Quick Bites: Slow Jams, Cotolet, Bakerbots Baking

Smoked pork sandwich from Slow Jams
Smoked pork sandwich from Slow Jams

Slow Jams is a Filipino pop-up shop that you can find at various street festivals.  I previously tried their fried chicken sandwich, and between that one and the smoked pork sandwich (“tamarind & sweet soy sauce, spicy pickled cabbage”), they clearly need to get their own location ASAP.  The sandwich features a very generous amount of pork that’s meaty, tender, and satisfyingly smoky.  The slightly sweet, squishy bun suits it perfectly.  Between the strong vinegary punch of the sauce and the cabbage, it’s kinda acid overload, but the pork is tasty enough that this is only a minor complaint.

Pork loin katsu with brown demi-glace sauce from Cotolet
Pork loin katsu with brown demi-glace sauce from Cotolet

You can’t go wrong with a good pork katsu.  I mean, you can’t go wrong with basically anything that’s breaded and fried, but there’s something about katsu that’s particularly magical.  And the version at Cotolet?  Quite good!  The pork was maybe a bit on the dry side, but the panko-breaded exterior was perfectly crispy, and the brown demi-glace sauce (“made with various fruits and vegetables”) has a very nicely balanced fruity sweetness that’s a bit different from any katsu sauce I’ve had before.

Pecan sticky bun from Bakerbots Baking
Pecan sticky bun from Bakerbots Baking

Yep, Bakerbots is still chugging along, serving some of the tastiest baked goods in the city.  I’ve written about them a few times before, so I don’t need to dwell here, but I do feel like it’s my duty to tell you that their sticky bun is very good.  Sweet but not too sweet, nice texture on the bun itself, gooey but not complete mush like certain national chains that sell sickly sweet cinnamon buns… it’s very tasty.  But then I’ve never had anything that was less than delicious here, so I guess that goes without saying.

Sticky Bun Perfection at Sticky Bakery

Sticky Bakery
Location
: 621 Saint Clair Avenue West, Toronto
Website: https://stickybuns.ca/

I was thinking recently about how much I miss the Prairie Girl Bakery, which served the best cupcakes in town for years, and then became a tragic victim of the pandemic.  A quick googling revealed that the owner has subsequently opened a new place which, as you might surmise from its name, specializes in sticky buns.

Sticky Bakery

I’m not sure why it’s not getting more hype, because it’s seriously, seriously good.

They serve a stellar sticky bun.  It’s sweet, saucy, and perfectly moist.  The pastry itself is ultra-fluffy and delightful, and the cinnamon/caramel flavour is right where you want it to be.

Sticky Bakery

I just checked their website and apparently the default version has pecans, which I either didn’t see or they didn’t have when I visited.  Clearly, I’m going to have to go back, because it seems pretty clear that pecans would enhance this thing.

Sticky Bakery

I also tried the version topped with cream cheese frosting, which was very good, though I have to admit that I preferred the plain.  The frosting was tasty, but the sticky bun was already so incredibly delicious on its own that the cream cheese kind of just got in the way.

Seriously though, pecans??  I need to go back ASAP.

Amazing Sticky Buns at Ambrosia Corner Bakery

Ambrosia Corner BakeryLocation: 324 Frederick Street, Kitchener
Website: https://ambrosiacornerbakery.com/

Though I was really hoping to try the kouign-amann at Ambrosia Corner Bakery, it turns out I visited on the wrong day — they’re only served from Thursday to Saturday.  My disappointment was short-lived, however.  As soon as I saw their Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns, I knew that I needed to put one in my belly ASAP.

Ambrosia Corner Bakery

Step aside, kouign-amann; that sticky bun has an urgent appointment with my face.

Yes.  It’s as good as it looks.  It’s sticky, sweet, and incredible.  It looks like it might be too sweet, but it’s actually remarkably well balanced.  The caramel on top has a very rich, deep flavour, and the buttery, amazing pastry is substantial enough to hold up to the generous amount of sauce.  That’s not to mention the underlying cinnamon flavour, which is delightful.

Ambrosia Corner Bakery

But then do I even need to be writing this?  You have eyeballs.  Again: it’s as good as it looks.