Tag: cookie

A Delicious Dubai Chocolate Cookie at Andrea’s Cookies

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Dubai Chocolate Cookie at Andrea's Cookies
Location: 166 Ossington Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://andreascookies.com/

The last time I tried a cookie from Andrea’s, I’ll admit that I liked it but didn’t love it.  I’m just not generally a fan of the type of underbaked-on-purpose cookies that they serve here.

The cookie I just had, however?  Phenomenal.  Seriously, seriously good.

Dubai Chocolate Cookie at Andrea's Cookies

I got the knafeh, which is basically their take on the Dubai chocolate craze that’s slowly taking over the world (“milk & dark chocolate, phyllo, pistachio cream, pistachios”).

Dubai Chocolate Cookie at Andrea's Cookies

Oof, it’s good.  With a chocolatey cookie like this (particularly with all the stuff they’ve crammed into it and onto it), my issues with an underbaked cookie completely disappear.  This cookie was pleasantly soft, but had none of the raw flour flavour or gumminess that can plague these types of cookies.

That’s not to mention the the crispy bits of kadayif, which do a great job of bringing the soft cookie some texture.

Dubai Chocolate Cookie at Andrea's Cookies

And of course, the combo between the very chocolatey cookie and the rich pistachio cream is a big winner.  It helps that they’re clearly using good quality chocolate, but it’s easily one of the better cookies I’ve had in a while.

Quick Bites: Doraji, Chica’s, Maman

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Bibimbap from Doraji at the Well
Bibimbap from Doraji at the Well

I tried the bibimbap here during the media night at the Well, and quite enjoyed it.  Well, I just tried it again — spicy pork this time (bulgogi beef, chicken, fried tofu, and vegetarian are also options) — and again, I quite enjoyed it.  It’s a very classic bowl of bibimbap, executed perfectly.  I honestly don’t have much more to say about it than that.  If you like bibimbap, it’s a great version of that dish.  And if you don’t, what is wrong with you??

Hot Honey at Chica's
Hot Honey at Chica’s Chicken

While Chica’s days of being the mind-blowing, thigh-slapping best fried chicken that you’ve ever had are long gone, it’s still quite good.  For some reason, I hadn’t tried their Hot Honey sandwich until now, and yeah, it’s predictably delicious.  Most things at Chica’s tend to be a bit sweeter than I’d like, so I probably shouldn’t be surprised that their version of hot honey is more honey, less hot.  A bit more acidity and heat would really help round out the sweetness, but it’s still quite tasty for what it is.  And as always, the chicken itself features a great balance between the crispy exterior and juicy interior.

Chocolate chip cookie at Maman
Chocolate chip cookie at Maman

Maman is an NYC bakery chain that opened a location in Toronto a few years ago.  They have a whole bunch of sandwiches and pastries on the menu, but I heard that the chocolate chip cookie is the thing to get.  And yeah, it’s tasty.  Nothing about it knocked my socks off, but it’s clearly an above average cookie.  My only real issue is the sugar they sprinkle on top; it’s a neat idea in theory (I’m assuming the idea is to give you a crispy, slightly caramelized top), but in practice it just gives the cookie a slightly grainy texture.  I still quite enjoyed the cookie (and it wasn’t too sweet, despite the sprinkling of sugar), but that was a shame.