The Communal Mule

While waiting for a table at the bustling Hoof Cafe, me and my boyfriend wondered off and decided to kill time at an expresso bar just a few stores down the street. Upon entering The Communal Mule it felt like I had entered into a completely different time zone or better yet some strange cafe built in the late 1900s or something.

There were vintage movie posters and some weird light contraptions that look like those huge dryers at hair salons hanging over the tables.

We had ordered a mochaccino and a latte. I was eying the baked goodies but was trying to save my stomach for brunch. I was told that some of the treats came from Wanda's Pie in the Sky. The most popular item were the scones which I did see a lot of people buying while I was sipping on my drink.

They also sold loose tea leaves and coffee blends. There was a wide variety of flavors ranging from blood orange to lavendar to chocolate.

TOTAL BILL $9...EAT HERE NEXT!!! (or better yet DRINK HERE NEXT!!!)

La Bamboche

Although there was a beautiful array of cakes on display I came specifically for the macarons today.

Hidden on a side street off of Yonge, La Bamboche Patisserie is another hidden gem in midtown Toronto.

They also have another location on Avenue Road as well.

La Bamboche offers a wide range of items from their home made jams to fresh quality made quiches to high-grade organic coffees.

There was this variety pack for $37. It seemed quite a bit to dish out at the moment especially since I should be saving money rather than splurging on these sugary confections so I decided to get a few flavors that were appealing to me.

There are a total of 12 flavors to choose from. I chose pretty much half the flavors available.

Amaretto, caramel sea salt, pistachio, creme de cassis which is black currant, ume & sake and mango green tea.

The ume & sake macaron is suppose to be pickled Japanese plum, sake and buttercream. It was delish.

My favorite out of the bunch is the pistachio. It was yummy in my tummy:)

For my next trip I want to try their ham & cheese croissant with smoked Virginia ham, Swiss cheese and bechamel sauce. Writing this is already making me itch to head back down there.

TOTAL BILL $15...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

La Boheme

La Boheme serves some of the best French pastries in the city.

Since they don't have a kitchen at the cafe all their items are brought over from Jules Cafe located along Mount Pleasant. There it is baked fresh on a daily basis.

This little cafe patisserie has one of the yummiest apricot tart I have ever tasted. It is not overly sweet. Just perfect. The two other flavors for this tart were apple and pear.

I want to try their quiche and croissants next time.

TOTAL BILL $5...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

JUMP Cafe

I was craving for chocolate cake so after searching on the yelp site I saw several reviewers recommending the SOMA molten chocolate cake at JUMP Cafe. It was one of the Oliver & Bonacini restaurants and it definitely did not disappoint.

Located in the Commerce Court along Wellington I got a friend of mine to join me on my sweet indulgence.

We were given complimentary bread basket and some sort of garlic tomato dip. It was yummy. I loved the huge tortilla chip.

My friend was hungry so she ordered the truffle ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms in a porcini cream sauce. It was fantastic although it doesn't look appealing here in the picture.

Finally the main event, my sweets.

We ordered the SOMA molten chocolate cake and the white chocolate cheesecake double-baked in phyllo pastry with a biscotti crust.

We started off with the cheesecake since we wanted to save the sweetest for last. O-MY-GOD it was the BEST cheesecake EVER. It was light and pillowy soft and not sweet at all. Normally with cheesecakes I take one bite and I am done however, with this one I just couldn't get enough of it. It was simply irresistible.

Now onto the finale.

Sadly it wasn't as what I had expected. The molten cake was fluffy but too sweet for me. One bite and I was done. I can see why the scoop of vanilla ice cream was there. It did help tone down the sweetness still it did not satisfy my craving.

Funny how I came specifically for the molten cake but ended up falling in love with the cheesecake. It was truly worth the trip. Although I didn't get what I came for nevertheless I did discover another sweet treat. I would definitely JUMP to this cafe again.

TOTAL BILL $46...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Crepes a GoGo

I've never been to Paris before but at Crepes a GoGo it sure felt like I just walked right into the city of l'amour.

For a while my friend has been dying to try the creperie place so finally we got to "gogo" for some crepes today.

Upon entering the restaurant we were warmly greeted by the waiter with a "Bonjour!". Felt like I entered a cafe in Paris. Never have I been greeted in French before. The place is really tiny and it was packed. The seating was very limited. I think it can only seat up to a maximum of 18 people. Luckily didn't have to wait long for a table.

Their limonana is a must try. I was reading the menu and the waiter recommended it. He offered a small sample and asked whether I would like it hot or cold. We got both and I have to say it was definitely something I never tried before. It was a mixture of lemon juice, cane juice and fresh mint leaves. All made from natural ingredients. At first when I saw the word lemon I was hesitant whether to try it since I don't like lemons nor even lemonade for that matter. But thought I would give it a shot. It was very refreshing and sweet. I think the sweetness came from the sweetened organic cane juice so it was not citrusy at all.

While waiting for our food, I was listening to the staff speaking in French. I was attempting to see how much I could decipher but given it's been quite some time since I last took those French classes in high school I couldn't make out anything. Also coupled with the fact that they were speaking pretty fast I didn't have a chance at all so I diverted my attention to the live music. There were musicians playing that accordion theme you would normally hear in a movie of a cafe in Paris. Don't think I'm describing it correctly. Let's just say the music was lovely and went perfectly well with the Parisian ambience.Wonderful setting for a first date or in my case, a place to hang out with a friend.

The crepes were freshly made right in front of you. I was able to snap this photo right from my seat. Love my iPhone 4. I was able to zoom in without having to move an inch.

We ordered their signature crepe which was called the Big Ben, rolled with mozzarella and raspberry jam. It was delicious. The crepe was paper thin and although the filling was very little however, it was packed with full of flavor so it made up for the small portion. Sorry didn't take a picture since there were people waiting for a table so they were standing right next to our table and casting their shadow over my food. But I was able to take a picture of the other crepe we ordered. Here is the crepe Mademoiselle filled with goat cheese, red onions, smoked salmon and maple syrup. It was tasty but it was a teaser. Just wanted more but we couldn't eat too much since we had our massage appointment right after so it was suppose to be a light lunch. This was truly the right place for it. But I left yearning for more.

If you are looking for a Parisian experience then I highly recommend you to "gogo" to this delightful shop. French speaking staff, French music and sweet and savoury treats is a perfect way to start off the day. When you leave you might end up speaking Francais for the rest of the day.

Merci Sue for recommending this hidden Yorkville gem. We have to "gogo" again and this time it will not be a teaser:P

TOTAL BILL $19...MANGER ICI LA PROCHAINE!!!

Cocoa Latte

Over the weekend me and a friend went out for dinner but since the place wasn't opened yet and we didn't want to wait outside in the blistering cold we decided to stop by this little cafe called Cocoa Latte.

Well I wanted to head inside because the store front was painted in a pale baby blue which is one of my favorite color. I couldn't help myself I had to go in and take a look.

It was also the same shade inside. Nice and cozy with a fake little fireplace at the back of the place.

I ordered the cocoa latte on ice while my friend had the chai latte.

I have to say it wasn't that great. I found my drink to be too watery guess from the bunch of ice that was piled into the glass.

We decided to share an almond croissant. It was delightful to eat. Flaky and full of almond flavor.

If I was in the area I would stop by again to try out the remaining baked goods but for now I wouldn't travel out of my way to this cafe no matter how much I love the color blue.

TOTAL BILL $13...MAY EAT AGAIN?!