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"A day dedicated to celebrating this buttery and delicious Parisian pastry.
Check out my 3 go-to places and learn a few fun facts about croissants!"
Sat, Jan 30, 2021
In homage to the unofficial holiday, I've listed 3 of my current favourites. If you need a good excuse to grab a buttery treat this weekend, you now have your reason, along with 3 recommendations within Toronto.
Fun Fact: I took this photo randomly at Strange Love Coffee and wrote them a review because they were nice to me during my first visist. Somehow, this photo has garnered almost half a million views to date through Google Reviews.
Credit: Arun B., Yelp
1. Best Bang for Buck Almond Croissant: City Independent Market (previously Bloor Street Market)
Major Intersection: Bay St. & Bloor St. W
Item: Almond Croissant
Cost: $1.99 (no tax)
Tip: Arrive early to grab them while it is still hot and available!
Housed inside the bakery department of a grocery store, there are many delicious pastries to choose from which all range $2-3/piece. There is no competition, my favourite is the almond croissant. I love how generously they fill it with almond paste, and that they add just the right amount of toasted almonds on top to create the perfect crunch. There really is nothing to complain about this croissant especially given that it is only a twoonie.
Finally, for those who prioritize value over freshness, they pack their day-old croissants and pack them in boxes in the middle at a discounted price. Thus, it wasn't uncommon to score a deal of a box of 3-4 croissants for <$5. Unfortunately, I currently don't have a photo of this croissant, but I will update with something the next time I visit. For now, you'll just have to take my word for it, it's fantastic!
Photo credit: Vicky
2. Most Generous Portion of Almond Paste: Café Rouge Patisserie (previously Jules Café)
Major Intersection: Bloor St. W & Royal York Blvd.
Item: Almond Croissant
Cost: $3.22 (after tax)
Other Recommendations: I also love their Apple Turnovers!
Located inside the heart of West Bloor Village, this little gem recently rebranded with a new logo and name. Thankfully, the delicious menu and incredibly nice owner (who is wonderful), both remained constant. Rob and I are always excited when we get their almond croissants and apple turnovers! I should also mention they also do catering! I've ordered from them for university campus events and work gatherings - they've always been a hit, and are also reasonably priced for what you get! Once the pandemic hits, I cannot wait to attend catered events again!
Smiling behind my mask holding our croissants on National Croissant Day, 2021
3. Fluffiest Croissants: Goûter
Major Intersection: Avenue Rd. & Eglinton Ave. W.
Item: Raspberry Croissant
Cost: $4.52 (after tax)
Other Recommendations: Cheese Croissant; Almond Croissant
Having opened their second location last Sep 2020 (i.e. in the midst of a global pandemic), Goûter has captured the hearts of neighbourhood residents like myself and Rob after just one bite. This patisserie is cute, quaint, and authentically Parisian. You are immediately greeted by an impressive lineup of freshly baked croissants. Flavours include: cheese, almond, and raspberry. B., one of the partners shared that their top seller is called Kouign-Aman. Quoting their site, this pastry is a "Bread dough layered with salted butter and sugar. As it is being baked in a special tin the Kouign Amann caramelizes, resulting in a crispy exterior and a sweet and gooey inside." We haven't tried this one yet, but I am excited after having this phone conversation and hearing her endorsement for it.
Fun fact: this croissant is made using homemade jam and the filling contains no sugar. Thus, a thin sugar glaze is added at the top to sweeten & balance the filling.
Nutella croissant! Photo take by Rob
Cheese croissant (see filling in the photo below).
Overall, what impresses me about the Goûter croissants are how fluffy they are. Additionally, if you look at the dissected croissant image, the air bubbles distribute the filling throughout the entire pastry, and not just centralized in one area. Check out their website, from what I see you can pre-order there. Enjoy!
Look at that filling!!
A Note from Donna:
Meet Rosie!
More on her back story to come.
What a crazy busy week. I am so glad we are treating ourselves to a couple of croissants to decompress this weekend.
Hope you can virtually enjoy National Croissant Day through my post, or go out tomorrow, and support a local business. More than ever, neighbourhood shops require our support for those who are able. Finally, in writing this post, I looked up a few fun facts about croissants to share with you. Here are Three Fun Facts about Croissants that piqued my interest:
Austrians created the first croissant, not the French, however by 1920, it was France's national product.
Croissants were originally called kipfel in 1683, meaning 'a crescent-happed cookie or roll. (Croissant too means crescent in French).
Legend has it that croissants are crescent-shaped because this pastry was created as a symbol of victory amongst Austrians for conquering Turks in a battle, whose national flag is a crescent.
For more fun facts, check out this great article.
Food for Thought
Quote of the Week - “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” - Simon Sinek (author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action)
Someone shared this quote with me recently when we were discussing the importance and responsibility of advocacy within a people leader. I fell in love with this quote immediately, and have been marinating on it the last few days. I'm going to be transparent with readers here who got this far, I am scared of raising my hand to be an official people manager because of the high level of excellence I expect (what if I am a bad boss one day if the opportunity ever presented itself?). Hearing this quote really put into perspective what makes a good leader, and people manager. Note taken - it's not about having all the right answers, or being the smartest person within your team so as long as you care deeply for those you're responsible for. Go above and beyond for someone, pay attention to see one's potential, and use your influence to advocate for those within your care that you believe in. Kindness doesn't cost much. But from what I've experienced from managers who have made the biggest impact in my own career, it is treasured for a lifetime.
Image Source: Quotefancy
Thank you for taking time to read this post! Until then, I'm going to get some rest. This week has been crazy busy, but for all the right reasons :).
- Donna
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