A Little Off The Top

Bake Shoppe near College and Ossington started as a wedding cake bakery and branched out into cookies, desserts, and cakes for all occasions. I find bakeries make things too sweet for my palate. So though it lasted around 10 years I only visited a handful of times (and mostly for ice cream).

Despite the pandemic, a new owner has reopened the space as Barbershop Patisserie. An interesting moniker and named for the main chef Jill Barber. Wait, is the Canadian singer highlighting as a baker? No, this Barber has been kicking around the Toronto food scene for awhile and this was her first solo venture.

Though it was a proper store, Barber kept pop-up hours currently (i.e., opened until sold-out); no doubt a pragmatic budgeting decision for now. But the space must be doing all right since I have visited a few times only to find them out of food. Finally, on Thursday, I arrived just after lunch and snagged a Spiced squash Danish ($4.75) and an Apple Chausson ($4.50). She also had savoury pastries like Sausage Rolls and Chicken Pot Pie.

These were both excellent: buttery, crispy, lightly sweet, and packed with flavour. I inhaled the Danish with its wonderful, warm spice flavour with a touch of saltiness from the goat cheese. The turnover was equally sophisticated as a dinner dessert the next day. Here's hoping Barbershop will be a popular neighbourhood spot for years to come.