I love Tokyo and its food scene. Not only do they offer a variety of cuisine, they also have an excellent selection of patisseries and bakeries. One of the bakeries that piqued my interest was Gontran Cherrier Tokyo after seeing pictures of their matcha croissant on Instagram. 

 The two-floors bakery was centrally located in the busy districts of Shinjuku/Shibuya, so definitely a prime spot. The space was of average size, but they had a variety of different pastries out on displayed, and customers are to take a tray and tong to select their pastries.

 The first thing that I grabbed was the Matcha Croissant (¥ 250 each). The croissant was one of the best ones I have had, and rival to the ones in Paris.

We had breakfast an hour earlier, but we will always have room for more food =)

Address: Shibuya, 1 Chome−14−11, BCサロン

Earlier last week, I had the pleasure of going to the Uncle Tetsu’s Unionville in Markham to try their new Sakura Cheesecake. Unlike the fluffy baked cheesecakes that they are known for, this new one is a no-bake cheesecake. It is also exclusive to the Unionville location, and it is highly recommended that you pre-order in advance due to the craftsmanship that goes into baking them.



This was my first time at their Unionville location, but I have been to the downtown one on several occasions. All of the storefronts in Unionville are modeled as historic village houses, and the Uncle Tetsu’s Unionville's location is no different. It's a cute looking home with very minimal space inside (quite cramp when it's super busy). I went on a Friday evening, and it was busy, so everyone was kind of shoved into a little corner while waiting for their cheesecakes. 

The Japanese-Style No Bake Cheesecakes are available in two different flavours, Sakura and Yuzu. The smaller version was $8, while the large was $35. The larger size may be a little pricey, but it would be a great cake to order for a special occasion to share (like birthdays, bridal shower, Valentine's Day, etc ...).

 The Sakura No Bake Cheesecake was beautifully decorated with cherry blossom petals, gold leaf, and glazed with gelatin jelly. The pink layer was creamy, and has a similar texture to a mousse cake. The cheese flavor was light, and the cherry blossom petals added the aroma to the cake.

Sign up today (FREE) to the Toronto Gourmand Club (link is here) for a 20% off coupon that you can use for the Uncle Tetsu’s Unionville’s Sakura Cheesecake. The coupon expires on February 10th, 2017, but there are plenty of upcoming benefits and discounts for members. 

I was also able to sample the Yuzu Cheesecake as well. The light cheesecake was flavored with Japanese yuzu, and had a nice strong citrus flavor. However, I do like the Sakura Cheesecake a lot more over the Yuzu one. 

Maman Toronto recently launched “Maman à Table” where diners are able to enjoy a $20 prix-fixe menu every Friday afternoon. Indulge in a three course menu featuring a starter, a choice of main, and finishing off with a selection of mini sweet bites and drip coffee or tea of your choice. The weather may be cooling off, but you can still enjoy this menu every Friday from 11:30 am to 2 pm all season on the fully licensed patio or inside the cafe.

De-Constructed Avocado Toast - tomato, lime wedges and sea salt & chili

Grilled Tomato Gazpacho - with sweet red peppers & cucumber

Croque Maman - with Parisian Ham & Comté

I have tried the Croque Maman on several occasions, so I got the daily quiche instead. There were three different choices to select from, and I opted for the Ham and Cheese Quiche - served with mixed greens, as my main. The quiche was excellent with its flaky yet buttery pastry exterior loaded with a creamy filling mixed with ham and cheese. It was a downright delicious quiche.

Drip Coffee

We ended our Maman à Table experience with some Mini Sweet Bites from Cafe Gourmand. These satisfying bite-sized treats were great to nibble on to satisfy my sweet tooth without overindulging in sugar. 

Maman Toronto is open Monday through Friday for breakfast, and lunch, and on Saturday for brunch (closed on Sunday). Check out their website for their daily menu, as it changes everyday.

 Located on the corner of King & Portland in the busy King West neighborhood lies Portland Variety. Portland Variety operates as both a cafe, and restaurant; as the 2,400-square-foot restaurant features a standing-room cafe at the front during the day, and at night, it transforms into a cocktail bar/restaurant.

 I had the pleasure of attending a media tasting to welcome back Chef Jo Castrinos to Portland Variety a couple weeks back. He was the original chef of Portland Variety when it first opened in 2014, and he has now returned to helm the kitchen as Executive Chef. The tasting was an intimate gathering with some of my fellow bloggers, and all the dishes that we tried that evening were family-styled.



Watermelon Mojito - dark rum, lime, mint, watermelon



 The menu at Portland Variety featured a fusion of Canadian, French, and Spanish cuisine offering shareable plates for both lunch and dinner. Some of their shareable plates include grilled octopus, fried hen, and braised short ribs.   

 Royal Garden - vodka, lime, basil, cucumber

 

We started the tasting with a selection of Assorted Pintxos.


 

 
The Striped Bass Crudo - citrus, green mango, chive oil, chill, was up next, and it was a favorite among our small group of diners. The bass crudo was well-prepared, and the epitome of freshness. Additionally, the combination of green mango, and chive oil perfectly complemented the briny flavor of the bass.
My spice tolerance is pretty high, so I am capable of tolerating really spicy dishes. Which is why, I enjoyed the Shrimp Pil Pil - chili oil, lemon. The shrimp was super flavorful, and the lemon added a nice contrast to the richness and spiciness of the chili oil.  
I am glad that they kept the Grilled Octopus - smoked tomato, iberico chorizo, fennel pollen, on the menu. The octopus was seared and crispy on the outside, while the interior was tender. It also had a slight smoky flavor, without it tasting unnaturally smoky. 
Lastly, we ended the night off with Beignets - vanilla custard, for dessert. The deep-fried yet airy beignets were lightly dusted with sugar making it a sweet treat. This was a great way to finish off a meal.


Portland Variety is a nice casual place in King West, and perfect for all occasions. They are open for brunch, lunch and dinner. Click here for their hours of operation.

Shopbake.com is Toronto's first online bakery marketplace offering an on-demand service that's solely based on sweets. The premise of the business is that they deliver baked goods from local bakeries or home bakers right to the customer's doors within a 90 minute time frame. 

I received a complimentary gift package this past weekend with some of the baked goods that are available to order online from ShopBake. I absolutely love sweets, and I often crave baked goods randomly throughout the day. So this service is something that definitely appealed to me. My package included chocoberry popcorn from Toronto Popcorn Co, Valentine royal iced cookie from Le Dolci, shortbread cookie from Mary Macleod's Shortbread, Hello Dolly gluten free bar from Sweets from the Earth, conversation heart mini cookie Pack from Branded Bites, and candy sushi from sweet C bakery. The box came with a nice variety of baked goods/treats, and was shared between my fiancé and I. I liked that it was delivered in a prettily-wrapped box (pictured below), so it's great as a gift for any occasion.

Shopbake.com allows customers to order and receive baked goods easily with a click of a button on their website (that is also mobile-friendly). They source baked goods from a variety of local bakeries such as Le Dolci, Toronto Popcorn Company, Jelly Modern Doughnuts, Short & Sweet Cupcakes, and more. There are plenty of other local home bakers available to choose from as well, which you can easily browse through to see on the site. It was pretty easy to browse through the list of baked goods and sweets online, and the search function yield plenty of results for specific items. The home page currently displays sweet treats that are Valentine's Day themed, which you can pre-order.

Personally, I don't have any dietary restrictions, but there is the option to search for baked goods that caters to one's dietary restrictions or specialty goods like nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, etc ...

ShopBake launched back in September 2014, and has since grown to amass a large number of vendors. Customers have the ability to customize their orders, and there are a variety of treats available from cookies, cupcakes, donuts, cupcakes, and etc ... It's also a great gift option for those who have sweet tooths, or just enjoy the occasional treat. Valentine's Day is coming up this Sunday, and there is still time to send that special someone a sweet treat from Shopbake.com.

 
 

Video

Thanks for making my weekend even sweeter by delivering these baked goods right to my doorstep @shopbake :) // #ShopBake is an online sweets-on-demand delivery service at www.shopbake.com // You can order sweet treats online, and it'll be delivered right to your door within 90 minutes. It's a great gift for those with a sweet tooth or just enjoy the occasional treat 🍪🍩🍿🍮🍰🍭 #shopbakeondemand #thatsdarling #cute

A video posted by Sandi ♡ Foodaholic! (@foodaholicblog_) on Feb 8, 2016 at 9:11am PST

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