Out & About #288 | Old Firehall Confectionery + T-Swirl Crepe Preview

A cappuccino craving was basically an excuse to bring ourselves about Main Street Unionville again. Touhenboku had been astouding last time aound, so the assumption was that both quality and service would remain consistent.

But I should have known that things had taken a negative turn when I stumbled through the cinnamon-hued frame to witness a slovenly dressed couple in blatant ignorance of the ear-rupturing barks produced their two tiny pups tied outside the establishment.
Clearly, some people prioritized their own enjoyment over the sanity of the others.

The operations of the shop itself had also became one large mess. Much like our previous visit, there were two members of staff at Touhenboku: one on kitchen duty, preparing cakes and desserts, and the other engaging in front-line duties such as order-taking and drink brewing. Instead of seamless cooperation though, I had the opportunity to spectate the complete incompetency of one member, who either remained stationary behind the counter or hovered about the only other staff member in the cafe.
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The second girl seemed equally dioriented and extremely frustrated, just with an ungenuine grin plastered across her face. She forgot orders and customer requests and failed to distinguish between customers' different communication demands (why were you taking to us in Mandarin?); the most aggravating thing was her sheer lack of familiarity with the payment system. Not realizing that it is, in fact, possible to print copies of receipts on an advanced piece of technological equipment isn't a sin, but the blunt reluctance at offering us another solution definitely quantifies one.

View the full album HERE !

​Touhenboku recently obtained a Coffee Ripples machine - identical to the one at Initium. However, the resulting product was nowhere similar to the cafe-salon hybrid. These girls lacked knowledge regarding the pigment-extracting process itself, consequently lacking the expertise to produce clarity in the printed image. Several attempts and one lukewarm cappuccino later, the white flag was raised; we simply shook our heads in exasperation and took our Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies elsewhere.
I should remark that I have absolute disbelief that the cookies had been made fresh: fishing a silica gel packet from under the bottom-most piece was not pleasant.

Uncle Tetsu was a brisk two minutes down the road, so it seemed only right to pick up a box of Madeleines while in the area. The lineup for Japanese-style cheesecake remained unswayed, as a group of approximately thirty filled the interior, spilling out onto the boulevard area.

It should be noted that the claim of "no lineups" for madeleines and ice cream was a misrepresentation of the actual shop operations. The shop attendants had dared to instruct me to take a spot in the regular line since they could only distribute madeleines following the processing of each batch of cheesecakes (ie. every twelve cakes)  Excuse me?! 

What followed was a rambunctious ruckus - led not by yours truly though - and interrogation of the seven-plus staff members' poor role organization. Eventually, we strolled out with a box of Black Sesame, Yuzu Blueberry, and Chocolate Madeleines, not entirely pleased but unwilling to continue for the sake of time and sanity.

​We continued onwards, since madeleines and coffee clearly hadn't managed to satisfy morning carb and sugar cravings.
Old Firehall Confectionery is a staple spot among Markham locals; while social media feeds only expose the most decadent soft serve cones for all to see, the reality was that they carried much more than just frozen, churned milk.

​From the brick interior and mahogany wood flooring radiated a tourist-y aura - it was ideal for Main Street actually - but their offerings told another story. Between the truffles, extravagantly-priced pastries, candies, and ice cream cones were seasonal holiday beverages and freshly-baked croissants. None of these items were particularly budget-friendly though - the mochas were priced on par with several of Toronto's best cafes!

​It didn't seem an appropriate time for soft serve, so I turned my head in the direction of the pastry display case. My nose soon guided me in the direction of a covered tray of Almond Croissants, tagged at approximately three dollars each.

We also purchased several pastries to take home, though they didn't fare particularly well in my books: what was lacking in depth of flavour they had attempted to compensate in richness. The Almond Croissant, on the other hand, was greatly appreciated for its buttery flakiness and sweet almond filling.

Another spot that has been on my radar for some time is T-Swirl Crepe. Located in the Langham Square plaza, I opted to make a quick visit before returning home.
The casual creperie assumes a narrow corner spot on the upper level of the plaza. Plastic renditions of their creations line the single outward-facing glass wall, while the rest of the shop took to adopting chocolate brown walls and almost nonexistent, yellow-tinted lighting.

​Orders were processed an an impressive speed, but the actual crafting procedure was much more tedious than I expected. The contents of each crepe were gently picked from the ingredient bar and layered with extreme precision, at a tortuously dawdling pace.
While I can understand that it requires time to create snap-worthy pieces of artwork, I do not believe that it was necessary to maintain such low levels of efficiency to do so. Additionally, majority of the components had been placed at the top of the crepe, making the bottom section almost void of filling by the time the first half is consumed.

My BLT Crepe, though priced at a hefty thirteen dollars, featured generous portions and a unique touch of Chipotle aioli. The tasty concoction was slipped into paper triangles with perforated strips for ease of consumption; takeout orders were provided triangular plastic bags with handles for carrying.

Service and quality were commendable for a spot located in the heart of Markham amongst numerous other dining establishments. The washroom was also pristine and featured hooks on the back of the door - not one, but two hooks! These installments have been on a steady decline of late.

​But as with other shops in the Langham Square plaza, parking is a nightmare. Public transit isn't exactly the most convenient method of travel either, as the Viva BRT does not make any stops along Kennedy before reaching Hwy 7.
T-Swirl Crepe shall remain on my list for a tad longer, though it's difficult to guarantee a second visit given the amount of effort required to secure a spot and obtain sustenance.