chocolate – Michael Eats

Good Quality Gelato at Il Gelato Di Carlotta

Published on December 27, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 17 Lock Street, St. Catharines
Website: https://www.gelatodicarlotta.com/

Il Gelato Di Carlotta is a delightful gelato shop that started out in Niagara on the Lake, but has since expanded, with several locations in the area (apparently they used to have one in Vaughan Mills, but currently, the closest one to the GTA would be in Oakville).

The flavours pretty much just stick to the classics (stuff like pistachio, stracciatella, hazelnut, etc.) — this isn’t the most exciting thing ever, but hey, they’re classics for a reason.

I went with gianduia (chocolate and hazelnuts — Nutella, basically), and yeah, they know what they’re doing. The gelato is incredibly smooth and creamy, and I don’t think I need to tell you that the combo of chocolate and hazelnuts is a winner. I wish the sweetness were dialed back a notch or two, but it’s otherwise so delicious that it’s easy enough to overlook.

I should note that I checked out the Oakville location a couple of months after this visit and tried the pistachio gelato bar, and was somewhat less impressed — most pressingly, the pistachio gelato had very little pistachio flavour, and was completely overwhelmed by the chocolate exterior.

Outstanding Pastries at Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

Published on December 24, 2025December 24, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 476 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://steventranchocolates.com/

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier (that just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) is clearly doing pretty well. When I visited just after 1:00pm on a recent Saturday, the place was pretty much cleared out, with just a handful of pastries remaining.

I don’t know if I would have tried the salted caramel brownie if it weren’t one of the only things in stock, but wow, I’m glad I did.

This might have been one of the best brownies I’ve ever had? It has a perfect chewy texture and a delightfully intense chocolatey flavour. That’s not to mention the salted caramel on top, which is borderline burnt in all the best ways, with a slight bitterness that balances out its sweetness.

After I finished it, I was extremely tempted to walk back into the store and order another one, which basically never happens. Seriously, seriously good.

I should note that I actually went back a couple of weeks later and ordered the brownie again, and it was just as good. If I’ve ever eaten a better brownie, I certainly can’t remember it.

Because I’m a glutton, I also tried the mont blanc, and yeah, that was stellar, too, with a nice creamy/crispy contrast from the cream and the crispy meringue, a satisfying chestnut flavour, and some nice fruitiness from the sauce (blackberry?) in the middle.

I went back one more time and tried the canele, and like everything else, it was stellar. Perfect light crispy exterior, and the interior is delightfully custardy. So, so good.

Great Cookies at Robinson Bread

Published on December 17, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 6 Brock Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.robinsonbread.com/

The sesame, fig, and white chocolate cookie at Robinson Bread appeared in Toronto Life’s list of the top 10 best new cookies in the city, which is all I needed to know.

As you’d expect from the name, Robinson Bread is mostly known for their sourdough loaves, though they do have a handful of cookies and other pastries on offer.

They’re one of those fancy bakeries that refuses to slice their bread, which infuriates me more than I should probably admit. So I have yet to try the sourdough, but based on the quality of this cookie, I have no doubt that it’s tasty.

It’s a great cookie. It’s got a perfect texture, with a nice light crispiness on its exterior and a great chewiness within. And the sweetness is perfectly tuned, with a nice balance between the white chocolate and the figs. But it’s the pronounced nuttiness from the sesame that really makes the cookie stand out. It definitely deserves its place on a list of the best cookies in the city.

Tasty Brunch at Gateau Ghost

Published on December 1, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 974 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://gateaughost.com/

Gateau Ghost is a charming brunch spot and bakery with a Korean twist (the menu features a variety of brunch standbys that are tweaked with stuff like bulgogi, kimchi, and Korean fried chicken).

I went with Owen’s Sando: “focaccia, caramelized onions, cabbage, jalapeño & cilantro, teriyaki pork shoulder OR teriyaki tofu.” (I went with pork shoulder, of course.)

It’s a solid sandwich with a great balance of flavours and textures: it’s sweet, savoury, crunchy, creamy, and chewy. In particular, the sandwich does a really great job of balancing out its sweet and savoury flavours, and it’s quite satisfying.

That’s not to mention the focaccia, which is clearly fresh and suits the sandwich perfectly. It’s a sloppy, overstuffed sandwich, but the bread holds up to it nicely without overwhelming.

The sliced pork shoulder is a bit on the dry side, which holds the sandwich back from greatness, but otherwise I liked this a lot.

You can also get a salad or fries for a four dollar upcharge; I went with the salad, which looks like the typical vinaigrette-dressed mixed greens you’ll find a place like this, but is actually a big upgrade from the norm, with a punchy zestiness that really works.

As for the bakery side of the equation, they mostly specialize in madeleines that come in various flavours. I tried the opera madeleine, which takes the coffee-and-chocolate infused flavours of an opera cake and crams it into a madeleine. It was really good.

Delicious Cookies at Cosette Coffee

Published on November 28, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1715 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/cosette_coffee/

After reading the description of Cosette Coffee’s chocolate chip and walnut cookie (which they call a milky walnut cookie) in this Toronto Life article, I had no choice but to visit. I was obligated. Read that article and look at those photos and tell me you don’t feel the same way. I dare you.

So yeah, got that cookie. It’s a good cookie!

It’s a big, fat cookie with a gooey middle, but unlike some other places in the city (*cough* Crumbl *double cough* Andrea’s), there’s no off-putting rawness in the middle. It’s soft and melty in all the best ways.

It’s also pretty clear that they’re using great quality chocolate, and the big chunks of walnut do a great job of adding some texture and cutting the sweetness a bit. The baker here mentioned in that article that she doesn’t like a cookie that’s too sweet, and yeah, the sweetness here feels very well balanced.

It’s a great cookie, though it does taste like something is missing — not enough vanilla, maybe? But it’s otherwise so tasty, with such an addictive crispy/chewy/gooey texture, that it’s easy enough to overlook this.

I actually wound up coming back on a different day and tried the salted caramel. This one wasn’t quite as fresh as the chocolate chip cookie (it was dense and chewy throughout, with no soft gooiness), but still very, very tasty. Like with the other cookie, the sweetness level is just about perfect, with the addition of a light sprinkling of salt on top doing a great job of balancing thing out the extra sweetness from the caramel.