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: **