Nordic Foods

Bakery: Nordic Foods

Address: 1235 Bayly St #8, Pickering, ON

Website: http://www.nordicfoods.org/

Style: Finnish

Price: $$-$$$ 

I actually came to this Finnish/Scandinavian deli on the hunt for Finnish rye bread and never expected that they'd have anything sweet as well! I've always said that nothing interesting is ever on the bottom of a condo building, but this place seems to be an exception - albeit it *is* a weird place for any sort of deli, let alone a Finnish one. And to increase the weirdness of the whole experience, the owner was sitting outside in his car because he found his store too cold. Then any baked goods were just randomly taken out of plastic boxes scattered here and there. It felt a little like stepping into an off-kilter Scandinavian comedy. XD 

To my utter delight, Nordic Foods sells Finnish doughnuts! (And I learned only when leaving that they have bags of frozen cinnamon buns as well... if only I'd known earlier) Like everything else, they were dug out of a plastic Tupperware bin and didn't taste like they had been made that day (Saturday), which was unfortunate, because they were so fragrant and flavourful. Just the right amount of jelly, delicious dough. Once heated up in the microwave, so good. They would have been so much better had they been fresh; maybe weekdays are better? Still, how  missed Finnish baked goods~ 

Rating: ***

Current River Bakery

Bakery: Current River Bakery

Address: 301 Grenville Av, Thunder Bay ON

Website: http://www.currentriverbakery.com/ 

Style: Finnish, Canadian

Price: $$-$$$ 

As a lover of Finnish baked goods, this bakery has been on my must-visit list since my last cross-country drive a few years ago. At that time, I had two Finnish bakeries I had missed; now, only one remains. Current River was strangely barren, almost dismal in its emptiness, despite the fact I actually came in the morning. There was no one around, the shelves had a few packaged items and the selection of fresh baked goods such as classic Finnish baked goods and doughnuts was just as sparse. It was, to be quite honest, depressing and everything pointed to a steady lack of customers - WHY do people not support bakeries?! It makes me so mad! 

I had to give the korvapuusti (labelled here as cardamom buns) a try. Usually these are considered cinnamon buns, so I was a little surprised that there was no cinnamon in them at all. The aroma of that cardamom was incredible though. I love cardamom. The dough, however, was a bit on the dry/dense side. I would have preferred it a little more moist and easier to just rip apart and eat it up. Not too sweet, freshly baked and fragrant - had I ever missed my Finnish buns! Not pictured were their jam pigs - Finnish jelly doughnuts - which likewise had this dense, drier style dough and didn't have that greasy, jam-filled goodness encountered in other Finnish bakeries, so it personally wasn't my favourite. Nonetheless: keep bakeries in business! 

Rating: ***

Kiitos [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Kiitos
Address: Mibubojocho 33-5, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 
Website: http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~kiitos/
Style: Finnish 
Price: $$ 

When I was doing my bakery research prior to my Japan trip and Kiitos popped up as an option, I excitedly clicked on the listing and, in a state of utter rapture, saw pictures of Karelian pasties and cinnamon buns. A Finnish-style bakery in Kyoto? I couldn't believe my eyes. Yes! It was like a dream come true and I instantly put it on my must-visit list (as a matter of fact, it's still on my must-visit list). Wow, a Finnish bakery in Kyoto! All the French- and German-style bakeries had nothing compared to this find.

Now, let's begin by saying that I love Finnish baking; it's certainly not an easy to one find, and it happens to be almost impossible outside of Finland itself. I've been fortunate to find a few in Canada and I myself bake some pretty good korvapuustit and karjalanpiirakat, but other than that, it's a hard craving to satisfy. Hence my absolute excitement at finding out about Kiitos. It was, however, a miserable, rainy day and my first attempt earlier in the day led to me not being able to find the bakery. I'd printed out a horrible map without making note of the address and eventually gave up, not wanting to spend my whole day at it. Taking a break later on, I stumbled upon some free WiFi and looked up the bakery's location and its opening hours. Luckily, it was still open and I made a run for it. Unfortunately, it was all in vain, since the basket of cinnamon buns was all gone and I was a little saddened to find that Kiitos actually only bakes one sweet item: cinnamon buns. Everything else is savoury: countless varieties of rye bread, some French breads, cheese and meat buns, and pasties. It's disappointing and frustrating, but as a lover of cinnamon buns, I do need to try these eventually.

In the meantime, I grabbed one of my other favourite Finnish treats: a karjalanpiirakka with rice (178 yen). Having already encountered some not overly authentic "European" treats, I was pleasantly surprised at how original these pasties were. The shape was certainly there; it had a nice, soft rye shell with a slightly browned rice filling. So good and just like I remember the last one I had from Finland!

I also got a free bun, perhaps because the lady behind the counter/owner? thought I was Finnish! :) Ha ha I wasn't exactly sure what it was and it didn't really give me any Finnish vibes: a very dense white bun, kind of like a dinner roll, but it was still sweet of her. Kiitos! ^-^

And speaking of sweet, a Cake Tour can't possibly exist based on a dinner roll and a pasty, so I made the fairly long detour back on my return to Kyoto, right in the morning in the hopes of snagging a cinnamon bun. If I knew enough Japanese I'd ask, but... I don't. So, to my disappointment, I yet again found an empty basket. :( Final rating pending, since yes, when I return to Kyoto, whenever that may be, I'll get that cinnamon bun once and for all! I won't give up!

Rating: ??

Scandinavian Deli & Soppi

Bakery: Scandinavian Deli & Soppi 
Address: 307 Bay St, Thunder Bay ON 
Website: n/a 
Style: Finnish 
Price: $$

I almost forgot about this place! I was looking through my remaining pictures from this grand tour and, having for whatever reason taken for granted that Harri Bakery was my only stop from Thunder Bay, I realized I still had these delicious doughnuts from Scandinavian Deli (and Soppi, though I'm not sure what this means)! :)

Fresh from the bag, Finnish doughnuts are so good! *-*

This stop come about purely by fluke: the international correspondents came across this "Scandinavian" deli (it's really just Finnish) while looking for a bakery selling Persians, which they never found. [And thus a trip to Thunder Bay is almost in vain. -_- Well, I say "almost", because I did get two Finnish bakeries which will beat pretty much anything! :P] Instead, I was treated to something even better -- which was even, even better for both correspondents who ate theirs fresh: Finnish doughnuts! Apparently, these guys sell a variety of classic Finnish baked goods which are either brought in from another bakery (but not Harri) or they have an individual baking for them (in either case, it's nothing open to the public since I don't know about it), since while there, someone was bringing in a whole tray of freshly baked pulla (sweet bread). Having already one loaf in the car, they decided to opt for the coffee and doughnut deal (sans coffee for me). Returning with one, they explained in some confusion that the lady behind the counter called them "monkeys".

Me: "You mean "munkki"?"
Them: (silence) Oh, so that's what it was!

Anyways, a munkki is the Finnish version of a classic, sugar-coated jelly doughnut. As it is, there's nothing overly different about a munkki; perhaps there's a little hint of cardamom in the dough and the jam is good, not this very un-fruity gloop found in some places -- whatever it is, wherever they're bought, munkit are amazing. They just blow (almost) everything else out of the playing field and yet it's difficult to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes them that amazing? Is it that they're perfectly deep-fried with a crunchier exterior and a soft fluffy interior? With tasty jam and classic granulated sugar on the outside? Whatever it is, it is so good and the one from Scandinavian Deli is no exception. :)

Rating: ****

Harri Bakery [RIP]

Bakery: Harri Bakery
Address: 223 Algoma St S, Thunder Bay ON
Website: n/a 
Style: Finnish 
Price: $$

A case of the exploding cinnamon bun :P

Ever on the quest for Finnish baked goods, I've been wanting to visit Harri Bakery for more than a year; ever since the National Post ran a travel article on local eats in the Thunder Bay area, with Harri being one of the selections. So when I heard that the brothers were driving through Thunder Bay (staying a night, in fact), you know what the orders were: freeze and bring back whatever you can! And, for once, they delivered. :)

Operating from a red wooden building in the quite Finnish Thunder Bay, Harri has all the classics: dark rye breads, cinnamon buns, pulla, etc. And we got it all. Realistically, how can you not when the next Finnish bakery is in Sudbury? ;)

Forever a sucker for cinnamon buns...

For one, I got some cinnamon buns (with its variant, the apple cinnamon bun). I'm sure everyone must know my fondness for Finnish cinnamon buns; the ones from Harri were a bit doughier and the layers plumper than your average bun, with a sprinkling of regular sugar instead of the usual rock sugar. This meant that for a whole bunch of dough, you didn't get that much cinnamon or sugar in a mouthful. There was a nice amount of cardamom and I liked the dense, yet soft texture, but would have personally preferred more than just one roll-around. The apple variation, with chunks of apple in the centre, was an interesting take on the classic bun. I will say I prefer the original, but it was pretty good in its own right.

Give me pulla and I'll be happy ^^

The pulla, a braided sweet bread, was also tasty. Some bakeries sprinkle them with sugar and others add raisins; I probably like the sugar better, though I can always do without raisins, but this was a very good one, though probably not my all-time favourite: hints of cardamom, soft dough. Mmm... no matter what, I'll take whatever Finnish baked goods I can get -- yes, even if it means a two days' drive! *-*

Rating: ***

Niemi Family Farm

Bakery: Niemi Family Farm
Address: 18463 Highway 48, Mount Albert ON
Website: http://niemifarm.vpweb.ca/
Style: Finnish
Price: $-$$

When on the subject of Finnish baked goods in the GTA, two places regularly pop up: Milbree-Viking in Newmarket and Hillside Cafe on Mount Pleasant Rd; however, there is a third destination for your Finnish musts: cinnamon buns, traditional rye breads, and other baked goodies and that is Niemi Family Farm, about 10 minutes east of Newmarket. Yes, this may not strike you as a go-to destination for Finnish treats. After all, they're a nursery and grow trees and flowers. But at their market, they also have baked goods! :) I actually bought my specimen at FinnFest and found them the most reasonably priced of the three Finnish bakeries, so I have yet to visit them on their home turf.

At first glance, they look notably different from other bakeries with their rustic look. Really, with everything laid out together, the goodies almost look like they came out of a stone or wood-burning oven! I was especially drawn to this large cinnamon loaf ($7), which was like a mix between a pulla (cardamom bread) and a classic Finnish cinnamon bun. Mmm... this was so good!!! A nice amount of cinnamon, a hint of crumble on top -- the only minus I could find was that some of the cardamom was a little too coarsely ground and kind of gave an unpleasant sensation when you bit down on a piece (reminiscent of catching an egg shell). I froze it and enjoyed delicious cinnamon bread for days. *-*

In terms of GTA residents, this may be a little out of the way, but add a nice country drive into the mix and head on over to just south of Mount Albert. I know I will one day.. and will, naturally, come away fully stocked. ;)

Rating: ***1/2 

FinnFest/Nordic Fair 2015

Bakery?: FinnFest/Nordic Fair
Address: Mel Lastman Square (5100 Yonge St), North York ON
Website: http://finnfestival2015.com/
Style: Scandinavian, Finnish
Price: $$

Well, well, well, this was quite the baked goods find! And especially for a Scandinavian baked good fanatic like me. :) I first heard about this from a poster in Viking Bakery; considering that I'm usually travelling in June, I little thought of it then, but luck hasn't been on my side so far (especially with my international food basket delivery service that has yet to get any interested viewers... perhaps you'd like to check out my flop of a business and spread the word?) so I did manage to check it out, although the outdoor festival at Mel Lastman Square had its own bout of bad luck: it took place on the worst weekend, weather-wise, with constant heavy rain keeping even the booths from staying open....

Nonetheless: FinnFest is an annual celebration of Finnish arts and culture... and baked goods held, I believe, every June. I'm not quite sure when or how Nordic Fair got attached to this. In reality, this *was* FinnFest, with only three stalls representing the other parts of Scandinavia: one Swedish housewares and church booth and the Danish food booth. However, it seems that whenever there is a gathering of Finns, there will be baked goods, which was the main reason why I was so happy. ;) Three bakeries showed up -- in fact, it was the convergence of all local Finnish bakeries: Viking-Milbree from Newmarket, Niemi Family Farms from Mt Albert, and Hillside Cafe on Mount Pleasant Rd (Toronto)! This was your chance to get stocked up on as many cardamom-spiced baked goods as you wanted. And prices weren't too ridiculous for a festival (Niemi Family Farms, in particular, was very affordable). There were also entries from the less popular (given almost everyone buying seemed to be of Finnish descent) Danish and Swedish booth! Wow! *-*

In addition to absolutely delicious jelly doughnuts ($2/each) from the tried and true Viking-Milbree, I also jumped on the chance to try baked goods from Niemi Family Farms, a nursery that also sells -- you guessed it -- Finnish baked goods. :) Unlike the other stalls, there was something so rustic about their treats that I had to try them. They almost look like they came from a stone oven or something. Think flat rye breads, cinnamon buns, and various unique baked goods. I had to go for the cinnamon bread ($7), which was like a mix between a pulla (cardamom bread) and a classic Finnish cinnamon bun. Mmm... this was so good!!! A nice amount of cinnamon, a hint of crumble on top -- the only minus I could find was that some of the cardamom was a little too coarsely ground and kind of gave an unpleasant sensation. I froze it and enjoyed delicious cinnamon bread for days. *-*

Of course, I also couldn't pass up the chance to try Danish pancake balls (aebleskiver; 4/$2) which I have yet to see elsewhere. I never even spotted them on my trip to Denmark! It came mildly heated, sprinkled with icing sugar (or "snow" as the lady selling them said; she also gave me one more for free given the weather conditions ^^) and served with a dollop of strawberry jam. I'm not sure who was in charge of the Danish food tent, which likewise sold "danishes" and open-faced sandwiches, but it looks like it wasn't linked to any existing store/business. All the more to snatch up these delectable moist dough balls that seem a cross between doughnuts and your classic pancakes. Simple, but tasty. I could easily have a few more. ._.

Last but not least, the Swedish church was selling coffee and home-baked Swedish cinnamon buns at $1.50/each -- can you see why I was on cloud nine!? :D These were rather petite and with the exception of the rock sugar sprinkled on top, they didn't really seem *that* Swedish to me, but they were good. And I do love my Swedish cinnamon buns. I can't see they beat the cinnamon bread, which was stunning, but they were in their own right quite tasty. Too small, but tasty.

Overall, I would have liked a little more in terms of things going on (it was pretty much dead once the rain hit hard), but I was happy to have gotten there before the rain and snatched up a whole sack of Scandinavian baked goods -- what a fantastic opportunity!!

Rating: ***1/2

Leinala's Bakery

Bakery: Leinala's Bakery
Address: 272 Caswell Dr, Sudbury ON
Website: n/a 
Style: Finnish
Price: $$ 

The presence (or lack thereof) of Finnish baked goods in the GTA has been a more common topic of interest on this site. Unfortunately, the discussion has always ended with the need to go to Newmarket (Milbree-Viking); now, if you don't want to make the drive to Newmarket, you can always go to... Sudbury. ;D Okay, okay, that's a nasty joke, especially for the Finnish baked good-deprived out there -- myself included.

The brothers did, however, end up for a day in Sudbury. Knowing that this is one of the hubs for Finnish-Canadians, I sensed that there was a bakery here. My preliminary research for Sudbury found nothing, but the second time around, I found it: Leinala's is the Finnish bakery in town (and well, in a very large area). They're also a Scandinavian deli, but as the brother puts it, it's all Finnish stuff. ;D Nevertheless, what else is Finnish? Their baked goods! Authentic Finnish baked goods from breads, what he calls 'doughy cakes', to pulla (sold out/not baked that day), karjalanpiirakoita, and what seemed to be their signature item: "jelly pigs" (mustikkapiirakat suomeksi ^^) in addition to the more universal treats such as danishes, pies, etc.

Seeing as the jelly pigs had to be eaten on site -- or so they claim -- I'll start with that. Personally, I'm not seeing the pigs, but these are pretty much shaped jelly doughnuts, complete with strawberry jelly inside and coated in sugar. The brothers thought them good, "typical good jelly doughnut" were the words. One complained it was a little too chewy, though I'm not sure what that means...

Fortunately, you have me for the rest: though they're not sweet, the karjalanpiirakat (with rice, potato or meat stuffing) had to be a must-try for me. Whatever my mom attempts, she just can't them sufficiently Finnish enough. These were alright. Shells were excellent, but the filling -- I had rice -- was too skimpy and there was nothing along the edges but the rye shell and that made everything except the centre quite dry.

The cinnamon bun was another item that had to be immediately freezed and brought back for me. I had to have it and it had to be fresh. ;) I'm not sure if it was simply because I was so Finnish baking-starved, but the buns were delicious: rolled with rock sugar on top and cardamom folded into the dough -- mmm, how I love Finnish cinnamon buns! *-* I wouldn't go so far as to say they're better than my other Finnish-Canadian stop; they all have merits and they all want me to just come in and buy everything! Finnish bakeries.... Just looking at the photos makes me smell cardamom!

Rating: ***1/2

Baked Goods by Maria

At Home with: Maria
Location: North Sweden

This is a fairly long time coming, mainly because once I finished with my World Tours, I completely forgot about it. .__. And because it won't look so nice as my tummy remembers it given that I was too cowardly to be caught with a camera, taking a picture of any of the yummy goodies I sampled...

Nevertheless, this past summer, I did another volunteering spiel, this time in North Sweden, very near the Finnish border, and this time, there were a lot of delicious memories to take along with me. ^-^ Towards the end of my stay, there had begun a conversation regarding my hostess' cooking and how they -- my hosts -- could open up some sort of lunchtime cafe or something along those lines because it was so good. Not to wholly disagree with this idea, they should just open a cafe serving coffee and cakes, and I'm referring to mostly the latter. To say I ate well would almost be an understatement! I was, to be quite honest with you, a little spoiled with dessert served daily in the form of delicious lingonberry cake squares or warm pancakes with jam and cream. Yum! *-*

Not to mention the fact that everything was gluten-free. I've spotted a few bakeries here serving a few nut- or gluten-free items and, to be quite honest with you, I do feel sorry for those that have special diets, simply because the things offered don't look at all good and are mostly targeted towards young kids with chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I don't see why there can't exist a little creativity out there. Seriously, Maria could start a baking revolution!! ;D

On top of everything else, there was the crème de la crème of everything and anything offered me during my whole trip of two months and three countries: the cloudberry torte. Holy-moly! O_O Get this: layers of alternating sponge cake and cream mass, including whipped cream, freshly picked cloudberries, and vanilla ice cream. Whoa, it was heavenly! As pathetic as it sounds, it was one of the highlights of north Sweden. Lol!

So, in the end, I'd just like to say: thank you for the dessert (and that famous torte!), Maria! :)

Swiss Cafe Konditoria [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Swiss Cafe Konditoria 
Address: Puthaanrannantie 5, Muonio 
Website: http://www.swisscafemuonio.com/
Style: Swiss 
Price: $$

This is going to look *amazing* on my Google map, this little spot a hundred or so kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. And it's going to look amazing on the Cake Tour as well: the first Swiss bakery, the northernmost bakery in well, everywhere, one of the only 'ethnic' bakeries on my European Cake Tour and the only bakery in the town of Muonio, Finland! I am so grateful to my hosts for bringing me here; it's like they knew how impressive this would look on my little site -- thank you! *-*

Anyhow~ the name says it all. Swiss is indeed a newer Swiss (owned and operated, including the baker) cafe in Muonio, complete with faux Alpen accents, silly cows with Swiss flag motifs, and a wonderful array of only authentic cakes, pastries and squares (I believe there was just one Finnish sweet bun available). Having never been to anything Swiss before, I was a little... disheartened to find I recognized pretty much everything as you'll find similar, if not identical items at German and Austrian bakeries and confectioneries, but at the same time, I should have expected it: Sacher tortes, linzer squares, and a variety of cream cakes that are just... typically German. :P

Saying this, I have to admit I'm not too big a fan of German cakes, so I didn't want anything too, too rich (though I was at first contemplating the Sacher torte to compare it to the original; it just didn't look chocolate-y enough) and finally settled on the 'orange curd cake' (all cakes and goodies were between 3- to 4€ each; for four pieces of cake and three cups of tea, we paid 22€). In addition to this, we got a cream/fruit cake, a walnut square... and something else (I forgot :P), all with rave reviews. As for mine, it was pretty good. The curd layer was light and fluffy with a nice, mouse-like texture and a nice orange taste, which could taste overly sweet and artificial elsewhere. Nice sponge cake bottom. And you get a little chocolate macaron-like cookie with your tea too! That was a nice touch. :P

This was definitely a noteworthy -- and delicious -- introduction to Swiss baking, though, to be quite honest, it couldn't beat Maria's *amazing* cloudberry cake (future "At Home With..." post). Holy smokes, my mouth is still watering at the memory of that thing. *-*

Rating: ***

Cafe Esplanad [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Cafe Esplanad
Address: Esplanadi 37, Helsinki
Website: http://www.esplanad.fi/
Style: Finnish
Price: $$$$

To tell you the truth, I had popped into Cafe Esplanad on my first trip to Finland, three years ago. It was pre-Cake Tour days, but I was still lured in by that 'bakery' part and the crowds of people rushing in and out of this place. Seeing the prices and the somewhat erratic service, I stepped out just as quickly and continued on my way. ._. I returned solely based on the blurb in Lonely Planet about this place making the best cinnamon buns ever. Being a huge fan of Scandinavian cinnamon buns (and Finnish with their cardamom-infused dough probably reigns supreme ;)), I could *not* resist. So I returned. The same madness was back and even before you step inside, people are rushing past you. Once you're in the line for the takeaway food (basically only the baked goods), it's not much better. I think I stood there between five to ten minutes before being served (there were two people in front of me :/). Only select items are priced (mostly cakes) and some are written out on a chalkboard on the wall; either way, I found the prices expensive, almost downright ridiculous. At the very least, they should do as the Parisians do and charge different prices for eating there/away if you're paying for the cafe's location.

Nonetheless, I did leave with the cinnamon bun (a whopping 3,70 euro), a pretty huge, not very fresh bun rolled with not enough cinnamon and topped with the typical sprinkling of rock sugar. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what Lonely Planet saw in it, especially since they're usually more budget-oriented. Yes, it was good, but that's simply because I don't think Finnish cinnamon buns can ever be bad. ;) It was nothing special and, as a matter of fact, my fresh bun oozing with cinnamon I had at Stockmann during that same trip wowed me so much more than this one did, and for the price of one from Esplanad, I'd have 2.5! *shakes head in wonder* Perhaps this is one of these great places to see and be seen (as the hoards outside will attest), but it certainly isn't a place worth going to for just their baked goods. LP, you disappointed me! :(

Rating: **1/2

S Market [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: S Market
Address: Mannerheimintie 9, Helsinki (basement of Sokos department store)
Website: http://www.s-kanava.fi/
Style: Finnish, European
Price: $$-$$$

I haven't done a World Tour stop in awhile, so here's one ^^:

I really have no idea how I actually ended up with supermarket baking on two occasions during my short stay in Helsinki, but mostly due to coming late/stores closing early, this became one of the few baked good options for me. S-market is perhaps central Helsinki's biggest supermarket, though their bakery isn't so spectacular. Unlike Stockmann's awe-inspiring selection, S-Market seems to lay low on the excitement and instead serves bins full of more pan-European goods like danishes with several fillings; nothing, I could say, is very Finnish and, as such, you just don't get that pervading aroma of cardamom sweet bread as you do in bakeries (they must have cinnamon buns, though I was probably too late to witness it). Another problem is the cost; like Stockmann, buns are all by weight. Unlike Stockmann, the baked goods aren't anything thrilling and so you really get the impression you're not getting what you pay for. Case in point: there were a few dumped, priced bags next to the scale while I was there and a chocolate cupcake ended up costing nearly €3.00!?! That's crazy!

My purchase, a featherweight strawberry danish (€24.99/kg) with a whopping 1.5 strawberries on top, set me back €2.50 and I can't quite say it was worth it, but it was the only thing left at around 8pm. It's certainly not big, the strawberries are certainly on the skimpy side (though not sure if I'd be willing to pay more for a few extra on there), and it was mediocre at best. I really can't say I was impressed with the price/quality ratio there. :/

There is, however, another option: discount supermarket Alepa (owned by S-market -- in Helsinki, there's one in the wing of the train station and another in Forum shopping centre) also has a small bakery section with all their selection coming directly from S-market. There aren't so many sweets and the more fancy treats (obviously that chocolate cupcake) are saved for original stores, but you've got a few choices, they're priced per item, and are cheap! ;) An apple danish (€1.40) with dense, cardamom dough and a generous sprinkling of rock sugar ended up being yummy!

So, I guess it just depends; when there isn't time to go to a bakery, S-market is an option, though at the same time, I can't say it's an overwhelmingly good one, though in the evening you don't have much choice. Besides the somewhat ridiculous pricing, the baked goods aren't very delicious and Stockmann is just... better. :P

Rating: **

Stockmann [Mimi's World Tour]

 Bakery: Stockmann
Address: Aleksanterinkatu 52, Helsinki
Website: https://stockmann.com
Style: Finnish
Price: $$

Stockmann is without a doubt *the* Finnish department store and their head location on Aleksanterinkatu can't be missed. It's Scandinavia's biggest department store, after all (see what kind of useless trivia I can churn out ;D). But I'm not here to talk about the department store, since that doesn't concern me all that much. Instead, bypass all those designer goods and fragrance counters and head directly to the basement, where there's not only the Stockmann grocery store, but an impressive in-house bakery serving up dozens of mostly baked goods, though there are some pastries behind the glass too, if I'm not mistaken. However, I'm so into the baked goods that the rest doesn't matter to me. :P

Nonetheless, I think one of the minuses of Stockmann's bakery is that a majority of goods -- all self-serve products -- are sold by weight, including doughnuts, cinnamon buns, fruit danishes, etc. And everyone knows what that means: the chances of it being overpriced are very big. Thankfully, the scale is also self-serve, so if you don't like the price printed, you can just take your bag, discreetly deposit your item back into the bin and carry on. I didn't do that myself, but it's been done while I was on the premises. XD But yes, I did indeed, even after the weigh-in, end up with sweets purchases~!

On my first trip to Stockmann (and to Finland ^^) I ended up with this blueberry bun which had quite a bit of blueberry in it, though it was more jam-like than real fruit, which would have been better, and a lot of crumble on top. In my opinion, it certainly wasn't worth it, as anything with fruit is priced considerably higher than other baked goods.

The more recent time, I got myself a cinnamon bun (1,70 euro), both because I figured it would be cheaper (it was) and because I was curious how it would taste. This really didn't disappoint: super fresh, soft dough with just that perfect combination of buttery cinnamon filling, cardamom and rock sugar on top. Mmmm.... I had it as my uh, "lunch" right outside the department store and it was just so good. Nothing beats freshly made, Scandinavian cinnamon buns! *-* And this was without a doubt the best I had tasted in the land of the midnight sun, despite having followed my travel guidebook's advice to try it elsewhere (a future post), where it's apparently the best. Nope, Stockmann may be a bit of a ripoff with the prices (though they did have cinnamon buns which you could order yourself and which were sold per item, but were more expensive) and they wouldn't necessarily be considered first and foremost a culinary destination, but their bakery is still worth visiting... if for the sole reason that you can't afford anything else (anymore) in the iconic department store. ;DDD

Rating: ***

Cafe Ekberg [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Cafe Ekberg
Address: Bulevardi 9, Helsinki
Website: http://www.cafeekberg.fi/
Style: Finnish
Price: $-$$

World Tour 2012! I've got 14 locations in 3 countries to review this year and this is the first one!! ^__^ Actually, I went to Helsinki three years ago, but, not having started the cake tour yet in full force (Fazer was, of course, a must-visit), I was ashamed at the fact that I had really gone nowhere. Although I was only four days in my one of my two favourite places in the world (Finland and Iceland have quickly become my sweethearts; I'm in love with both of them XDDDD), I had to take advantage and just run out and get as much done as possible, cake-wise, though again, I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped. Still, it was thrilling. Especially since I love, LOVE Finnish baking!

Cafe Ekberg, a small distance away from the tourist-trodden centre, is, I believe, the oldest cafe in Helsinki. They have two parts to their Ekberg empire, the cafe serving coffee and lunches to the left and then the bakery/pastry shop where you can have things to take away. I went to the latter, and found it to actually be very well priced in comparison to city centre cafes (especially on the Esplanade -_-), but the emphasis in this old-fashioned (line up, even though it's two people, is done by numbers and the number board is *ancient*) place is on bigger purchases such as breads and full cakes... and everything looks amazing. They still have the staples like korvapustit (Finnish cinnamon buns), but as I had two other people travelling with me, at least for two days, my mom suggested we buy one of the more interesting bigger loaves which I wouldn't hope to try elsewhere.

Hence we settled for this gorgeous thing (and yes, the icing is pink ^^) which began with "mazariini"... I could have sworn it was 'kakku' or something, but nothing is giving me image results. -__- Nonetheless, it was lovely loaf (7,70 euro) which ended up being for way more than three people and pretty much a pulla (Finnish sweet bread flavoured with ground cardamom seeds) with icing and stuffed with almonds. It was so soft and moist (the crumbs are due to us not having a knife, not because it was dry XD) with that fairly generous layer of icing on top. Heavenly. *-* It only sucks that I didn't have the time to keep coming back here, though my horrible Finnish would get me remembered by everyone. ;P I actually think, as blasphemous as it sounds, that Ekberg's variety and level of uh, temptation, in terms of the sweets, exceeded that of the Fazer cafe.

What's the overall opinion? I don't think I can wait for my NEXT trip (no, nothing's planned) to Helsinki so I can go back to Ekberg, but I loved what I tasted (and saw) the first time around. Wow. *-*

Rating: ****

Milbree-Viking Inc.

Bakery: Milbree-Viking Inc.
Address: Unit 2, 350 Davis Dr., Newmarket, ON
Website: http://milbreeviking.com/
Style: Finnish, Scandinavian
Price: $$

I've been waiting MONTHS and MONTHS to have some pretext to go to Newmarket, around 100 km?? north of Toronto, so I could go back to Milbree-Viking and have another taste of their delicious pulla. The Finnish deli, smokehouse and bakery used to be in Toronto, but relocated after a huge fire destroyed much of their previous location. :( Ever since seeing the CP24 news screen on the subway about a "multi-alarm fire at Laird Rd deli" and *knowing* at once that it was the single Finnish bakery in the city, I've been eagerly awaiting some news of their reopening. This came about a year ago when, on their website, they had found a new site for their business... in Newmarket. Seeing that it was hard enough going nearly to Scarborough (I visited, with much traffic-related complications Milbree-Viking, only once before), I wept knowing that I'd never make the trip to Newmarket. Fortunately, the brother was having a soccer tournament there and yeah, pulla for me! ^^

Anyways~ as I've said, Milbree-Viking is indeed the only Finnish deli in the Toronto area (unless you include Hillside Cafe, who are Estonian, but it's as close to Finnish as you can get ^^) they sell a few imported goods from Finland and their own, homemade goods. The brother isn't very helpful in terms of what was there now, but they should still have their variety of smoked goods, especially fish, cold cuts, cheese (you can buy yourself a sandwich), various salads and, of course, fresh rye breads and Finnish baked goods, which are all of yeast-based dough. Knowing me, I'm only focusing on the latter. ^^ Their variety isn't huge and the breads, especially, are more than the price of bakery white bread (rye breads are never cheap, and this is especially true for heavy ryes), but what they do have is of high quality and uh, great taste. ;)

We bought two loaves of bread: one heavy and the other light rye. Everyone was pretty impressed with this, but as for the sweet stuff, he he he, anyone can already guess what a fan I'm of them. ^^ First off, we got a whole bag of cinnamon buns (~1.50/each; please excuse the appropriately cheesy pic, I couldn't help myself), which are so good. The cinnamon mass folded into cardamom-laced dough is especially recommended for those who want a tasty treat with their tea or coffee and don't a mass of overly sweet, sugary stickiness. Of course, one brother was complaining that it would have been better with icing. No, I don't agree. ^^;;;

On top of that, we got a pulla (Finnish sweet bread with cardamom and either sold with sugar (~$7) or with raisins and almonds (~9). The prices are approximate, since those that bought it didn't do a great job of paying attention. :/ Nevertheless, I love pulla. A lot. ^__^ The taste is simple yet so good, even with just a little butter. Mmmm, I LOVE Finnish baked goods... I can't wait for another tournament to come along, since I don't think I can get here any other way. ;_;

Rating: ****

Hillside Cafe [RIP]

Bakery: Hillside Cafe
Address: 594 Mount Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON
Website: N/A
Style: Estonian, Finnish
Price: $$-$$$

[ Closed? CLOSED! The only Estonian  bakery, probably in Canada, and the only source for Finnish-style baked goods in Toronto, is no more. It's a sad, sad day...]

Anyways~~ in the spur of the moment, I decided to go to the Yonge/Eglinton area this past Saturday for some bakery hunting. Mostly, this was because the subway was closed southwards, so well, I had to restrict myself. The real point was to return to Hillside Cafe, because right now (with Viking Deli burning down and recently relocating to... Newmarket... Newmarket! How am I going to get there? ;__;) it's the only place you can get Finnish/Estonian baked goods in the GTA. Unless someone knows a secret location unknown to me... then, speak up NOW! XDDD

Ahem, back to the post. ^^ Hillside Cafe (Bakeshop and Delicatessen) is touted as a Finnish/Estonian bakery, although this is mainly by a few people online and nowhere else. Actually, I'm a little surprised that they don't advertise it a little more, since if I didn't know what I was looking for, I would easily pass by this small place advertising sandwiches (the open-faced, Scandinavian variety), bread and muffins.

Upon entering, you're greeted with the (heartbreaking ;D) sight of several shelves of Finnish goods at moderate prices: Fazer chocolates, Finnish randomness like rock sugar, gum, and crisp toast. Then, there's the racks of bread and baked goods all behind the counter with no names or prices, so it's a little hard to see what they have to offer. Some more standard offerings include muffins and danishes, but you definitely come here (in my opinion) for the hard-to-find Finnish and Estonian goodies: rye breads, cinnamon buns, other hard to distinguish (the rack isn't in the best position in figuring out what's on it) baked goods, and of course... pulla! The goodies are reasonable priced at around $1.90/each, but quite frankly, the breads are a little pricey...

This time, I bought a *gasps, shrieks, squeals* poppy seed bun ($1.90 + tax), which I've never seen before at any Scandinavian places. I got way too excited upon having the opportunity to put another one, and from a different area, onto my uh, repertoire. XDDD It was definitely different, with it not having any poppy seed mass at all, but just sprinkled on top and inside the dough in more of a poppy seed bagel way. The whole thing was then brushed with glaze. The dough itself was quite similar to the cinnamon buns/pulla, except there's no typically Finnish cardamom in it; I still liked it. It reminded me a little of this sweet, yeast bread my grandma used to make. ;P It wasn't sugary sweet, and it was great to just tear apart and stuff the fluffy, poppy seed-infused dough into your mouth. Definitely taking it again... when I'm there again (ha ha the last time was last? summer, maybe even before that O.o).

Of course, the main attraction was the pulla ($7.75), which was very expensive for what it is (ie. a loaf of bread). By the way, 'pulla' is a Finnish sweet bread baked with cardamom and raisins, braided, and then coated in egg glaze, almonds and rock sugar; there's another shot of a slice... which I put a little butter on and uh, eat it right up ^^. The one from Hillside, besides being expensive, was my least favourite from the two I've tried in Toronto. The one we bought from Viking was much fluffier, but now that that's not an option, I eagerly gobbled up this one, although I must admit that, despite my complete eagerness, I was a tad bit disappointed that on top of the high price, the bread was pretty stale and obviously not baked that day. :( For the price, I would at least expect fresh bread. I don't know; maybe they don't sell a lot on the weekends, so they should bake less -or- I should get the word out about this place, so they sell their pulla faster and can then bake it more often. This place is too good and too unique for me to pass it up. ^^;;

Rating: ***

Fazer [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Fazer
Address: Kluuvikatu 3, Helsinki
Website: http://www.fazer.fi
Style: Finnish, European
Price: $$$

I really am a little ashamed to say so, but as soon as I'd heard that Finnish chocolate brand Fazer (they also make candies and crisp bread which are exported around the world; it may take a bit of effort to find it) had a cafe that I could visit, I was swayed even more so to visit Helsinki. Okay, okay, it wasn't like that, but let's just say that once I had my trip to Finland planned out, I could NOT wait to visit this huge place in downtown Helsinki dedicated to chocolate and everything else delicious. ;D

Nevertheless, I ended up at the Fazer cafe for lunch and it was just... wow, a real experience. *___* I mean, it was really only half a cafe, as the other half was a store, but omg, it was well worth the visit. They had a whole variety of yummy baked goods, cakes, sweet rolls. Farther down there were sandwiches as well, but come on, this is me we're talking about. I am *not* coming here for a sandwich.

This may look weird as a pic, but the first time I ordered myself an apple cake (omenapiirakka), mainly because (at around 2,50 euro [I think]) it was the cheapest treat you could get except for the doughnuts, and it was served on the edge of a soup bowl filled with vanilla sauce. You pushed the cake with apples and cinnammon baked on top in slowly, so it soaked up a little bit of the sauce and just OMG! *swoons* It was amazingly good. In keeping with the Finnish "coffee party" idea, I ordered with that a cappucino (around 3,50 euro), because it was the cheapest coffee that wasn't black. :D It was served with a Fazer chocolate. This was quite honestly the most blissful moment I had in Finland... .___.;;

 Anyways, I could not keep away from this place for long and returned a second time; it also was my last evening here in Finland, so this was my going-away party. Seeing as I had a little more money to spend, I splurged a little this time around, though I found, oddly enough, the coffee to be more expensive than the cakes. Seeing as you could get cakes at around 3 euro, but coffee was easily 4+ seemed a little strange for me...

This time around, I got a cafe latte (over 4 euro, definitely) and a strawberry/pistachio cake (I pointed when ordering it, so I have no idea what it is XD) that was absolutely delicious!!! I don't remember the price, but I believe that it was somewhere between 3-4 euros. Nevertheless, the cake pretty much consisted of three layers: a strawberry mousse on top followed by a thin layer of jam and then a dense, almost soft biscotti-like cake with chunks of pistachio. Wow. I really don't know which I liked more: the apple cake or the strawberry one. This is a question I haven't been able to answer for over a year now. ;)

Fazer... is absolutely amazing! Yup, that's the verdict. I adore this place and when (no if's here!!!) I return during my tour of Scandinavia and Finland, you can guarantee I'll be getting back in line for something else flawlessly yummy! ^__^;;;

Rating: ****