Three bakeries are now on my semi-regular rotation: Ba Noi, Bonne Nouvelle, and Barbershop Patisserie. On Saturday, I made the decision to visit all three. So I had pastries all week and my waistline didn't thank me. The first stop at Ba Noi yielded 2 coconut bread buns ($5/each). As a business that still only opens 2 days a week, they sell out most of their popular items one hour in. I thought the coconut filling made the bun a soggy mess. But after a few days in the fridge, the bread was much better. The inside had dried out so that on reheating, the crunchy exterior, soft interior, and the fragrant toasted coconut bits made for a delicious snack.
The latter two stops seemed to have lost some business. A quick conversation confirmed that they were losing people on rainy days (and we've had a few) but on sunny days, people were also skipping off to patios and cottages, too. But food service is a tough business. Bonne Nouvelle does offer many desserts, but I am mostly a croissant buyer. Their flaky offerings were even better after a quick pop in the oven. But I had to make sure not to over-crisp those thin layers.
Barbershop is my weekly go-to spot. This time round, I picked 2 favourites: spiced squash tarte and apple chausson. I also tried two new pastries: strawberry-rhubarb turnover ($4.50) and veggie quiche ($6.75). The tarte and chausson, as usual, didn't disappoint. The turnover was a sophisticated pop-tart with a similar pitfall: too hot filling after reheating! I suffered a small burn on my inner lips after forgetting about that side-effect. The quiche had a nice eggy flavour but I couldn't taste much of the rest. They were tasty but won't crack the top 3.
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