style: Japanese 
Price: $

Amid the bakeries of Vancouver, I had a hunch that there had to be a Japanese bakery somewhere. I'll confess that I didn't expect the one I did find, besides a travelling bakery selling at various farmers' markets throughout Metro Vancouver, to be in Port Moody's small downtown, but good things can come from unlikely places.

 Cake-Ya is, essentially, not quite a bakery, but a pastry shop serving fairly simple Japanese cakes and sweets at amazing prices. Outwardly, it's nothing too fancy: plain, unadorned cheesecakes, cream rolls and castella cakes along with packaged shortbread cookies, mochi and mousse cups. In fact, I might have just named their whole repertoire. The taste, however, is what matters and this is what Cake-Ya does very well.

With the green tea castella gone that day, I just had to give their baked cheesecake ($6.50) a try. Fluffy and soft... maybe not the fluffiest cheesecake I've had, but it was one of the best. Some are better vold, others are better warmed up and this one definitely belonged to the latter group. I warmed it up in the microwave and dove right in to its cloud-like texture. Mmm...

The Okinawa shortbread cookies ($2.50/bag), available in plain, black sesame or matcha, I believe, were equally delicious. Packed with matcha flavour, these were rich with softer, crumbly outer layer and a super dense cookie within. Really, I'm not sure which one I liked better! Truly a gem.

Rating: ***1/2

Little Acre Farm Stand

Bakery: Little Acre Farm Stand 
Address: Hwy 97, Summerland BC
Website: n/a
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

This is one of a few farm stands/markets lining Hwy 97 between Kelowna and Osoyoos and like a great many of them, it has that same, somewhat gimmicky feel to it with pretty much everything for sale. Add to that the scores of signposts that line the highway upon approaching it, advertising everything from fruit to ice cream to beef jerky. Well, one of those little signposts say "baked goods" (or maybe it's bakery, I don't remember exactly) and that was enough to pull me in.

And while it does adhere quite strongly to the Okanagan fruit stand business model, this particular fruit market sets itself apart by selling homemade jams, pies, bread and a small selection of baked goods. Maybe it's a little too expensive for what it is, but I guess once you've gone to a few of these, it no longer surprises you... 

Of that small selection of baked goods (including pies, tarts and cinnamon buns), I grabbed two pecan butter tarts ($1.75 each). These featured a thicker, flaky pie shell with a glossy butter filling and a few whole pieces of pecans on top. I personally liked the shell dough; it has good taste and texture, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the jelly-like filling which was too set, too jiggly and the pecans were too many and too big in proportion to that amount of filling. Paired with the dough, it lacked the richness I like to see in a butter tart. Good, but not great.

Rating: **1/2

Frisch aus der Backstube

Bakery: Frisch aus der Backstube/Traditional German Baking
Address: Spotted at the Duncan Farmers' Market, Duncan BC 
Website: facebook
Style: German 
Price: $$

After some detective work, I located more information about this German food truck that sells mostly baked goods with the addition of a few hot food items (sausages and schnitzels). Based in Cowichan Bay and regularly doing the farmers' market circuit (their Facebook page, above, is fairly current and lets you know where they're heading next), they sell authentic German baked goods (with a few exceptions) and breads... which might just be one of the most exciting food trucks out there. It certainly was the highlight of the Duncan Farmers' Market, despite the overpowering scent of bratwurst and cabbage in the area. It also happens to be one of the most popular with a great many items already sold out: small quark doughnuts were gone. Cherry cake was gone. I believe even the pretzels were gone!

It being cherry season at the time, I was most interested in the cherry cake (actually, the quark doughnuts really would have been my first pick, but alas!), but was told that it was sold out and the only other cherry baked good they had was a sort of lactose-free coffee cake, which didn't look as appealing as the apple strudel next to it, so the apple strudel ($3.50) it was.

This was a generous piece of strudel with a firmer shell that complimented the big chunks of cinnamon baked apples and raisins inside. Unlike most German-style strudels, the dough wasn't the flaky puff pastry you come to expect, but a more doughier version, so much so that overall it tasted more like an apple cake than a strudel. Still tasty, not as soggy as the aforementioned version can get on a hot summer day. Very good.

Rating: ***

Mountainside Market

Bakery: Mountainside Market 
Address: 7546 Main St E, Radium Hot Springs, BC 
Website: http://www.mountainside-market.com/
Style: Canadian
Price: $$ 

Despite its countless accommodation options, the small, touristy town of Radium Hot Springs doesn't really have that many amenities, so the fact that it has no bakery came as no surprise to me. What did come as a surprise was the fact that small, independent grocery store in town has their own, quite good mini-bakery by the deli counter that seems to be restocked regularly and features a small array of classic baked goodies like several varieties of doughnuts, cinnamon buns, etc.

Whenever available, I seem to be unable to resist an apple fritter ($1.79). Not as chunky or crunchy on the outside like the typical fritter, I would actually say these were more like apple doughnuts with a fluffy dough, a good amount of apples (more than usual) and an opaque layer of slightly runnier glaze. Pretty good.

I also tried the cinnamon bun ($1.99); this is a classic "BC style" with a clear glaze on top of a tightly wound square. Nice cinnamon taste. The dough was soft and fluffy, undeniably fresh. Personally, though, I'll confess that the star attraction was their super cheesy jalapeno cheese buns. I could have one of those right now...  

Rating: ***

Vie de France [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Vie de France
Address: 3 Aioicho, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture (in Plico Kobe)
Website: http://www.viedefrance.co.jp/
Style: Japanese, French 
Price: $$

The first time I travelled to Kobe, I arrived through the JR Kobe station west of the main downtown area. Stepping through the gates, Vie de France, located in one of the few shopping areas in the station, is one of the first businesses you spot. It screams big chain and it really is, with hundreds of locations country-wide, most of which are in JR stations. A sort of quick (sweet) bite for people on the go.

Somehow, I never really associate train stations or airports with good, memorable food; it really is a question of quantity over quality, quickly. In this sense, I was a bit reluctant to give Vie de France a try, but I was one of the scores of people that was hungry, so I went for it. Despite the name, their selection of French-inspired baked goods is fairly limited, especially compared to other bakeries with the same business model. There was a lot of croquettes, hot dog buns, a few doughnuts; though, to be fair, they did have a couple French pastries (a raisin twist and French toast were two I remember) and their croissants are made in France.... Uh, what? I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that.

I grabbed an apple cake (161 yen). It was something different and unique; I like apple cakes, but they're seldom encountered in bakeries, much less Japanese bakeries like this. Despite my undeniable bias going in, this was actually better than I expected. Perhaps the dough wasn't as flaky nor as flavourful as it looked, but it still consisted of several thin layers stuffed with a cooked apple mass almost reminiscent of an apple sauce. Not bad, not bad at all.

Rating: **1/2

La Baguette

Bakery: La Baguette
Address: 607 Victoria Rd, Revelstoke BC
Website: n/a 
Style: French, Canadian 
Price: $$$ 

Not to be confused with the restaurant/cafe/bar of the same name along the entire front of the building, I'll admit I was a bit wary of trying the small bakery portion tucked away in between the said restaurant and the butcher shop next door given its uh, generic name. I mean, it doesn't exactly evoke much, but at the same time, hey, a French patisserie in Revelstoke... of course you'll find me there! Amid the rustic breads and gelato counter, the bakery area doesn't really have all that much in terms of pastries: some slices of pretty, torte-like cakes and one or two baked goods that at the time included croissants, pains au chocolat and what I was could call seasonal specials. Both times I tried the latter.

The first time, that seasonal special was the blueberry matcha brioche, an incredibly rich, flaky dough rolled with real fruit and topped with a flavourful matcha icing that I wouldn't think would suit the rest of the pastry (especially since many places that try "experimenting" with matcha never seem to get it right), but it did, very well.

On a second trip, I was hoping to another of those brioches, but found they were no longer offered. Instead, I decided to try the black forest croissant ($4.25). Yes, there is indeed a croissant under that thick layer of nutty streusel topping stuffed with tart cherries and decadent bricks of partially melted chocolate. In my opinion, a bit too decadent and difficult to eat, but still, removing a few pieces of chocolate, the croissant itself was excellently executed: flaky, buttery layers with every bite and so good with that topping.

This is without a doubt my favourite pick in Revelstoke and, personally, the rating would be half a star higher if it weren't for the service every single time I'm here, which I'm afraid needs a lot of improvement... and that's coming from someone who's not a stickler at all for service. A little less attitude and maybe a 'hello' and 'thank you' would do a world of difference.

Rating: ***

Left Bank Cafe Patisserie [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Left Bank Cafe Patisserie
Address: 36 Broadway, Saranac Lake NY
Website: https://www.leftbankcafe36.com/
Style: French
Price: $$ 

I'm not sure why, but it's very hard to find any information about this French patisserie, which I believe to be the only bakery in Saranac Lake. I hope it's still open, since it took me a while to write this review and it would be pointless if it closed down. Left Bank Patisserie is an offshoot of Left Bank Bistro, a full-service restaurant that is located two doors down serving French dishes. An online search automatically redirects to the restaurant and very few seem to even mention the fact that there is a small bakery and cafe in town, let alone one that it specializes in French pastries like croissants, macarons, eclairs, chocolate pastries, etc. You can also buy take-out dishes fromIf I'm not mistaken, I also think they had very limited opening hours. Weekends only? I don't really remember.

I don't remember if they were specially advertising it or it was the best choice available, but I chose the almond croissant. It was soft and buttery with some flakiness. It didn't really have any crunch which made it not the best, since I always associate croissants with being flaky and having that crunch when you bite into them. Good taste with the cream inside, but like I said, not the best I've had. Still, I would recommend this bakery.

Rating: ***

Schultz Bakery

Bakery: Schultz Home Bakery
Address: 482 10th Ave, Hanover ON
Website: facebook
Style: Canadian, Doughnuts 
Price: $-$$

Schultz Home Bakery is located right off the main street in Hanover, making it easy to miss; however, it's certainly worth the detour or u-turn to get back here. This simple, small-town bakery may not have the largest selection and features mostly classic treats, namely pies, colourful cookies and cupcakes. But I'll confess that I'm not here to talk about cookies. Schultz is, without a doubt, all about the doughnuts.

 Well-priced, coming in simple, classic flavours, this bakery makes some pretty amazing doughnuts, from their delicately fried sugar doughnuts to their flavourful maple glaze to the star of the show: their golden brown, generously glazed apple fritters. Yes, in a box of six, four spots did have to belong to the fritter. Crunchy, soft and slightly chewy on the inside... perfect. I wasn't planning on finding a bakery and ended up coming back with one that easily takes top honours.

Rating: ****

Askews Foods

Bakery: Askews Foods Uptown 
Address: 2701 11 Ave NE, Salmon Arm BC 
Website: http://www.askewsfoods.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $-$$ 

Why yes, maybe I am getting a little desperate (though I do have pages of pending reviews still needing to be written, never fear) but no bakery - or bakery department, for that matter - will be left unturned when I'm through! Askews is an independent supermarket operating in the Shuswap valley, with two locations in Salmon Arm, and another two in Sicamous and Armstrong, respectively. Seeing as they advertise having an in-store bakery outside and that independent stores generally have pretty good bakery departments, usually a far cry from their large-scale, national competitors, I was curious and wanted to see how they'd fare. Not knowing whether all locations have identical bakeries, this review is for the location listed *points* above.

Askews Uptown bakery is located in one corner of the supermarket; actually, I believe they were advertising something like a "bakery cafe" outside, and while there is seating available, there weren't any special treats near the tables, I'm assuming you have the option of taking a baked good from the bakery department (paper plates provided) and eat it there. That being said, the selection and overall appearance suggest that this is a fairly run-of-the-mill bakery: mostly shelves set out with multi-packs prepared by them and standard, ready-to-go cakes in the fridge. They also have a very well priced self-serve area with doughnuts (were those two types of apple fritters?), muffins, and a small selection of other sweet buns: danishes, a butterhorn, and cinnamon buns.

I had the cinnamon bun ($1.29). It didn't look too bad with its big spiral shape, thin layer of clear glaze and swirl of icing. Picking it up, I found it strangely weightless; the dough didn't have much substance and could have used more cinnamon; that way, it would have been less dry and would have had more flavour. I really like the store as a whole, but the bakery didn't turn out to be anything special.

Rating: **

Westfalian Bakery

Bakery: Westfalian Bakery 
Address: 187 Kenneth St, Duncan BC
Website: facebook
Style: German, European 
Price: $-$$ 

Continuing along my (second) tour of Vancouver Island, I stopped in Duncan at this long-standing German bakery downtown. Westfalian Bakery has, perhaps, seen better days. Or at least more copious days. Coming there at what I would call peak bakery time (late Saturday morning), the bakery was fairly empty with a majority of the shelves bare, especially those that contained more traditional German items, and the bakery itself was uninhabited; it took a while for someone to acknowledge there was a customer in the store. In this sense, I simply couldn't believe that all poppy seed danishes and strudels had been sold prior to my coming, but yes, I did actually ask and got the disheartening answer that they were all gone. *sighs* I always seem to have that kind of luck... Besides those empty shelves, the bakery did have several squares and pieces of cake, one or two more "Canadian" pastries and some cookies.

Wanting something a little different, I went with the cherry walnut square ($1.30), which proved to be cheaper and smaller than I had expected. I probably wouldn't have minded a bigger piece and pay a little more for it.... That being said, I tried to cut off a piece with my fork and almost instantly realized I hadn't made the best choice from all that was available. Exceptionally chewy, almost to unmanageable levels, I was disappointed to find that the cherries in question were candied cherries. This was what made it so chewy and impossible to cut. The slightly crunchy nut topping was fairly good as was the softer filling; perhaps it wasn't at its freshest, yes, but it was those chewy, artificially red cherries that really got to me. Should have been better.

Rating: **

Kineya Honten [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kineya Honten 
Address: 95 Nikaimachi, Himeji-shi, Hyōgo Prefecture 
Website: http://www.kineya.net/
Style: Japanese 
Price: $$ 

I actually stayed right across from this dessert shop, which is somewhat exciting. It's probably the closest proximity I've ever been to a bakery in terms of lodging. Nevertheless, unlike a great many stops along my Japanese World Tour, Kineya Honten isn't a bakery, but a patisserie where you can grab a slice of cake with tea or buy full-size gift boxes featuring biscuits, rice cakes and their "signature" item (at the time, it seemed to be the signature item in every fancier bakery): baumkuchen; their unique version is chestnut-flavoured. 

Outwardly, I'll admit it looked a bit more elegant  than it did up-close. Stepping inside, I found it pretty cluttered, lacking in customers and teeming with staff, and the decor a bit... tired; I can't help but think it had seen better days. They also don't have that many individual items; the majority of the store space is dedicated to that pre-packed gift boxes and many of those individual items are repeated to make it look like they have more variety than they do. Regardless, their layered cream torts and French-inspired sweets are pretty, certainly look like they taste good, and are modestly priced.

I wasn't sure which of the slices to take and finally couldn't give up this chance to try a Japanese cheesecake in Japan. I'm incredibly fond of Japanese cheesecake (all varieties) so I was more than happy to try Kineya Honten's version (350 yen). This was a baked "souffle" cheesecake: fresh, almost weightlessly fluffy with a predominantly milky flavour (as opposed to egg). Top was thinly glazed and dusted with powdered sugar on one end. An elegant, slightly more refined take and one that was exceptionally good. So worth the amused smile I got from the hostel owner in Kobe when she came in on me relishing every forkful. .___.;; 

Rating: ***1/2

Donut Monster

Bakery: Donut Monster
Address: 246 Locke St, Hamilton ON 
Website: https://www.donutmonster.ca/
Style: Doughnuts 
Price: $$$

Donut Monster is, without a doubt, the gourmet doughnut destination in Hamilton, and seeing as it's always hard to resist doughnuts, I just had to give this newer place a try. With its rows of doughnut trays and more than a dozen labels at one time, they probably have the most selection in terms of flavour that I've ever seen in a gourmet doughnut shop. Many times, it's limited to three or four, at the most six at one time, so that is definitely fresh and exciting; of course, what's not exciting is to see most of those rows of doughnut trays and more than a dozen labels... empty. I always seem to have that kind of luck. However, another thing that Monster Donuts has going for it in addition to some classic items (apple fritter and cinnamon sugar) is its selection of inventive, unexpected flavour combinations: roasted beetroot or sriracha lime, anyone? That being said, as with most doughnut shops of this type, the difference in flavour is contained solely in the glaze on top, with the exception of the fritters and a few with some sort of filling (would have loved to try the milk tea one). I hope to one day find a place that changes it up and does something fun to the dough as well!

Nevertheless, back to the review: as mentioned before, Donut Monster seems to be quite the popular place, since the two times I've been there, it's never heaping with doughnuts or the doughnuts I want aren't available. It's gets pretty frustrating, but I did manage to come out with some promising picks.

I tried the lemon Earl Grey, a sangria (rear) and an apple fritter. Firstly, the Earl Grey with floral garnish had a unique thick and creamy icing more than a glaze or dip; with its tartness and spreadable texture, it almost reminded me of a cream cheese icing, though it's not. An interesting, flavour-packed concept, but I had a hard time picking out the Earl Grey.

The sangria doughnut with strawberry slices atop a deep pink glaze was certainly the worst for wear. This and the lemon simply could not survive a summer day in the car... It was my least favourite. The glaze had run away a bit and I would have liked to taste a little more of the wine. Of course. :P Finally, the apple fritter looked and tasted like the star attraction. Crunchy fried outside, glaze getting into all those grooves... oh yeah!

On a return trip and not pictured, I grabbed a cardamom glaze/honey dip, which was by far the simplest of the bunch, but probably my favourite in terms of flavour and the texture of the dough combined with the all-around glaze. However, in general, the doughnut is all about the dough and while the glazes and different flavours are really good, I think the dough itself could be slightly chewier and denser. Still, these are some tasty doughnuts and a doughnut shop is always a great addition to the neighbourhood!

Rating: ***

Bluesberry Bakery [International Correspondent]

Bakery: Bluesberry Bakery
Address: 2436 Main St, Lake Placid NY
Website: facebook 
Style: German, American 
Price: $$$ 

I went to this bakery in the  summer during my tour of the Adirondacks and only realized afterwards that I only took a picture of one of the items I tried. Still, Bluesberry Bakery is the only bakery I found in Lake Placid. It's located in an old brick building, alongside the movie theatre, I believe, and is a mostly European bakery (some items, however, you will find in any standard "neighbourhood" bakery like the pecan tarts, scones and turnovers) with a surprising, though small assortment of traditional German baked goods. These were simple and classic; however, I thought the bakery was a little expensive, especially their tarts.

I took one Linzer "tart" ($5.50). Good tart shell with a bit of crunch. I thought the amount of jam in the middle was also good. Sometimes, a Linzer has too much dough and feels like a dry cookie, but this one was just right.

I would consider myself a granola bar connoisseur so whenever I see homemade granola bars, I have to try it. Bluesberry Bakery's version had a good "shell" with crunchy nuts, juicy pieces of fruit and some honey. Neither item was too sweet, just the way I like it. Overall, good baked goods and a good place to stop while in Lake Placid for breakfast or afternoon snack.

Rating: ***

Jana's Bakeshop

Bakery: Jana's Bakeshop 
Address: 315 Upper Ganges Rd, Ganges BC
Website: http://janasbakeshop.ca/ 
Style: Pies, Canadian
Price: $$

My final stop on Salt Spring Island was this cute, very small country-style bakery located on the outskirts of town, down at the bottom of an otherwise insignificant plaza. It's very open-concept, with a full view onto the kitchen and baking area; it's a bit like you're picking up some baked goods straight from a friend's kitchen.

Without a doubt, the focus is on full-scale pies and savoury quiches with several flavours of each either on the counter or in the fridge. The amount of individual sweets is a bit more limited and they're confined to a few plates behind a screen door cupboard: simple, homey squares in some unique flavours and varieties. 

From the three available (the other two were chocolate and something with coconut on top), I picked out the maple walnut square ($3). You've heard of the combination, but somehow I thought it slightly different than what you'd imagine a square to be (someting more gooey is what comes to mind, though I have no idea why). This unique take, however, was a winner, with its delicately spiced, chunky and textured dough and a thick layer of maple icing, no, almost a glaze on top. Fragrant and nutty, with the sweetness of maple syrup, it was simple, yet super flavourful. Classic baking done right.

Rating: ***

Quality Greens

Bakery: Quality Greens 
Address: 1889 Spall Rd, Kelowna BC 
Website: https://qualitygreens.com/
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

While not a dedicated bakery by any means, I was holding on to my review of this small Okanagan produce and local grocery chain until I got a bit more desperate and had no other bakeries on my pending list; however, it being pumpkin and pie season, I thought I couldn't hold back for much longer. ;)

As mentioned, Quality Greens is a local farm market with a few locations scattered throughout the Okanagan; in addition to produce, dairy and deli, they have a small bakery section with bread and buns from local bakeries along with a small selection of in-store home-style baked goods that encompasses cookies, pies, and loaf cakes. All are available in full-size, family portions or in highly appreciated petite sizes.

Sure, the choices are limited, but just picking up and being able to smell it through the plastic wrap made me decide on getting the pumpkin loaf cake ($3.49 for small). It's so simple, the sort of treat that is seldom found in bakeries and more often baked at home, but sometimes you have a craving for the latter. Super moist spice cake is full of flavour and full of pumpkin as well. Not too sweet, great texture -- I was actually surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this. It's really only a shame that their bakery department isn't a bit bigger!

Rating: **1/2