Out & About #713 | Westwood Park Blossoms + Oakville Confectioneries

One of the first things that come to mind around this time is florals - the marvelous magentas of May.

​I've come to associate these picture-perfect pink petals with a particular district in Oakville, in the vicinity of a certain café.

Yearning to relive the excitement, we set out on a sunny Sunday afternoon for Kerr Street Cafe.

Two of the street parking spaces had been removed to make way for a streetside patio, while the inside had been re-configured to showcase merchandise, wines, and beans from Brother's Coffee, their choice of local roaster. Following brief perusal of the shelves, we took to a Cappuccino and Iced Latte, both priced at $4 each.

​Drinks were slid towards us, one by one, from underneath the plexiglass shield. The size of the beverages had initially caught me off guard, for they were well under the standard ten ounce. Height of the disposable cups proved less relevant as sips were had, given the potency of their contents.
It is worth noting that the barista was not particularly friendly during our visit and reacted quite coldly at our requests for straws and sweetener, slightly tossing them in our direction instead of awaiting reception on the other side of barrier.

​Our memories served to remind us of the blooming buds on Westside Drive. The two lonely trees bordering the asphalt lot were indeed in full bloom, although some cross-breeding (cross-pollinating?) had seemingly taken place. Sprouting from the same trunk were branches of varying hue and thickness, with clusters of white and blush.

Splashes of pink were spotted further down the street, thus we proceeded along the gusty path.
​
Lining the west edge of Westwood Park were a handful of cherry blossom trees that many stopped to admire on their way about and around the space.

View the full album HERE !

​Some moments later, we ventured back towards the vehicle. At just quarter past three, Kerr Street Cafe has terminated operations for the day.

​Nearby was a bakery by the name of The Sweetest Thing. A brief wait outside enabled an opportunity to peruse their online shop collection of cupcakes and extravagant buttercream cookie sandwiches.

The selection within was not so different, though, without labels, it was difficult to distinguish their ingredients. A pricing board resided behind the cashier, but failed address to items currently in rotation. Attempts at inquiry were executed without much success. We could barely hear the shop attendant behind the plexiglass barrier, and furthermore struggled to even match her gaze. Her actions seemed impatient, tinged with a dodgy gaze that spoke for itself, "Please don't ask me to name each and every product."

​We eventually settled on a Lemon Cake and Chocolate Chunk Cookie with Pecans & Coconut (not its vegan counterpart).

The cookie was visibly similar to that of my own batch, however varied vastly in pliability and price (at a whopping $3.25!). Crunchy edges and a uniformly toasted underside proved superiority over my sugary, more delicate almond flour-containing rendition; satisfying shards of chocolate and generally minimal dough ensured toothsomeness without overbearing sweetness.

​The mini Lemon Cake was coated in a straightforward glaze of lemon juice and icing sugar, with the potential inclusion of milk or water for improved fluidity. All zestiness was owed to this translucent layer, for the base of the cake was purely plain in profile. With its palm-sized squoval shape, it had been baked to resemble a mini pound cake, but the texture was far too crumbly to be classified as such. In place of the coveted tender, compact crumb, large air pockets were revealed in its cross-section. The cake was airy, much like cupcake batter that had been repurposed into a spinoff product.

​A few minutes away was Chocolato, a destination I had bookmarked just several hours prior. A seemingly new addition to Downtown Oakville, I was instantly intrigued.

​We pulled into one of the many spots just north of Lakeshore and proceeded to join the lineup, as the store imposed a maximum capacity of ten people. The line comprised primarily of families with young children, as well as a few teens - too new for Young Drivers, yet too old for parental accompaniment.

A gentle breeze filled the air, providing solace from the beaming UV rays. The pleasant climate conditions were greatly appreciated, for the queue persisted upwards of ten minutes. Another five minutes or so ensued once inside.

Chocolato, as its name suggested, served an assortment of chocolate-covered treats, including sweet pizzas à la Beaver Tails, fondue, and ice cream. A few La Rocca-esque cake slices graced the display window accompanying the queue, while gelato flavours could be spotted adjacent to the cashier. Both soft serve and gelato could be requested with a chocolate casing, though its add-on price was not relayed to us. Flavours were limited in comparison to La Diperie, though mattered it not, for the supposedly coffee-flavoured chocolate tasted exclusively of sugar and nothing more.

​Our hesitant order of gelato was served repulsively. Slid to us at the end of the serving bar was a melting slop of beet red and black - my presumed Raspberry Sorbet and Dark Chocolate gelato - resided within the cup, smeared chocolate garnishing its circumference. The total had arrived at $8.34, an atrocious amount given the abominable appearance. Yet, even in contempt of visuals, the cup's contents were conclusively displeasing. The gelato offered neither discernible structure nor depth, equating to a wait wholly unwarranted.

The consensus resided with closer alternatives for the next ice cream run.