Preamble by Chris Tiessen; Photos by Chris Tiessen (unless noted otherwise)
‘Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.’ – Ernestine Ulmer
Over the years the TOQUE team has indulged in more than a few of London’s irresistible self-guided culinary trails – from a dumpling adventure (TOQUE 20) to a scratch bakery and patisserie odyssey (TOQUE 23) to a beer-and-spirits pilgrimage (TOQUE 21). For this issue we swapped savoury for sweet by tackling downtown London’s Sweet Treat Trail – a sugar-dusted stroll through the Forest City’s core where pastry cases overflow with buttery wonders, waffle cones cradle scoops of small-batch ice cream, and the elusive cruffin (half croissant, half muffin – all bliss) makes a cameo worthy of applause.
To embark on this indulgent journey yourself, sign up for a free digital passport (at downtownlondon.ca/trails/), check in at each participating stop, and collect points toward Downtown Dollar gift cards. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these photogenic confections – so tempting they might give you a toothache just by taking a peek.
CULBERT’S BAKERY Covent Garden Market Bldg, 130 King St, London @culbertsbakery
A trio of Culbert’s famous Cream Puffs: Strawberry, Oreo & Powdered.
Did you know: Culbert’s original location in Goderich has been operating since 1877.
BLACK WALNUT BAKERY CAFÉ 724 Richmond St & 134 Wortley Rd, London @blackwalnut_bakerycafe
A couple of Cookie Butter Cream Cruffins & a single Brown Sugar Peach Custard Cruffin. Flavours change daily.
DISTRICT ICE CREAM 320 Thames St Unit 103, London @districticecream
Doubles with (left) Matcha Honeycomb & White Chocolate Guava Trifle and (right) District Dunkaroos & Roasted Strawberries + Cream on freshly-baked waffle cones. Ingredients sourced from Ontario farmers and producers.
COMMONWEALTH COFFEE CO 478 Richmond St, London @commonwealthcoffee_inc
A tasty Apple Fritter served with a Beetroot Latte – which blends beetroot powder into the steamed milk. (We devoured our cup of delicious Vietnamese coffee too quickly to photograph.)
CRAIG’S COOKIES 615 Richmond St Unit A, London @craigscookieslondon
A stack of Twix, Birthday Cake, Crunchie & Mini Egg cookies. Just a few of over one hundred available flavours (available a handful at a time).
