Nottes Bon Ton

Bakery: Nottes Bon Ton Pastry & Confectionery
Address: 3150 W Broadway, Vancouver BC 
Website: http://www.nottesbontonpastry.com/
Style: European 
Price: $$ 

Out of curiosity, I was once checking bakeries for sale and saw that Nottes Bon Ton was up for sale. I was stunned; I had to review this institution before it potentially closed down!! Seeing as I wasn't able to go immediately and it's still alive and well, perhaps it was simply a change of management? Perhaps nothing at all happened?

Nonetheless, Nottes Bon Ton Pastry is as old-school European pastry shop as you can get. From the long wall of cakes to the packaging, it's a bit like going back in time - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. On the contrary. It's quite refreshing, especially compared to the minimalist chic of the city's newest patisseries. The bakery features a VAST assortment of small tea cakes (bite-sized cakes and sweets), cookies, full-sized cakes, croissants, etc. The one thing that did surprise me amid this selection was the decided Eastern European presence (only certain countries do Dobos tort, after all) which seemed a bit at odds with the Diplomats and Florentines, so maybe there was a management change after all?

 Well, I do often take a Dobos (around $3) when I see it and this wasn't an exception. The cake was alright; the chocolate was good and there was plenty of it, but it was missing that characteristic caramel flavour. In addition, there was the distressing and disappointing fact that the cake was, put simply, stale. In hindsight, the selection truly is impressive, but at the same time you can also say they have way too much for sale. I came on a Tuesday. The place is closed Sundays and Mondays, so you don't really know how old the cake is, which is unfortunate. As I've said a few times throughout my reviews, there's no excuse for stale cake! 

Rating: **

Crémy

Bakery: Crémy
Address: 2202 Mont-Royal Ave E, Montreal QC 
Website: https://cremypatisserie.com/
Style: Doughnuts, European
Price: $$ 

 This time around, I wanted to find out whether Montreal had any doughnut shops or bakeries specializing in doughnuts that I wasn't aware of. One of the first that appeared in this search was Crémy. Without a doubt, the focus at Crémy is doughnuts. Yes, they have a small selection of pastries, breads and baked goods and seem to be place to go if you're craving a doughnut burger (you heard me right), but truth be told, I don't actually have any personal recollection of that. All I do remember is that wall of doughnuts right upon entering.

And it's a fairly impressive sight, though perhaps Crémy tends to stick to mostly classic flavours like chocolate dip, sprinkled and lemon glazed cruellers. However, there's nothing wrong with sticking to old-school flavours and getting it right. That being said, there are a few doughnut flavours - like the maple bacon and pistachio - that are more on the unique side.

Go all out? Choose something basic? Quite the dilemma. I made a compromise: the beignet aux pommes (apple fritter; $3.05). In a sense, my translation of 'apple fritter' is a bit deceiving, since this was an old-fashioned stuffed apple doughnut with a generous fruit filling right in the middle as opposed to apples being scattered here and there. The dough was delicately spiced with a glaze on the outside; overall, it was quite the hearty doughnut. Fantastic texture, super flavourful. Yummy!

Rating: ***1/2

Kuchen Brot [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kuchen Brot
Address: 28 Yeonhuimat-ro, Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Website: n/a 
Style: Korean 
Price: $$ 

This was the inaugural bakery of my trip to South Korea and, strangely enough, very few equalled or exceeded this fantastic neighbourhood bakery just north of the Hongdae business "cluster". Kuchen Brot is what I would term a classic Korean bakery: grab a tray and make your way down the aisles of Westernized, but not entirely Western, sweet and savoury baked goods. A few French-inspired like the madeleines, others a bit more North American like the pies and chocolate cake and others after that are quintessentially Korean like the cream buns. Outwardly, they don't look that much different from other bakeries, but taking a bite was a very pleasant and wholly welcome surprise.

 The first item was a massive, generous cream bun (2,800 won) with a fantastic crusty exterior and plenty of rich, delicious cream on the inside. Maybe a bit too much, but a little extra cream was nothing to complain about. This was like ice cream.

Beyond this, there were the twist doughnuts (1,200 won). Yes, those twist doughnuts. Freshly fried, perfectly plum; impeccably crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Coated in simple sugar. And incredibly good. This was the reason for the onslaught of twist doughnut trials that followed me on my trip throughout South Korea. One or two did reach the same level, but there is still something sentimental about that first really good bakery. Thanks for the memories, Kuchen Brot.

Rating: ****

Daango Pastry Lab

Bakery: Daango Pastry Lab 
Address: 202 Baldwin St, Toronto ON
Website: http://www.daango.com/
Style: Asian, North American 
Price: $$-$$$ 

Someone brought this cute, somewhat gimmicky pastry shop to my attention, informing me that it was founded by a pastry chef who was featured on Masterchef Canada. Now, I'm not sure if that gives the shop celebrity status, but there seems to be a certain degree of hype surrounding it: from the professionally designed packaging to the Instagram-friendly treats. Yes, Daango specializes in cakes, desserts and colourful macarons whose focus is their appearance. Think silly critters, uniquely shaped cake slices and unusual containers for creamy desserts. Nevertheless, adorable faces or not, the question is: is all that fanfare worth it?

 Always a fan of matcha, I went with two of their matcha-themed selections: the "Zen" matcha cream cake with red bean and black sesame ($6.50) and the black sesame and matcha "Terra" pudding ($5.50). With its clear plastic shell resembling a window planter, the cake crumb soil layer and little plant trying to make the most of the favourable growing conditions, the "Terra" was certainly the photogenic one, though "digging" into it, I found the flavour of the matcha not as pronounced as I like it. The "Zen", for that matter, suffered from the same problem; there was simply too little matcha for you to taste it, especially when combined with stronger, more overpowering flavours like black sesame or chocolate. The excessive use of intense food colouring also cheapened the products; often, you pay more for better food quality and I felt like the quality of the ingredients was lacking here.

Nonetheless, the pudding was the star of the two. The cake... I personally was not a fan of the salted crumble on top. There was enough complexity with the red bean, sesame and green tea, without adding that extra component; it didn't match at all. Usually, places add too much sugar, but I think the cake could have been sweeter. Or at least the red bean layer. Not sure. There was definitely something missing and it wasn't salt: it needed more flavour, or the flavours that were already there needed more emphasis. All in all: all sizzle, no bite.

Rating: **

Moore's Bakery

Bakery: Moore's Bakery 
Address: 2128 W 41st Ave, Vancouver BC 
Website: https://mooresbakery.wixsite.com/moores-bakery
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

With the number of fancy, higher end patisseries located throughout Vancouver, you don't often encounter a classic Canadian bakery in the city. You know what I mean: serving old-school baked goods like date squares, butter tarts, brownies, etc. And sometimes, it's precisely those uncomplicated, home-style baked goods that you're craving.

That's where Moore's Bakery comes in. They may not be the most elegant of bakeries; maybe they're not the most photographed, but they sell reasonably priced, unpretentious treats that - most importantly - taste good. 

 One item that I seem to regularly go for is the Nanaimo bar ($2.50). Sometimes, bakeries make it too sweet and creamy, but Moore's gets it right: it has these granola undertones, or maybe almost like a classic macaroon. A bit like Jordan's chocolate granola cereal, perhaps. It featured good, quality chocolate and wholesome oats; the custard was more yellow and heavier than usual. It was quite good; in fact: If you like the combination of chocolate and granola, you'll love Moore's Nanaimo bars!

Rating: *** 

Louise Boulangerie

Bakery: Louise 
Address: 6835 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal QC
Website: facebook 
Style: French, Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Louise is one of those rare bakeries that you know you're getting closer to, even when you have no idea where it is. First there's the people walking past with loaves of bread in tow. Then comes the phenomenal aroma of freshly baked bread literally wafting down the block. Nowadays, you hardly encounter a bakery that smells good on the inside, much less on the outside. Suffice to say, I was looking forward to Louise before I even saw it.

Of course, if you've noticed the common theme throughout the first paragraph, Louise is a "boulangerie": a bread bakery. Their focus is without a doubt on bread and even their sweet goods are very bread-based, such as their brioches and chocolate or raisin breads. That aside, they do have plenty of sweet options: the fairly standard selection of French pastries along with a more unusual selection of more North American treats: cookies, pies, loaf cakes, muffins and brownies.

I wanted something unique. I also happened to want the one thing that didn't have a label, so I don't know the actual name. I called it a bread pudding apple cake (around $3), though now that I look back on it, I don't think there were actually any apples in it. This was a classic bread pudding with hints of cinnamon and a bit too many raisins. ;) I would have liked it to be more chunky and... maybe have less raisins, but the bread pudding was moist, slightly chewy and flavourful. The smell doesn't lie!

Rating: *** 

BLANC [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Boulangerie de BLANC 
Address: 192 Yanghwa-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Website: n/a 
Style: Korean 
Price: $$ 

The World Tour returns with a new country to add to the list: South Korea! Yes, I went to South Korea for 2.5 weeks and have come back with a whole bunch of bakeries to review.

It was fairly late in the evening when I first stumbled across BLANC, a bakery-cafe right at Hongdae station. It aims to be a bit chic, with mostly European-inspired pastries and, seemingly typical of Korean bakeries, some questionable flavour combinations. The layout isn't the greatest when even slightly crowded and seems a bit all over the place, especially with the random placement of sweet and savoury with items laid out on both sides. It is nice that they put an English description, however, and prices are pretty affordable. On my first visit, the tables were pretty empty with the day's leftovers being quickly snatched up by customers. The thing I took was by far the most appetizing-looking and, it being the last one, I did the same.

 The description was "blueberry cream cheese pastry" (2,800 won). Not being a cream cheese fan, I admit I was a little wary at first; more specifically, just how much cream cheese would I end up with? Was it aiming to be a cross between a bagel with cream cheese and chocolate glazed doughnut? Taking the first bite, I was surprised at the flaky dough with its fantastic initial crunch. Inside, a rich, fruity cream added just the right punch; there wasn't too much of it, and it wasn't too sticky. Top that off with chocolate glaze and sprinkles. Personally, the only minus were those sprinkles, which were way too hard and just got in the way.

Still, it quickly became a Seoul bakery highlight and, wanting an encore towards the end, I returned to BLANC one day and found it empty and lacking that blueberry cream cheese pastry. I tried again the following day and, again not finding it there, went with a classic twist doughnut that just didn't wow me the same way; I especially didn't appreciate them cutting it up into bite-sized pieces so that any crunch was lost. Oh well. The pleasant memory still remains....

Rating: ***1/2

Cake Paradise

Bakery: Cake Paradise 
Address: 50 Kennedy Rd S, Brampton ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Chinese 
Price: $ 

What simply started as hoping to find a bathroom turned into a bakery review. That being said, Cake Paradise (so says one sign; there is also a Chinese name, but there's no indication of this place existing anywhere online and there definitely aren't any cakes, for that matter) is a bit of a depressing bakery that, just like the mall itself, seems to have seen better days and has that distinct impression of just hanging in there by a thread; after all, there weren't even staff on hand to pay for everything. Despite the typical plastic bins all containing the usual sweet and savoury buns you'd find at a Chinese bakery, there aren't very many of each item and you just can't help wonder what is/isn't fresh - usually not an issue at Chinese bakeries.

I picked out the pineapple pastry (3/$2) and coconut tart (2/$1). Price-wise, it's definitely worth it; however, biting into both revealed a rock hard dough. Perhaps the pineapple pastry, being a cookie, was better suited to it, though the pineapple filling could have been softer and more generous. The coconut filling, on the other hand, was pretty hard and, while it added extra chewiness to it, both had that undeniable stale taste to them, which was unfortunate, as they weren't bad in taste.

Rating: ** 

The Grind

Bakery: The Grind
Address: 2104 Columbia Ave, Rossland BC
Website: https://alpinegrindcoffee.com/
Style: Canadian
Price: $$

On my first trip to Rossland, there was a brand new bakery on the verge of opening. It wasn't open yet, but there was a date and it looked promising. On my second trip through Rossland, there was no sign of the bakery. Did it just happen to be closed and they'd covered all the windows? Did that opening end up taking longer than previously anticipated? Did it never open and the project was scrapped? What on earth happened to the Rossland bakery?!?

In the meantime, I didn't want to turn this into a lost trip and decided to go to The Grind a.k.a. Alpine Grind Coffeehouse, which is a cafe that advertises they have homemade baked goods. While the counter area has plenty of room for their baked goods, including racks that seem to normally house some sort of muffins or scones, they didn't have all that much in terms of selection when I was there.

My options consisted of the lemon or banana loaf, served as a slice. I went with banana. The loaf cake was pretty good; it was soft and moist with a flavour that you'd expect. Nothing overly special or unique about it. Home-style. Personally would have preferred more options.

Rating: **1/2 

Pâtisserie Saint Martin

Bakery: Pâtisserie St Martin
Address: 268 Rue Jean Talon E, Montreal QC 
Website: http://www.patisseriestmartin.com/
Style: European
Price: $$ 

As those familiar with the Montreal bakery scene may have remarked, all locations of Patisserie de Gascogne quietly shut their doors, including their newest Jean Talon market location. This was - thankfully - taken over by another bakery: St Martin.

With their original location in Laval, this is St Martin's second location and, despite the title, is more a hodgepodge business  that's only part patisserie. It serves lunch and ready-made foods like pizza. They have cold cuts and gourmet products. Along one wall at the back of the store, however, they still have a classic, albeit smaller array of Franco-Italian baked goods, cakes, and cookies. Perhaps not as fancy and elegant as its precursor and more of a deli than I anticipated, Patisserie St Martin nonetheless has good prices and fairly generous portion sizes.

Baked goods in particular are relegated to several baskets next to the cash; there are about half a dozen varieties ranging from croissants to date squares. I tried the almond croissant ($2.99). The worker dove right into the basket and picked out the biggest croissant for me; putting it on a (dinner) plate was what it really took to get an idea of its magnitude. This has to be home to the world's largest almond croissants. They were massive! For the price, it was phenomenal value. Biting into it, it had the right chewy texture: the croissant shell was flaky with a slight crunch, though the baked almond top could have been more widespread. The cream filling was very generous. A bit too rich and generous, in my opinion. What it really needed, however, was more of a buttery taste.

Rating: ***

Ardglen Bakery

Bakery: Ardglen Bakery
Address: 85 Clarence St, Brampton ON
Website: n/a
Style: Portuguese
Price: $ 

Rarely having any need to go to Brampton, I usually try and squeeze in a bakery or two when I do have to go there. This was the case this time around as well; Ardglen Bakery is a neighbourhood bakery that's outwardly like your typical Portuguese bakery-deli and hot food counter. Inside, however, selection is smaller than usual and besides the traditional natas, there are very little sweet baked goods. Unlike most Portuguese bakeries, they also seem to specialize in a more unlikely baked good: sweet egg breads. If you're a fan, this is one place to give it a try.

Not wanting to invest in a whole round bread, I picked out one of my favourites, albeit they can't be found everywhere: the cinnamon sugar "pretzel" (around $1.50). Despite looking rather fluffy, the dough was denser and stiffer than usually encountered and it almost had a cookie-like consistency. I liked the slightly crunchy cinnamon and sugar topping, but overall it was a bit too dry for my liking.

Rating: **1/2

Petrasek Bakery

Bakery: Petrasek Bakery 
Address: 301 Main St #101, Penticton BC 
Website: n/a 
Style: European, Canadian, German 
Price: $$

New bakery alert! Or, at least I think so. I've been to Penticton several times and am fairly familiar with its bakery scene; that's why I found myself on Main St, staring up at the big green "Petrasek Bakery" sign in some confusion. Was that always there? No, it couldn't have been, and yet that means that a simply out and opened without me remarking it. In a pretty bakery-friendly place as it is. Way to go, Penticton!

Even more amazingly, Petrasek Bakery is a small European-style bakery selling fancy, high-quality patisserie-level breads and pastries like croissants, cinnamon buns and chocolate pastries in addition to the items purchased. One of those items really only added to my surprise and wonder: yes, it was indeed a kouign amann. Certainly the only source in the Okanagan if you're as much a fan of these buttery pastries as I am. My rule is that if I see anyone selling kouign amann ($3.50), I always take it. This was no exception. This flat spiral-shaped one was very good; a softer, buttery dough with just the right touch of sweetness. The outside had a nice crunch and the slightly sticky caramelized bottom was spot on.

I also couldn't resist a fruit danish as well ($4.50). The dough was soft and flaky with that fresh crunch right along the outside. The filling was rich and wholesome with plenty of fruit and cream. This bakery truly is the real deal!

Rating: ***1/2

Hoss & Jill's Bistro

Bakery: Hoss & Jill's Bistro 
Address: 212 Broadway St W, Nakusp BC 
Website: n/a 
Style: Canadian 
Price: $$ 

Given how many times I've been to or driven through the small town of Nakusp, I thought I'd pretty much covered every business that could possibly have their own sweets. Guess not. There's also Hoss & Jill's Bistro!

This lunchtime spot/sausage and meat spot specializing in sandwiches has a pretty impressive selection of baked goods for a cafe and included several types of doughnuts and an almond pastry, among other things.

 

I grabbed an apple fritter. The dough was more dense and cakey; not really what I was expecting just from looking at it. However, it was fresh and the glaze was particularly good. Sure, it may not beat an actual bakery, but I'm still waiting for that to show up in Nakusp. ;)

Rating: ***

Patisserie Lawrence V

Bakery: Patisserie Lawrence V
Address: 4685 Ave du Parc, Montreal QC
Website: http://patisserielawrencev.com/
Style: French 
Price: $$$ 

I remember this bakery in the process of opening on one of my previous trips to Montreal and since then I've been looking forward to the chance to give it a try. Newly opened bakeries aren't the most common sight in other parts of the country - on the contrary - so it's nice to see bakery culture alive and well. One of the newer kids on the block, Patisserie Lawrence V is a bright airy space with a smaller selection of mostly individual cakes and tarts and colourful macarons. Prices are certainly a bit up there.

Being in the mood for something flaky, I was a bit disappointed that there were so little baked goods offered and that the few they did have came in the form of a label in an empty basket. That's right, they were all gone! So it was actually with a bit of reluctance and frustration at having my original plans thwarted that I examined the more elaborate cakes, but I simply wasn't in the mood for something rich. Yes, the cost was a bit of an issue as well.

I grabbed the lighter almond tartelette with cherries and raspberry ($4.25). Outwardly, it didn't look any different than fruit tarts found elsewhere. Breaking into that shortbread shell and chewy almond mass, the taste was an entirely different story. This was good, remarkably good. The tart shell was flawless in both texture and rich flavour. The filling had just the right amount of fruit for you to have one with each bite. Taking something simple and making it taste amazing - that takes skill and Lawrence V has got it.

Rating: ***1/2

Tsuji Rihei [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Tsuji Rihei
Address: 41 Ujiwakamori, Uji-shi, Kyoto Prefecture 
Website: http://www.tsujirihei.co.jp
Style: Japanese 
Price: $$

Not to be confused with another business specializing in Uji matcha drinks and sweets, Tsujiri, Tsuji Rihei was my final Cake Tour in Japan. Granted, having frantically hunted for a matcha castella at the last minute, I only really picked this up at a sweets shop in Tokyo Narita airport; it was one of two matcha castellas for sale - baumkuchen, the dessert trend of the moment, was on the other hand teeming with selection - and this one just so happened to have the smallest list of ingredients. Little did I know then that I ended up grabbing a castella from a company that was closer to where I'd been staying for most of my trip than to Tokyo, but I was content. 

Tsuji Rihei is a higher-end dessert/sweets and tea shop based in Uji, just outside Kyoto, with four or so more department store booths in Osaka and a few other cities selling their pre-packed items. According to the pamphlet included with my castella, they specialize in matcha-based treats like cookies, dorayaki, baumkuchen and castella and serve traditional jelly desserts and drinks at their cafe.

All I really wanted was a castella. Ideally a matcha castella. This one (1250 yen) came prettily packaged and pre-sliced, although upon unwrapping it, I found it a little more... petite than I anticipated. While the five slices did look nicer than going in with your own knife, I felt like it also dried out the cake quite a bit; it wasn't as moist and spongy as other castellas I've tried. More than that, I would have liked to see and taste more matcha. The dough was almost verging on a yellow-green and maybe it would have helped dispel the impression of a not very fresh cake? Still, it may not have been the best Japanese-made matcha castella I've had, but it was good and just what I'd wanted. Despite it all, I went away feeling happy with my last-minute purchase and my farewell cake tour to Japan. See you next time, Japan!

Rating: ***