Sunday Edition

There are plenty of Asian entrepreneurs who open restaurants in Toronto, some are local while others are part of a larger company from Vancouver or Asia. Though many sport trendy décor and food, they are still considered niche. It's hard to escape the ethnic food ghetto except for Japanese restaurants selling ramen, udon, or high-end sushi. I've noticed that those who do get the mainstream love (or at least social media buzz) usually offer more Western fare like artisanal bread or quality seafood. On Sunday, I went to another such place, a newish patisserie shop at College and Grace called Bonne Nouvelle.

They position themselves as French-Korean and the Continental roots was clear with their pastries and desserts. But there was some East Asian influence too especially in some of the flavour. Today I chose a Zen Matcha tart ($9.25) and a simple butter croissant ($3.75). As this wasn't much of a lunch, I visited their neighbour Imm for some veggie pad thai. The tart was a jello-like mix of grassy tea flavour with dark, earthy tones from the black sesame cup. The raspberry made a nice palate cleanser. Overall, it was a tasty dessert.

The croissant, however, was exquisite. When I saw the densely-packed but thin layers, I knew this was going to be the real deal. Not the good-enough pastry you find at most bakeries, even the boutique patisseries. When I took a bite through all that flaky crust, rich with European high-fat butter, I had found my croissant place. Not quite at the level made by the late Donald Duong two decades ago. But Bonne Nouvelle is more worthy than most for his crown.