Posted by Irene Ng in chinese, pastries, shops on March 5, 2008 at 8:11 am

Being raised in a town devoid of much Chinese food outside of the family restaurant, it was always a joy when my parents made the trip to Toronto to bring back a bunch of goodies, especially if it was from a Chinese bakery. I would be eagerly anticipating the rice flour steamed cakes and coconut buns from Kim Moon Bakery (442 Dundas Street West), a longstanding soldier that continues to thrive in the Spadina/Dundas Chinatown.

There is a wide array of both sweet and savoury items at Chinese bakeries to satisfy the pickiest of eaters. On top of the standard bbq pork filled buns and egg tarts, there is also Asian-style scones (not as buttery, but still mighty tasty), ham and cheese buns and twists with shredded coconut or raisins. Another plus is the affordability of these places – a tray of buns to make up all the meals in a day will run $8 or less.

Of course, quality will have its ups and downs at these prices; however I have found a few places that I do enjoy for my carb fixes. These include the aforementioned Kim Moon – (still a favourite after all these years - my mom still asks for a sponge cake they specially make for weddings), Queen’s Patisserie (442 Dundas Street West, with multiple other GTA locations) for the sausage buns and Lucullus (327 Highway 7 East in Chalmers Gate Plaza, Richmond Hill) for almost any of their goods. Other notable bakeries include Yung Sing Bakery (22 Baldwin Street) and Furama Cake & Desserts Garden (248-250 Spadina Avenue).

The previously mentioned Lucullus Bakery is also a great "one stop shop" for small rice box lunches, barley or red bean based drinks and specialty cakes that can be purchased by the slice or as a whole. They have a concoction known as the Napoleon that consists of layers of meringue and a flaky chocolate-dipped pastry interspersed with slivered almonds, whipped cream and sliced strawberries. That is what I call a nice indulgence.

Cake One (9425 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill and 3255 Highway 7 East – First Markham Place, Markham) is a gem I found when shopping around for birthday cakes. I enjoy my desserts on the lighter, less rich side, so this is the right place for me. Their menu offers a wide variety of mousse-based cakes (the green tea with red beans and guava are top notch), as well as cheese cakes, chocolate truffle and meringues. They provide individual-sized cakes on most of their varieties for $2 each, for those times when it's tough to decide. They also offer a fantastic looking (and hopefully tasting) multi-tiered puff pastry strawberry dessert that has to be ordered a day in advance, likewise any of their meringue based cakes.

Chinese bakeries might not offer rustic breads, or cakes adorned with sculpted marzipan animals and shiny gold and silver balls, but they provide tasty treats that can fulfill either a sweet or salty craving, maybe even both!