Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger
  • ~ Home ~
  • ~ What I Think ~
  • ~ What I See ~
    • Events
    • Food
    • People
    • Places
  • ~ What I Make ~
  • Blog Series
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Out & About #239  | Caldense Bakery + Summer in the Square Event

6/4/2016

 
Upon meeting new people, one of the first phrases that escape my mouth will be "Oh, you're from ____ ? Do you have any recommendations for food?" - that or "Have your tried ______ ?" anyway.

Regular visitors of this space would already be aware of the fact that I enjoy short adventures, in particular venturing into unexplored culinary territory, regardless whether the result is disastrous or rewarding. That being said, I decided to embark on a journey in search of Portuguese egg tarts.
Picture
Macau would be the obvious destination for the best selection, though I had been contemplating the existence of a bakery closer to home that would craft the flaky pastry from scratch (ie. not T&T). A quick Yelp search landed me on Caldense Bakery's page.
Picture
In the Shoppers plaza just north of Eglinton and Creditview was the European-style bakery housed in a cozy corner. Parking was abundant (thank goodness!), but somewhat tight in places due to trucks that were stalled for unloading purposes.

The storefront was easily recognizable even at a distance, unlike cafes in Toronto, and consisted of a series of glass windows to allow for a decent amount of natural light to penetrate the interior. Half of the bakery was allocated for plastic tables and chairs, while the remainder was comprised of a cashier and storage area, hot water dispensers, and two large display cases - one for baked, bread-like goods, and the other for elaborately-decorated pastries.
Picture
Picture
Situated along the walls behind the display cases were small chalkboard menus. Along with an impressive variety of breads and sweets that were baked in-house, Caldense also offered several types of hot caffeinated drinks. 
We took to ordering two of their self-proclaimed (and evidently Yelp user-acknowledged) "Famous Custard Tart", which were priced at $1.30 individually.

Large chunks of bread topped with chewy, fragrant coconut shreds lay by the cashier, While definitely deserving of a purchase, we opted to save it for another visit, and a layered, custard-filled Napoleon-like creation was added to the order instead.
Picture
Picture
And how flaky they were - the cross sections were even more honeycomb-like that majority of the croissants I've munched on! This is probably an indication of the atrocious amount of butter used its creation process, but the "bubbles" inside were indeed quite a spectacle. 
​Frankly speaking though, the Napoleon/puff pastry was much too sweet for my liking, and the fact that they had topped an already rich item with powdered sugar made the piece even less appealing. But in its defense, the size was well warranted by the amount that they had charged; it retained an almost identical length and thickness to both my hands put together!
Picture
Picture
The Portuguese Egg Tarts, might I say, were a different story altogether. While heavier and richer in butter than to my standard preferred degree, they were crispy, sweet, and, in short, absolutely heavenly. The tart shells, extra buttery to emphasize flakiness, were chewy and delicious, while the filling was smooth, eggy, and laced with hints of vanilla and satisfying dark spots of caramelization.
Picture
Picture
The tarts completely took me by surprise, especially since I, a self-confessed picky eater, had entered with low expectations.

Also somewhat unexpected was that there were washrooms located at the back of the bakery. Instead of being a fast-paced eatery whose primary concern was to turn over tables, Caldense provided a more relaxing atmosphere than other Chinese bakeries (even if the furnishings aren't the greatest.)
Picture
The Portuguese tarts had been so tasty and I returned later several days to obtain a 4-pack for sharing at home. Unwavering in quality compared to my previous visit, it was still warm and fresh as ever upon their arrival in a grease-soaked paper box.
Picture
Picture
I also picked up one of the Coconut buns that we had tried previously, and slowly nibbled away at it as breakfast until I became satiated. Both were amazing. 
Picture
Picture
As with any other baked good though, items such as butter tarts, croissants, and sugary bread should be eaten in moderation. Despite the awesomeness that is properly-made Portuguese egg tarts, each proved to be so buttery that only one could be consumed before feelings of fullness were experienced immediately.

To be honest, I'm not sure where the name "Caldense" hails from. However, my sole method of relating its name to product line(s) would be that the bakery seemingly only retails calorie-dense (and probably carb-dense too) products to customers. They truly are tasty though, so I suppose it can be seen as the rare splurge for the uber health-conscious. Personally, I can envision myself driving up to obtain several for when cravings hit.
Picture
Some several days later, as I was running errands in Erin Mills Town Centre, I chanced upon a live performance in the new rotunda of the shopping centre.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Summer in the Centre had brought free frozen yogurt and iced tea samples from Fresh and DAVIDsTEA to the lower level, in addition to Tyler Shaw's performance/fan interaction event at 2 pm.
Families had gathered around the upper level upon catching glimpse of the crowd of tweens gathering near the stage, eventually learning that the Coquitlam-native would be singing his own hit songs and some other popular radio hits. (I actually ended up Googling his name on the spot to learn more about the performer.)
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Several mesmerizing acoustic guitar and keyboard performances later, he concluded the show with a group selfie with the crowd and taking individual photos with the fans in attendance.
Picture
Picture
With only my mobile phone in tow, quality had unfortunately been compromised. Nonetheless, here are the three clips that I captured from afar:
Oddly enough, I found Mr. Shaw to be more visually appealing in person than in his music videos that I later searched up (maybe it's the change in hairstyle?). Music-wise, he's also too talented to remain underrated and appreciated only by the likes of teens pre-bloom.

Caldense Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Who Am I?

    Formerly an avid owner of several interest-based portals, Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger presents precisely the elements expected. From experiments in the kitchen to miscellaneous musings, from IGOT7 reflections to developments in transportation infrastructure, it's all consolidated here. Welcome to the raw, unfiltered side of Quirky Aesthetics.



    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013


    Categories

    All
    Ahgabond Adventures
    Ahgase
    Arctic Aquarium
    Atlantic Canada 2018
    Barrie
    Beauty
    Birthday Buddy
    Calgary 2023
    Chinese New Year
    Conquering COVID 19
    Daily Randoms
    Eyes On You World Tour 2018
    Food
    Friends
    Hallyucon
    Hamilton
    Hong Kong
    Iron Ring
    J Movie
    K Drama
    K-Drama
    Korean Beauty
    K Pop
    Los Angeles 2017
    Macau
    New York 2018
    Ottawa 2019
    Pilates
    Random Rant
    Restaurant Review
    Seoul
    Shopping
    SSMC
    Taiwan
    Vacation
    Vancouver 2013
    Vancouver 2014
    Vancouver 2015
    Vancouver 2016
    Vancouver 2020
    Vancouver 2022


    trazy.com

    RSS Feed


WHAT DOES "QUIRKY AESTHETICS" MEAN?

Quirky =  a term that commonly refers to something/someone distinctly different and unique
Aesthetics = the visual aspect of things



Together, Quirky Aesthetics refers to the things, events, and happenings seen and perceived by this blog's creator - quirky perspectives in a visual form.

Contact ME

​Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!
Join Now
© Quirky Aesthetics. All rights reserved. Last modified: August 10, 2015.