Out & About #896 | Cafe Landwer, Alminz Kakanin + LUNA Bakery Lattes

I admit to silencing an unfulfilled longing for Cafe Landwer's Shakshuka since my tragic stomach flu and orderlyblue's visit. In addition, I openly express bitterness towards the previous weekend's lack of Injeolmi Tiramisu. The exact frustration had prompted my attempt at a simplified tiramisu, albeit entailing a dismal turnout.

​For reasons beyond me, Sunday morning welcomed dreariness comparable to the rainy uptown day. I had planned my long awaited lunch leading up to the event, and even checked the potential of reservations. Weekend brunch times were subject to availability on a first come-first serve basis, though Sundays were slightly more forgiving as the Yelp waitlist portal would reopen. When we commenced our trip just before the 11 AM mark, I was mindful to allow for timely joining of the waitlist.

Traffic conditions were heavier than desired, inciting worry as we neared table readiness. Street parking is complimentary until 1 PM on Sundays, and I'm thankful for the city maintaining this policy. At 11:30 AM, upon receiving the text notification, I pulled up against the curb and dashed inwards. We had, amazingly, arrived just in time for the reservation and were seated promptly.

​It was a narrow two-seater - a last-minute addition to the dining floor that would probably suffer bumps and jolts in the case of fire. Our server appeared momentarily to take our drink orders, while another member of staff followed up with glasses of cold and hot water, presumably interpreted as the "warm" option.
After some time with the laminated menus, our server approached once more for entrée selection. The bespectacled male with short, dark, curly hair appeared to be in a daze, unsmiling and emanating arrogance. He hesitated not in correcting my pronunciations of "challah", in which the "c" was discovered to be silent, and "focaccia", where the third syllable was "sha" instead of "shi-a". The former was was not available for pairing with the shakshuka on this visit, although the supposedly "made to order" focaccia was, at an additional $1.50.

View the full album HERE !

Merguez Shakshuka with Focaccia and a Jerusalem Sandwich were chosen for sharing. I had specifically noted the need for sharing plates, yet received none until after the orders had arrived.

Bubbling upon arrival, the Merguez Shakshuka easily tugged at our heartstrings with an herby, tart-savoury profile. The eggs were partially cooked, but not totally runny; it is uncertain whether this state was owed to them poaching in residual heat. Well-textured were the sausage bites, despite not being frequently found throughout the cast iron skillet. Overall, the dish seemed smaller than I recalled, but was still as delicious as ever. Not a single streak of tomato-y goodness remained, for we dipped away with torn pieces of bread until the skillet was empty.

Frankly, we were not impressed with the focaccia whatsoever. The additional fee was hardly justified, for the slab arrived burnt and wasn't even of uniform thickness. It was rigid and greasy to touch, but not at all flavourful. Furthermore, the Middle Eastern take was nowhere as fragrant as the Italian original. Inn on the Twenty's starter continues to reign as the superior specimen.

A small side salad accompanied the Shakshuka. Having forgotten to request dressing on the side, the greens were unnecessarily slick, coated liberally with oil. Roughly squeezed into a condiment tray, the tahini bore a lazy appearance, though made up for its presentation with a flavoursome nuttiness.​

​The Jeruselam Grilled Sandwich paled in comparison to the local franchise's signature dish. Meatless in nature, majority of sandwich's appeal would be derived from a spicy tomato paste - a chili-containing Matbucha - and herby za'atar. Mozzarella announced its presence as a solid slab - not melty at all. The sliced hard-boiled egg was average at best, while the accompanying tartar sauce a tad too rich for the sandwich. Slithery greens made their way onto the plate again. Also greasy was the sesame bread, however its crisp surface and plush underside were received positively, unlike the focaccia.

​We took the remaining half of the Jerusalem Sandwich to go, then quickly browsed the bakery assortment at the front of the establishment before dashing into the steady downpour.

​The skies only grew drearier with each passing second. Heading to Thornhill to realize my Injeolmi Tiramisu dreams, I pulled into the Glen Cameron lot, only to discover that The Cups would not be open until 2 PM.

​Nearly sixty minutes would remain until then, though I wouldn't be waiting aimlessly in the meantime. Routing back south down Yonge, I would re-align the itinerary for a visit to Alminz Kakanin first.

Having learned of this Filipino bakeshop since late last year, I had bookmarked it ever since. Nearly six months later, I'd come face to face with proper sapin sapin, pandesal, and more!

​In true tourist fashion, I pestered the cashier with an abundance of queries, ranging from the constituents of the assorted kakanin boxes to the availability of cheese pandesal to the mass of ube halaya containers in SI units. Ultimately, I emerged with two bags of bread and pastries. The haul was a mere $29 altogether - a shocking difference versus the three-item bill of $13 from Lucullus further south on Yonge.

Between the various North York stops, I managed to dally - productively! - until 2 PM. The Cups' Finch location was perused for convenience, instead of routing back to the Thornhill location. Should my memory serve me correctly, the second floor space had once been occupied by Orange Caramel. Many, many years later, the space has been transformed to house an open preparation area with a brighter interior and compact seating arrangements.

​When the display case was observed as empty, I carefully posed my restless request to the girl behind the cashier. She assured me that the Injeolmi Tiramisu was available, but that a five-minute wait would be needed. Naturally, I accepted the condition, heaving a sigh of relief. The $6.99 (plus tax) fee was relinquished, and a numbered buzzer was provided in the meantime.

​Handed to me in a stapled brown paper bag, I hadn't the faintest idea of its visuals until unveiling the container later at home. The palm-sized creation was undoubtedly pricey. Underneath a generous dusting of injeolmi powder, which had began to reveal clumps due to condensation, were alternating layers of vanilla sponge, cream filling, and a thin layer of soybean powder. The cake was very creamy, yet exhibited minimal cheesiness. A simple syrup had been used to saturate the sponge layers, much to my disappointment.

​My countless curiosities towards the dessert have now been appeased. From these research results, I'll likely take to constructing my next attempt with: either Sunday Baking's ladyfinger sponge or vanilla sponge, Kahlua-espresso syrup, and a dusting of roasted soybean powder - double-checked for safe usage period.

​Finally, we made our way to LUNA Bakery.

 The drink menu had been updated to reflect new offerings of caffeine-free lattes.

​The Injeolmi Latte had been nutty, but the Black Sesame Latte even more decadent. The foamy creation earned exceeding compliments with a wide-eyed response from both samplers.

I also picked up a Rainbow Rice Cake and Mugwort-Injeolmi Rice Cake bites. The former was visually attractive with layers of mugwort green and violet blueberry, but otherwise dense and bland. Half was gifted to the sleepy polar bear, along with a whole Strawberry Rice Cake. Feedback received were in line with my initial perceptions, but a tad more humourous: "You were right - it has no flavour. The texture is like chewing gum."

​Positioning samples of the Mugwort-Injeolmi Rice Cake bites by the cashier succeeded in depleting the shop's inventory. It was nutty and chewy on the first day, with its texture persisting in the subsequent two days. That said, the injeolmi powder lost its nutty fragrance on the second day, then gradually grew bitter. Three days after purchase, the pieces were observed to sporting a fluffy white layer of mould.

Miraculously, the skies cleared as we re-entered the Mississauga boundary.

​Goodies were Alminz Kakanin were reviewed, admired, and tasted one by one.

Sugar Twist

• Interesting flavour with unexpected savouriness
• Granulated sugar resulted in excessive moisture by the third day

Milky Donut

• Similar, if not identical, dough as the Sugar Twist, as it was both sweet and savoury
• Light dusting of icing sugar gives off a North American donut vibe, though the base is unmistakably bread-like instead of cakey

Señorita Bread/Spanish Bread Rolls

• Retailed in pack of 4
• Noted to consist of "milk and butter", yet was oddly reminiscent of Cantonese Coconut Buns due to their sweet, coconut-y filling.
• Best if sliced and eaten by the cross-section instead of lengthwise
• Fragrant and crisp to the touch once toasted

Sapin Sapin

• Tri-colour, rectangular pieces
• Enjoyed the most for its strong coconuty-ness and smooth elasticity.
• Served with toasted coconut shreds
• Most similar to nian gao, or a less structured version of it

Pichi pichi

• Pale green hue covered with shredded coconut; Cassava
• Taste is mild and refreshing, but I can't quite pinpoint the ingredients

Biko

• Glutinous Rice; tasted similar to sweet rice dumplings
• Great texture and not too sweet
• Ranked third out of the kakanin box, though likely in second place if not consumed on a full stomach

Kutsina

• Pronounced "coot-chin-tah"
• Interesting texture and looser/more jelly-like that expected
• Strong notes of lye water on the second day; best if eaten fresh

Originally, the box did not contain shredded coconut for dipping, but YouTube research had instilled awareness of the traditional pairing and I made note to ask the cashier before departing. As per my coworker that had recommended the bakeshop, there is no particular reason as to why only sapin sapin is eaten with toasted coconut while the others called for the unsweetened, untoasted variation.

Cheese Ube Bun 

• Another interesting pick, as it was expected to be savoury because of the cheese, but it was actually quite sweet.
• Ube filling was minimal, but offered an interesting texture contrast
• Base bread roll was on the drier side, thus inclusion of ube restored suppleness

Leche Flan Ube Sponge

• Sponge is unbelievably airy and balances the custardy flan well. Flan was expected be of a looser consistency, but the Filipino rendition is definitely thicker and sweeter than Portuguese Crème caramel
• Surprisingly delectable - Hands down, my favourite pick of the haul!
• Caramel syrup is absorbed by the sponge layer over the subsequent days, resulting in a sugary, dampened crumb; best if consumed within two days
• Random white bit discovered near the circumference - likely unmixed batter; discarded for safety
  

Halaya

• Small container (8 oz.) retailed for $5, while large (20 oz.) for $13
• Specified freshness period of 3 days, as preservative-free
• Exceptionally flavourful and aromatic; thicker than most halaya spreads I have chanced across in the packaged realm
• Tasty on its own, or when combined with a mildly-flavoured carb; coworker noted that it is usually just eaten by itself or spread on pandesal

Top candidates for repurchase include:

• Leche Flan Ube Sponge (or even Leche Flan on its own)
  
• Sapin sapin
• Ube Halaya

with the unattained Cheese Pandesal being one of the primary items of interest for next time, whenever the opportunity arises.