Dining Out: Croissant Party at Patisserie Fleur

So, my friend Minji sent me a picture of her baby daughter eating a croissant, proudly proclaiming that she LOVES THEM (actually, my baby nephew is also obsessed with croissants, so clearly, our universal love of buttery pastries starts in the womb), so we agreed: We should have a croissant party. (This is basically just going to a bakery and eating many croissants, but this is definitely our kind of party.) We were going to finally try out Cros Croissanterie, but they literally closed down this past Sunday (RIP), so we had to find a replacement bakery. After a little bit of research, we decided on Patisserie Fleur:

Iced dirty matcha latte and matcha mocha

When I got there at 3:30PM, they actually only had the strawberry and matcha croissants left. When I asked if they had any more of the other flavours, the lady who worked there (possibly the owner or manager) asked which ones I wanted to get, so I told her an almond and a chocolate on top of the other two flavours, and she just offered to make some fresh for me if I was willing to wait 15 minutes. I said it wasn't a problem at all since some friends were meeting me to eat there anyway, so she went straight to the kitchen to put some in the oven for us. I just thought it was so nice of her to make fresh ones for us because a lot of staff at other places would just say, "Sorry, that's all we have for today." So, without even trying the food or drink yet, I already had a great impression of this place.

Strawberry-dipped croissant with raspberry jam filling

Almond croissant with frangipane filling

Pain au chocolat

Matcha croissant with matcha cream filling

Luckily, all the croissants we tried were excellent. My personal favourite was the almond, but we all agreed there was not a dud in the bunch. They were especially great because the server got them fresh out of the oven for us, and there is really nothing better than buttery, flaky pastry than warm buttery, flaky pastry. The matcha drinks we ordered were also delicious — I actually had a regular, unsweetened iced matcha latte, which was delightful (it isn't pictured here because I drank half of it before Minji and Daniel arrived), but they said their drinks were really tasty (and we found out what makes a matcha latte "dirty" — a shot of espresso). 

Orange de Terre Mini: Orange marmalade, yogurt mousse, brown butter orange ganache, orange chocolate dip, chiffon, sweet tart, and chocolate leaf and steam

Minji also decided to get one of their mini cakes, the Orange de Terre, which tasted exactly like a Creamsicle and was ABSOLUTELY DIVINE. (Also, it's really freaking cute.) I said this before, but the best part of eating at a bakery is being able to get a dessert pastry to follow up your appetizer and main course pastries. (I'll let you decide on which ones were the appetizers and which ones were the mains.)

Suffice it to say, we will definitely come back for our future croissant (and cake!) parties.

Patisserie Fleur

180 Enterprise Blvd., Unit 103

Markham, ON L6G 0G4

(905) 604-8009

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 3 — Lox Bagel at Tompkins Square Bagels

A little breakfast at Tompkins Square Bagels before leaving for the airport:

Lox and cream cheese bagel

Did you think I'd leave NYC without having a lox bagel? (The answer is no. Always no. I'm a proud Canadian, but New York bagels beat Montreal bagels every time. Yes, I said it. Sorry, not sorry.)

Fair warning, though — Tompkins Square Bagels is one of the most popular bagel chains in NYC, so there is ALWAYS a line-up, especially on the weekend. The location we went to on the Upper East Side consistently had a line-up for all the days we were there, from morning to close. When we got there for breakfast on this Sunday morning around 9:30AM, there were 50 orders ahead of us. Still, the bagels are so fucking good, it's totally worth the wait.

Tompkins Square Bagels

1159 3rd Ave.

New York, NY 10065

(212) 203-4862

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — Ham and Gruyère Croissant, Mushroom and Spinach Quiche, and Almond Croissant at Julien Boulangerie

Nothing like starting the day with a fresh cup of coffee and some delectably delicious (or délicieusement délicieux, if you will) French pastries at Julien Boulangerie:

Croissant au jambon et gruyère + quiche aux champignons et épinards
Croissant aux amandes

SO. FREAKING. GOOD. As it turns out, 9:00AM on a Saturday morning is the most ideal time to come here, especially if you have a toddler in a stroller — there was a line-up for take-out, but we otherwise had the whole cafe area to ourselves. (I guess there is some truth to "the early bird gets the worm.") And the best part of eating at a bakery? Being able to get a dessert pastry to follow up your appetizer and main course pastries. 

Julien Boulangerie

1247 3rd Ave.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 401-1200

Dining Out: Mango Yuzu Gelato Daifuku at Savorology

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Went to Savorology to try their new viral gelato daifuku, which is made to order. Matcha is their signature flavour, but I decided to go with mango yuzu because it is so goddamn hot out and I wanted something more refreshing (which, in my mind, equates to fruity and/or citrusy). It certainly hit the spot and the mango yuzu flavour is incredible, but I do wish the mochi wrapper was thinner and softer to make it easier to dig into (as you know, mochi gets significantly harder and tougher once it gets cold). That having been said, it does provide an excellent barrier for those who want to bite into their ice cream but have sensitive teeth, so I digress...

Savorology

3621 Highway 7, Unit 120

Markham, ON L3R 0G6

(905) 470-8898

Take Out: Cappuccino Cake from Paris Baguette

Cappuccino Cake

Okay, so Minji bought the Cappuccino Cake (mocha cake filled with mocha buttercream, coated in chocolate, and topped with buttercream and caramel) from Paris Baguette to celebrate Daniel's birthday today at work and dare I say, it might just be my new favourite cake...? Now that they've finally come to Canada and are opening more locations, I will need to look into more desserts from Paris Baguette... You know, for research.

A Friend's Baby Shower: 3:15 Cake from Daan Go Cake Lab

My friend Minji's baby shower was today!

3:15 Cake from Daan Go Cake Lab

We hosted it in the party room in my building because it was the most central location for everyone invited, but between liaising with concierge, decorating, and meeting and socializing with over 20 new people, I kinda forgot to take photos. But there was a tasty spread of Korean food (two kinds of japchae, bulgogi and rice, gimbap, Korean-style potato salad, etc.), baby games (don't say the word "baby," guess what's in the baby food, etc.), a whole lot of mingling, and the incredible 3:15 cake from Daan Go Cake Lab (which contains Hong Kong milk tea mousse, Vietnamese coffee and evaporated milk crémeux, and the most incredible Ovaltine "pineapple bun" crumb crunch) which was as delicious as it looks.

Loot bag goodies

We even got little loot bags to take home that included the most adorable towel shaped like a bear, a bag of caramel popcorn, and a little trinket box filled with Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Hi-Chew candies. SO FREAKING CUTE.

Congratulations to my very good friends, Minji and Daniel. You're going to be amazing parents!

Take Out: Snow Skin Mooncake Set 2024 from Daan Go Cake Lab

For Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I decided to go to Daan Go Cake Lab for their Snow Skin Mooncakes again because, frankly, they are tastier, prettier, and more unique than those plebe lotus seed paste mooncakes. (I had said last year that I hoped these would be released again this year, so I'm glad they were popular enough for a comeback!)

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box — Artwork by Kimiko Nogomi

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

This year, we have two returning flavours and two new ones:

• Pistachio Raspberry (new): Pistachio pastry cream with a raspberry gel centre and raspberry pistachio croquantine
• Salted Duck Egg: Salted duck egg pastry cream with a salted duck egg lava centre and white chocolate coconut crisp
• Passion Fruit Cheesecake (new): Cheesecake filling with a passion fruit gel centre and white chocolate graham crumble
• Jamocha Nut: Chocolate pastry filling with an almond lava centre and milk chocolate almond crumble (a.k.a. the GOAT of mooncakes)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut (Inside)

Regardless of where your mooncakes are from, I hope everyone has a delightfully food-filled Mid-Autumn Festival!

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098

Food Delivery: Dim Sum Macaron Set and Sushi Macaron Set from Daan Go Cake Lab

Love dim sum? Love sushi? Love macarons? ME, TOO. As if Daan Go Cake Lab didn't already make the cutest macarons in the game, they decided to make these limited edition ones themed after my favourite foods: DIM SUM AND SUSHI! 

Daan Go Cake Lab Dim Sum Macaron Set

Daan Go Cake Lab Dim Sum Macaron Set

Siu mai — Vietnamese coffee

Phoenix claw — Raspberry

Sesame ball — White sesame

Egg tart — Chocolate crunch

Har gow — Roast milk tea

Mango pudding — Mango

The dim sum set comes in an actual bamboo steamer! The sushi set comes in an actual sushi tray (complete with baran wrapped around the "wasabi")! The moment I saw these, I knew I would not be able to resist. In fact, I immediately logged into their website and put them in my cart for check out. And the best part? I had enough Daan Go points to get $20 off!!!

Daan Go Cake Lab Sushi Macaron Set

Daan Go Cake Lab Sushi Macaron Set

Octopus — Black sesame

Maki — Pistachio

Tamago — Passion fruit

Wasabi — Matcha

Shrimp — Yuzu

Salmon roe — Ovaltine

And lest you think that the increase in cuteness means a decrease in quality, I am here to tell you that the texture of these macarons are PERFECT (the crumb, the bite, and the mouthfeel are truly outstanding — frankly, better than many that I've had at French macaron giant, Ladurée) and the flavours are the most accurate I have ever tasted. Daan Go Cake Lab is known for their infusing Western-style desserts with Asian flavours, so that Vietnamese coffee macaron tastes not just like coffee, but specifically Vietnamese coffee. That roast milk tea? Tastes not just like any tea, but specifically roast milk tea from your local boba shop. After many years, I continue to be impressed with Daan Go Cake Lab, and honestly, it's far more worth it to me to pay for the macarons here than most other patisseries.

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098

Food Delivery: February Macarons from The Social Blend

You know who always gets me the best Valentine's presents? Myself.

The Social Blend February Macarons
The Social Blend February Macarons

Like Christmas, I don't really celebrate this holiday, but a holiday is always an excuse to treat myself to something I wouldn't normally. It's practicing self-love, but like, within reason. As expected planned, I did not ration my Lunar New Year's macarons, so I obviously had to get another box from The Social Blend. (Listen, it's not my fault that Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day fall so close to each other this year. So this is still within reason, okay?) The actual Valentine's Day Box didn't excite me as much as their February exclusive flavours (denoted with an *), so I got a custom box of nine: 

Strawberry Crunch
Double Raspberry
Blueberry Cheesecake
Cherry Blossom*
Chocolate Salted Caramel*
Strawberry Lamington*
Mandarin*
Mixed Berry Pistachio*
White Chocolate Mango*

I just realized Family Day is coming up next Monday and these will definitely get stale by then, so unfortunately, I won't be able to ration these, either...

The Social Blend

130 Eglinton Ave. E.

Toronto, ON M4P 2X9

(416) 484-9919