Bobbette and Belle’s new uptown shop is a dangerously pleasant place to hang out
The uptown outpost of Queen East bakery Bobbette and Belle looks like it was plucked straight from the pages of Architectural Digest. The decorative touches are charming: baskets filled with antique rolling pins, a wall bedecked with silver serving trays, and a teal Louis XIV sofa that begs to be reclined upon (regally, of course). Retirees and stroller-pushing parents sip Balzac’s coffee at a handful of marble bistro tables while others peruse the Victorian armoires lined with pretty packages of peanut brittle, chocolate-dipped marshmallows and English toffee. The counter is crammed with even more treats, including palm-sized fruit tarts, Instagram-ready cupcakes (pumpkin, lemon and red velvet, to name a few), and a rainbow-hued selection of delicate macarons. Your inner voice might urge you to stick with a sensible blueberry scone, but consider splurging on a slice of the intensely rich chocolate-hazelnut cake.
3347 Yonge St., 416-466-8800, bobbetteandbelle.com
Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
