Tous les Jours [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Tous les Jours
Address: 116 Yanghwa-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Website: https://www.tlj.co.kr
Style: Korean
Price: $-$$

That other enemy of independent small-scale bakeries in Korea, Tous les Jours can be called slightly less ambitious and more on the "homey" side of baking than their rival, Paris Baguette, but their green signs are still everywhere, beckoning you inside with their collaborations with major corporations like Disney and celebrity endorsements. Most goods are pre-packed in plastic baggies and everything, from their display of creamy cakes to sweet and savoury buns, looks a bit too... prefabricated, even when compared to their aforementioned competitor. Examining the baked goods, I have to confess they resembled ones you'd find at a convenience store or supermarket. Yes, things did not bode too well for Tous les Jours.

I grabbed the red bean "doughnut" (1800 won). This is usually a safe bet, especially when fried items have a certain consistency to them and seem fresher than bready buns. This one didn't look bad with its dark yellow exterior and simple sugar coating. Biting into it, however, it lacked the golden fried crunch and texture of a doughnut. In contrast, the dough was so soft, resembling a normal bun, and the red bean filling was just... blah. Same goes for the bun and Tous les Jours as a whole. Not exactly good, not so bad either. Just something sweet and forgettable. Really, don't expect more from a big franchise bakery and if you absolutely have to pick one - go with Paris Baguette.

Rating: **

British Pride Bakery

Bakery: British Pride Bakery 
Address: 451 Guelph Line, Burlington ON
Website: https://www.britishpridebakery.com/
Style: British 
Price: $$

There are a number of British import shops in and around southern Ontario (along with other parts of the country, to be sure), but many stick to dry goods; beyond this, it's actually quite rare to encounter an actual British bakery. Yes, you'll encounter scones and squares in most standard Canadian bakeries, but surely British baking can't simply consist of scones and meat pies. And this British bakery in Burlington aims to prove just that.

 Of course, there is a huge selection of meat pies, too. But I'm interested in the other stuff. One item that definitely seems to stand out, especially with so many people grabbing either the same or large version, is the Victoria, which is more or less a strawberry shortcake with two layers of moist, airy shortcake filled with whipped cream and strawberry jam. It's quite simple and nothing too fancy (somehow I couldn't help but liken its appearance to one of those nasty Vachon cakes), but it was pretty good in taste. A strawberry puree or real fruit would have helped dispel this ready-cake feeling more, in my opinion.

Another popular item seemed to be the "apple toffee crumble". And it sounded and looked good; I mean, who can resist apple and toffee and crumble. At least, that's what the sign called it; however, when ordering it, the worker called it "the muffin" and I realized... yes, it was just a muffin with toffee and crumble on top. Suddenly it didn't sound so special... -___- The top was quite good, but the rest was a muffin that could have used more of that apple in the dough.

Rating: **1/2

Paris Baguette [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Paris Baguette 
Address: 57-1, Sinchon-ro, Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Website: https://www.paris.co.kr
Style: Korean 
Price: $ 

As a bakery reviewer and ardent supporter of local businesses, I hate the mere concept of something like Paris Baguette. This massive bakery franchise with a zillion locations throughout the country is a lean mean marketing machine -- I'm genuinely amazed they haven't expanded to other countries -- and their concept is a rather simple one: just stick a Paris Baguette anywhere and everywhere. You're regretting not popping into that Paris Baguette location you passed 5 minutes ago? No worries; there's bound to be another one right across the street! After all, for every one independent bakery, there has to be 5 Paris Baguette (and perhaps 2-3 Tous les Jours, their slightly less ambitious rivals).

So why am I writing about it? At first, I was passionately against the idea: no way am I stepping into a small-scale bakery killer like Paris Baguette! People, however, really seem to like them. It's quite hard to find an empty Paris Baguette, even in back alley locations. So are the baked goods actually any good or are people just suckered into how bloody convenient they are? The self-professed bakery expert had to investigate... even if it was reluctantly and with a look of disdain.

So of course it's not as good as an independent bakery (as a rule; there are of course bad independent bakeries as well). Yes, these baked goods are generally cheaper than their humble competition and due to their ridiculously long opening hours, they're always churning out something fresh. I'll admit the honey ball (700 won) was pretty good; it had a nice crunch and good texture, especially with that sugary outside. The strawberry cheese "doughnut" (1600 won), however, didn't fare as well. Cotton candy pink with an equally cotton candy-like dough consistency and a creamy cheese filling that in itself wasn't bad.

Convenient, yes. Horrible, no. Excellent, by no means. If you want a baked good without putting any effort into the search, Paris Baguette gets the job done. At any rate, it's better than Tous les Jours....

Rating: **1/2

Homemade Kosher Bakery

Bakery: Homemade Kosher Bakery 
Address: 6915 Avenue Querbes, Montréal QC 
Website: https://www.homemadekosherbakery.com/
Style: Jewish, Eastern European 
Price: $-$$ 

Having stayed somewhat in the area on my last trip to Montreal, I got a chance to try this bakery edged between the neighbourhood there and an industrial area, far removed from the shopping streets Montreal bakeries are usually found on. Despite its location, the bakery seems just as popular with people in the neighbourhood as it is with the local Jewish community. They have a wide array of traditional baked goods as well as Canadian classics like doughnuts and danishes; the focus, however, seems to be on bagels and breads, not on sweets.

They had a couple of poppy seed baked goods, with the poppy seed roll ($5.95) looking the most impressive. Not to mention it being pretty bang for your buck, especially in comparison to the poppy seed rolls from other local bakeries. However, cutting it open revealed a very doughy "roll" with very little to almost no poppy seed and even when there was more of the poppy seed mass towards the centre, it had no distinct taste and all I could really taste was the dough. As the poppy seed expert, I was a bit disappointed.

I also had a plain sugar doughnut ($1.00). It was nice and fresh with a softer, fried outside. Again, like the poppy seed roll, I found it too bready and not fluffy enough to be a great doughnut.

Finally, the cheese danish ($3.00) was a classic Eastern European sweet cheese bun. Pocket-shaped, it was filled with sweet cheese and wasn't as doughy compared to the other items sampled. Overall, everything was good, but lacked the refinement of other bakeries nearby.

Rating: ***

True Confections

Bakery: True Confections
Address: 866 Denman St, Vancouver BC
Website: https://trueconfections.ca/
Style: Cake, North American
Price: $$$ 

I've known about True Confections (known by me as "that cake place") for a long time, but it never really dawned on me to actually step inside and review it until two separate people recommended it. After that, I figured it was about time. True Confections is what you'd call a classic dessert cafe (and unfortunately there's not that many of them). Casual and open late, they're not aspiring to anything fancy and sophisticated. You may not find dainty pastries here, but you will find hearty, old-fashioned cakes and pies: an impressive selection of both seasonal and regular towering, tiered creations that are all made in-store. On the other hand, the prices are unfortunately a bit on the fancy and sophisticated side, with a slice of cake setting you back $10+ with taxes. Ouch!

 I had the chocolate raspberry cake ($9.50). Definitely more chocolate than raspberry, this had layers of delicately flavoured raspberry mousse and rich chocolatey cake. All of this was topped with a generous milk chocolate ganache. Slightly one-dimensional and too sweet if I have to tell the truth, but this cake had a good crumb and quality you could taste. No wonder this place is still going strong after so many years!

Rating: ***