Dining Out: Matcha Tasting Flight, Mandarin Mini Cake, Citron Mini Cake, Croissant Mini Cake, and Cacao Mini Cake at Evana Pâtisserie & Café

My friend Minji kept seeing TikTok videos on these super adorable, ultra-photogenic desserts at Evana Pâtisserie & Café, so in lieu of a birthday cake for Daniel's birthday, we decided to get a whole load of treats instead:

Matcha Tasting Flight v3.0: Earl Grey, Raspberry, Black Sesame, and Pistachio

If you're a fan of matcha, the Matcha Tasting Flight (Toronto's first and only!) is incredible. They're currently on their third version, which includes Earl Grey, raspberry, black sesame, and pistachio. It is on the pricey side at $25 for four short glasses, but I found the experience unique enough to be worth it. They even provide you with an instruction card on the proper way to try them as well as the recommended tasting order. Honestly, all of them were so good, I couldn't pick a favourite. (Minji's favourite was definitively the Earl Grey, and Daniel's was the black sesame followed closely by the Earl Grey.) I will say that the raspberry is the most unique and surprisingly the one I drank the most of, but I would happily order any of these separately.

Mandarin (left): Orange crémeux, orange gelée, vanilla bean Bavarian mousse, vanilla sponge, milk chocolate crunch, and vanilla shortbread crustCitron (right): Basil vanilla Bavarian mousse with lemon crémeux

We also ordered four mini cakes to share. Minji and I both agreed that the Mandarin one was our favourite, for both flavour and texture combinations (it is extremely similar to the Orange de Terre Mini at Patisserie Fleur). It starts with a Creamsicle-flavoured cream but ends with an incredible shortbread crust. On the flip side, the Citron was my least favourite, even though it was my pick because I love lemon desserts. However, the shape and name of this cake is a little misleading because it really just tasted like plain, slightly sweetened cream. (And for that reason, it was the only one they let baby Lillian try.) There is a barely-there hint of lemon on the outer shell, but that's it. Despite being really cute, it was just a little too boring.

Croissant (left): Coffee chocolate mousse, hazelnut almond praline, and almond spongeCacao (right): Chocolate mousse, chocolate cake whipped chocolate ganache, and chocolate crispy pearls

My second favourite was the Croissant (not to be confused with their croissants), which has a very similar flavour profile to tiramisu with a delightfully nutty undercurrent. It is intensely sweet, though, so I imagine it would start to get too cloying after a few more bites. Definitely one to share, unless you have an extreme sweet tooth. Finally, the Cacao — Daniel's pick because he's a chocoholic. It's the combination of textures in this dessert that keeps it unique, with the stretchy jelly-like exterior, smooth fluffy mousse interior, and crispy pearl topping — but as expected with most chocolate-only desserts, the flavour is quite one-note (though surprisingly less sweet than the Croissant). Daniel really enjoyed it, though.

Overall, an excellent experience. And judging from the constantly revolving door of customers in the middle of subzero winter, the hype is real here. I will absolutely be coming back — their croissants (not to be confused with the Croissant mini cake) look too glorious not to try. And maybe they'll be on the fourth version of their Matcha Tasting Flight by then!

Evana Pâtisserie & Café

390 Silver Star Blvd., Unit 118

Scarborough, ON M1V 0G5

(416) 298-1222

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 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: The Banatella at Croffle House

The Banatella

Went to Croffle House with Minji and Daniel for a little dessert. In honour of Jungkook's birthday, I got the Banatella Croffle (banana and Nutella, if you couldn't tell by the name), dedicated to his love of banana milk. (Also because I just like the combination of banana and Nutella. But I'm sure he likes Nutella, right? Who doesn't like Nutella?) I said before, croffle > waffle > pancake, and this has only solidified my opinion. (I'm sure Jungkook would agree.)

Croffle House

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Unit 83

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-1615

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 7 — West Coast Crêpe and HK Style French Toast Crêpe at Café Crêpe

Wanting some Western food for dinner, we decided to go to Café Crêpe. For those who have lived in Toronto in the last 20 years, you will know that we had our own Café Crêpe on Queen Street. It opened when I was in high school and I went there every time I ventured downtown (which was a lot, 'cause I used to go to a lot of local rock shows) and it was one of my restaurant staples well into university. It became a Queen Street icon. Except COVID happened. And then it permanently closed, after nearly two decades of business. But for some odd reason, their locations in Vancouver and Hong Kong remained opened. I didn't even know they had locations outside of Canada, but I FOUND ONE.

West Coast savoury crêpe
HK Style French Toast sweet crêpe

I decided to get the West Coast savoury crêpe (which has smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, spinach, and dill) because I didn't want something too heavy. It was good but I do think one of the other options with meat and cheese would've worked better with the sweetness of a crêpe. What was magical, though, was the HK Style French Toast sweet crêpe, which I assume is a Hong Kong exclusive item. Egg, peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, and icing sugar — it tasted EXACTLY like HK-style French toast. It doesn't replace an actual HK-style French toast, mind you (it lacks, you know, the toast part), but it was good enough of a replacement that I felt like I ate one. 

Café Crêpe

K11 Art Mall

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 2899-2286

Dining Out: The Mangoffle at Croffle House

The Mangoffle

On a whim, a few friends and I decided to go to Croffle House for dessert. Since I am mango-biased, I went for the Mangoffle — two croffles with vanilla syrup, mangoes, and mango ice cream — and, in an unexpected turn of events, it has become my new favourite dessert. A controversial take, but croffle > cronut. Sorry, Dominique Ansel. (And an even more controversial take, croffle > waffle > pancake. Yeah, I went there. Fight me.)

Croffle House

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Unit 83

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-1615

Dining Out: A Contemporary French Birthday Dinner at Terre Rouge

What haven't I eaten recently? French food. So when my mom asked where I'd want to go for my birthday dinner, I decided to go with Terre Rouge. I originally wanted to do their tasting menu because I remember it being quite excellent, but unfortunately, they stopped offering it when the pandemic started (understandable) and never brought it back. So we moved on to the à la carte menu. Our choices:

Bistro salad with mixed greens, goat cheese, pickled red onions, cherry tomatoes, toasted walnuts, and lemon herb vinaigrette
PEI mussels with white wine, garlic, and herb sauce
Coq au vin in red wine sauce with fingerling potatoes
Duck confit with mixed green salad, orange vinaigrette, smoked duck bacon, roasted beets, and shaved fennel
Lemon shortbread tart
Chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream

The dishes we had this evening were decent — good flavours, not overly salted, nice presentation — but not particularly exciting or interesting. Their now-discontinued tasting menu was incredible and really showcased their culinary skills, and was the sole reason I would splurge there for special occasions. I'm not sure if this is a result of COVID or a change in management, but I sincerely hope they bring back some kind of tasting menu or chef's menu option. On that note, I love that I can use my birthday as an excuse to eat everything I want. Perhaps I shall expand my birthday week into birthday month...

Terre Rouge

162 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

(905) 597-5668

Photolog 2019: Day 357 of 365

Ladurée Christmas Gift Box
Ladurée Macarons
Ladurée Macarons in Pecan Maple Syrup, Salted Caramel, Pistachio, and Camerise
Ladurée Chocolate-Dipped Macarons in Raspberry with Dark Chocolate, Lemon with Dark Chocolate, Chocolate with Dark Chocolate, and Chocolate with Milk Chocolate
My friend Maegan got me some macarons from Ladurée, all neatly tucked in their annual limited edition Christmas box! Inside? Two seasonal flavours in Camerise (kind of like a cross between blueberry and blackcurrant) and Pecan Maple Syrup, two of my favourite classic flavours in Salted Caramel and Pistachio, and four flavours from their limited edition chocolate-dipped series: raspberry with dark chocolate, lemon with dark chocolate, chocolate with dark chocolate, and chocolate with milk chocolate. What a delightfully decadent Christmas gift! 'Cause nothing says Christmas like sugar dipped in more sugar, right?