Maman Toronto is a lovely bakery/cafe located on the mezzanine of First Canadian Place offering a taste of Southern France. It was a little tucked away in First Canadian Place (where the food court is), but it has a very rustic yet inviting ambiance. The entire cafe was adorned with cute bunny ceramics with flowers, wooden communal tables, and mosaic tile flooring, so it was very Instagram-friendly. There are already plenty of Instagram photos of their pretty coffee cups for your perusal online. Their menu also changes daily, and they offer an assortment of baked goods, coffee drinks, sandwiches, salads, and more.



Everything is baked fresh daily, and from locally-sourced ingredients. Maman recently launched tapas dishes on their menu, and I had the pleasure of attending the media preview of Maman's new tapas menu unveiling two weeks ago. The new menu was created by Michelin-starred chef, Armand Arnal, whose dishes are family-inspired recipes. Chef Armand Arnal is the head chef at the acclaimed La Chassagnette in Arles, France, and he has definitely added a lot of French flair to our city with the addition of Maman. As part of their cinq-as-sept bar program (5 pm to 7 pm); they also have a carefully curated wine and cocktail list that perfectly complements the tapas dishes served.

Herbes de Provence - calvados, lillet infused with herbes de provence,lemon juice, sugar & egg whites

Le Vert - blanco tequilla, chartreuse, cucumber, lime & matcha

The new French inspired tapas menu features a selection of small and light sharing plates called "tartinettes" (the French version of tapas). Many of the tapas are served on toasted French baguette topped off with a variety of toppings. What I liked best was that customers are given the opportunity to customize their own tartinette board, and there are a few options available on the daily menu. Each tartinette costs $2.50, and the full menu can be view at http://mamantoronto.com/aperitifs/.

There were several tartinettes available that evening for tasting, and I was delighted that many of the combinations had flavors that worked rather well together. The kitchen produces contemporary French tartinettes dishes such as smoked ham with savora mustard & cornichon, roasted cauliflower with 2 year aged cheddar, smoked salmon with red onions, lemon & dill, and truffle "croque maman". Maman Toronto's new tapas menu caters very well to those who seek to partake in unwinding after work before dinner with their friends or colleagues. Maman Toronto is open Monday through Friday for breakfast, lunch and cinq-á-sept, and Saturday for brunch (closed on Sunday). Check out their website for their daily menu, as it changes everyday.

 Sweets - chouquette, canelé, and cream puff with whipped cream and pineapple

** All photography taken by Joey Salmingo **