Posted by Sandra Poczobut in bakeries, bread, pastries, shops on November 25, 2007 at 8:35 am

Harbord Bakery
115 Harbord Street
416-922-5767

We are standing around my kitchen table with an assorted selection of baked goods in front of us. I have just returned home from Harbord Bakery and we are about to start an enviable taste test.

"There's so much here, I don't know where to begin," says Thea in amazement. Thea and Rich, friends who share my love of food, have been visiting for the week from Edmonton. They are more than willing to voice their opinions on all things edible.

Earlier in the morning I got up while they were still sleeping and walked over to the bakery. The warm smell of fresh baked goods was an inviting change from the cold wind outside that has now taken over Toronto. Customers bustled around the counters deciding what they wanted to bring home for Saturday brunch. With so many people around I was able to ask some of those waiting in line for suggestions. Locals were willing to share their Harbord favourites. Top picks were wide-ranging and included fruit flan, carrot cake and tuna salad.

Harbord Bakery, officially named Harbord Bakery and Calandria, is not just a bakery. Rather, it is a well organized and stocked one-stop-shop.

In the center of the store is a counter displaying fresh salads and antipastos (all made daily) – perfect take-out for dinner parties. To the side sits a beautiful showcase full of handmade truffles and cakes. In the back, there is finds an array of breads, cookies, bagels, muffins and Jewish specialties such as blitzes and rugulach. The side wall is filled with rows of imported jams and cookies, while at the front is Nancy, who from Thursday to Sunday, sells a hand-picked selection of cheeses.

Today, however, my focus is on baked goods. As I order breakfast for my guests at home (a wide array of sweet and savoury treats) I notice a commemorative plate hanging behind the register embossed with the words “Goldie and Albert -50 Years.” This is a family business that has been "making and baking good things since 1928."

Back at my place, we begin slowly, one-by-one, tasting the items. I am in love with the chocolate madeline. It tastes like almond brittle coated in rich dark chocolate - a mixture of crunch and smoothness. The double chocolate fig, a Harbord bakery specialty, also makes the top of my list. The fig is both dipped and stuffed with dark ganache textured chocolate; it is rich and soft, melting nicely amongst the fig seeds as I eat it.

Rich, whose tastes move away from the sweet, loves the cheese blitzes, Jewish crepes filled with lightly sweetened white cheese. Thea, on the other hand, is a fan of the almond danish, a pastry filled with ground almond paste that is less heavy than marzipan. In Edmonton, they both tell me, it is difficult to find a local bakery, as box stores dominate. My two guests are surprised I found such a great shop so close to home.

We finish the tasting with a piece of rye bread, because what's a bakery without good bread? The loaf which can be purchased whole or sliced to order, is denser than white bread, but still soft. Perfect for an open face sandwich. Whether planning a dinner party, making a gift basket, having friends in from out of town, or simply craving a little something sweet, Harbord bakery is well worth the stop. One can even pick up a card or a wooden toy in the Calandria tucked to the side. With so much selection, however, the essence of this shop is not compromised. The baked goods at Harbord bakery do not disappoint.