Dessert for heart and soul at Luxe Blooms Cafe

Good morning,

In the food and drink space there doesn’t appear to be what we’ve classically called “the winter doldrums.” So much is coming our way in the months ahead from Ottawa hosting the Canadian Culinary Championships to the new Whisky Wonderland event coming to the Hammond Golf Club in mid-February.

Today I take you around to a few dessert haunts that I’ve found to be particularly good. Let’s begin in the ByWard Market.

— Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor, [email protected]

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REVIEW

Dessert for heart and soul at Luxe Blooms Cafe

• Name + address: Luxe Blooms Cafe 254 Dalhousie St.

• Type of food: Desserts, sandwiches

• Beverages: $3.00-$7.50

• Mains: $2.25-$14

• Diet: A modest selection of vegan/vegetarian. Sandwiches available as gluten free.

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• LCBO Licensed: Yes

• Website: Luxe Blooms Cafe

Welcome to your winter oasis.

Michelle Louis-Jean had been running a flower shop out of her home for a few years when she had the idea to expand. An idea that expressed itself in shocking pink.

Luxe Blooms Cafe opened on Canada Day and as far as I can tell, they’ve not had a quiet moment. In fact, I was lucky to get a small table when I did. Moments later other groups had wandered in looking for a place to sit. Be warned, a wait at LBC can stretch to 45 minutes.

This tells me that people are grateful and on board when a business with a strident aesthetic sensibility opens. Luxe Blooms consistently delivers a terrific food and drink experience.

Upon entering, I felt transported into one of those technicolor comedies featuring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. As overwhelming as the pink theme may seem, it also has an air of unmistakable whimsy and I couldn’t help but feel cherished somehow. Perhaps the neon sign that reads “Hey Gorgeous” had something to do with it.

For some pink may be passe but so are attitudes about who can appreciate that perennially poetic colour of love.

It seems to me that Michelle has a keen eye for what will work and you need only look at her wall of well curated gifts as evidence. A few steps over you can find the florists counter for more Valentines Day one-stop shopping.

Save for a few items such as certain cakes, all other desserts and sandwiches are made in-house. I can happily direct you to the lemon-lavender cheesecake. It’s less sweet than you’re expecting and the flavours are in harmony and not just approximations of lemon and lavender.

The coffee is top-drawer stuff from a local roasting company and they even covertly signal to real coffee geeks by advertising on their menu a V60 pour over. If you are the aforementioned geek, you’ll know that the V60 is a pour over carafe made by the famous Japanese company Hario. I’m impressed that Michelle goe to this effort to get even the smallest of details right.

The regular drip coffee was silky, full flavoured and with a round mouthfeel suggesting lower acidity. It was so plush that it melded lovingly with the buttery notes from that addictive caramel almond danish.

In the time that has passed, I’ve frequently thought about LBC and what it represents. It defies stereotyping somehow. It’s the vision of a young Haitian-Canadian woman that appeals broadly to a diverse population. I happen to be a guy who loves flowers around him but to say that creating a cafe all in pink with a flower wall is bold, well that’s an understatement of the first order.

I think that Luxe Blooms Cafe is as much about how it makes you feel as about what it serves. It’s so wonderful to be amongst people having real conversations with one another, it’s almost a relic from another time. Apart from all the other goodness on offer here, it’s this sense people have of having found a true meeting place that may be Michelle Louis-Jean’s biggest contribution to the ByWard Market.

DESSERT

Beautifully made baklawa

Ottawa got its own Baklawa King at 1556 Merivale Rd. last summer, after the business expanded from Toronto.

Certainly Ottawa has no shortage of very good Middle Eastern pastry shops from which to choose, but this new shop has achieved something a little rare: when I now think of baklawa, I first think of Baklawa King.

Humidity is an enemy of many things and baklawa can suffer under improper temperatures and humidity levels. What I found here is that every single dessert on every occasion was at the peak of freshness and crunchy goodness.

There appears to be a greater emphasis on the appearance of the baklawa itself. Some items give off a silver shimmer, suggesting the application of the sugar syrup is perhaps a little different to achieve that effect. Or it has something to do with the deft touch employed when baking the delicate pastry.

On one mixed-nut nest item (pictured) a caramelized, rose-water spiked syrup had been used to glorious effect. The use of that type of syrup was new to me.

Lastly, the quality of the pastry and the nuts is first-rate. They make everything on the premises and their turnover is high so you're guaranteed freshness whenever you go.

Their sit down cafe is ready to welcome you should you wish to have either coffee or tea with your dessert.

Sweet Castle

Whether for German style cookies or Middle Eastern baked goods, Sweet Castle at 2446 Bank St. is another preferred destination.

If you love a European style cream based cake they have you sorted in that department as well. Custom cakes for all occasions can be ordered and Sweet Castle also offers a variety of pastry trainings and workshops

Suggested stories:

• Tasting Table explains 25 styles of baklawa

• Food Wishes shows you here how to make your phyllo dough from scratch.

INSIDER EDITION

(Members Only) More terrific Chinese food to ring in the new year

This story is for Insider members only. Become an Insider today to get access to some amazing perks.

 Once in Toronto, a downstairs neighbour of mine stopped me on the way to work and said “I see you practically everyday but you’ve never been to my restaurant.” Her restaurant had received serious accolades over the years and I had always meant to go. I replied, “That’s because it’s right here. I can go anytime.”

That’s how it often is, we see a place that might intrigue us but because we see it everyday we casually put it off.

Similarly my friend Ling said just the other day “It’s funny how we always eat at places on the west side of Somerset and never at those east of Bronson.” Except for my beloved Saigon Boy, that was largely true. Something needed changing and I stopped in at a different Chinese restaurant because, well, it had been on my radar for years.

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