Forno Cultura

 Bakery: Forno Cultura

Address: 1056 Queen St W, Toronto ON 

Website: http://www.fornocultura.com/

Style: Italian, Canadian 

Price: $$$ 

I swear that Forno Cultura became a multi-location bakery chain overnight. I'd heard about the one original location and then all of a sudden there were four(?) locations scattered throughout downtown. People must really love their artisan bread and baked goods or is this place really that good?

Forno Cultura is without a doubt a bread bakery. You know it from the name and vibe even before you step up and examine their selection. Of course, there are sweet items available - an artfully placed Italian pastry or two along with some bread-based baked goods - but the focus is bread. Still, I picked out two items: the Paris brest and the... well, that turd-looking thing. XD ($11 for both) Hey, I know it was uncalled for, but just look at it. For such an aesthetically-minded business to come out with that came as a bit of a surprise. Beef tongue? Mushroom jerky? Poppy seed and chocolate, actually, and that combination is what lured me in. The taste, to be sure, was weird: it was more bitter than sweet and reminded me of rye bread with chocolate in the middle. Good texture, not sure about the rest.

On the other hand, the Paris brest was excellent. Crisp, light-as-air shell with fantastic texture along the top; that "crust" paired with delicious cream was really good. A definite hit and a bit of a miss for this stylish bakery. 

Rating: ***