I ADMIT, I have a bad case of sweet tooth. It was not a surprise that I ended up visiting bakeries and patisseries during my first few months’ stay here in Toronto. For a while I was in macaron heaven.

I actually ended up compiling some of the places I have visited. This does not include my quick trip to Soma Chocolatier last September to get our best man some chocolates for his birthday. Gotta take care of my comrade, you know.

Butter Avenue Patisserie & Cafe at Queen and Spadina (477 Queen Street W) was really unassuming. Initially we cannot find it because its neighboring store (a big UO) dominates the block. It’s a small place that sells various mousses, macarons, and tea. I really liked their packaging. Look out for the Salted Caramel flavour – it is something that you should not dismissed.

Nadège Patisserie at Rosedale (1099 Yonge St) and Queen West (780 Queen St W). Nadège is my initiation macaron, if you want to put it that way. Aside from the macarons and baked goods they also have a wide array of chocolate bars which I am dying to try. Recently my husband visited the Queen West store and bought an individual Praline (chocolate mousse and hazelnut) and Pecan Pie Moderne. Both are delicious though I am a bit partial to the praline because I love hazelnuts.

Both my husband and I do have a bit of an experience at both stores – staff were not rude but on separate occasions we felt that they’re giving this sense of urgency for us to buy. It was interesting because we were never together when we went to their branches and yet we had similar experiences.

Delysèes (780 King St W) has been featured previously. I cannot say more about their macarons and eclairs. They are a must-try. The place is spacious and they also offer drinks to pair with your sweets. I haven’t tried their breads but maybe something to check out next time.

The Golden Apple Confectionery (171 E Liberty St #142) was a great discovery when I attended the Luxury Chocolate Show last fall. My mother in law liked the chocolates I brought home so we decided to pay a visit so that she can check it out and see if she can find something to give out as holiday gifts.

The store was a bit tough to find (signage around Liberty Village is a tad bit confusing sometimes) but we eventually found the store tucked away inside the shopping centre. As expected of a chocolatier, the place was abundant of chocolates, barks, candy apples, fudges, and so much more. The chocolate popcorn was the #1 favourite in our household, followed by my personal pick the Creme Brulee chocolate bar.