Amy's Food Adventures

What could possibly make me happier than the opening of a new pâtisserie in the GTA? Macarons, entremets, petits gâteaux, and croissants; the loves of my life. Butter Avenue Pâtisserie & Café recently opened their doors in late December, just making it in time for the busy holiday season. There’s already a number of pâtisseries and bakeries in the Yonge/Eglinton/Mount Pleasant area, but who can say no to more options?

Calvin Su, and his sister Tina, are the founders of Butter Avenue. I had the opportunity to speak with Tina during my visit, who is the pastry chef behind all the lovely creations displayed in their pâtisserie. Studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa along with 4 years of experience in the industry, Tina impresses her customers with her baking skills.

Butter Avenue itself is a very clean, bright, and spacious pâtisserie with white as the main theme. Organized neatly in their display are lines of pastel-coloured macarons, cakes, and pastries. Compared to the other pâtisseries, Butter Avenue has a smaller variety, yet they can still satisfy you with their selection. From their delightful macarons, to their refreshing fruit tarts, to their buttery croissants, there’s something for everyone. Service is friendly, helpful, and attentive.

I ordered a Jasmine Tea ($1.65) to go with my pastries. There’s an array of loose leaf teas for you to choose from, such as Organic Green Tea, English Breakfast, and Earl Grey, just to name a few. I also caught the adorable MangaJo bottles in their cake display; a healthy alternative to soda with antioxidants and the use of natural ingredients.

So, macarons ;) These little meringue-based confections are priced at $2.25 each, and I can definitely see why. I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve tried making the elusive and temperamental macaron 7 times before, and failed all 7 times (hah!). Macarons are extremely difficult to perfect, with so many reasons that can cause them to go wrong. Factors such as the fineness of the ground almonds, the whisking of the meringue, to the humidity in the air, can all affect the end result. I can’t bake macarons, but I can at least tell a good one from a bad one. I tried three flavours and found them overall, quite delicious. All three macarons had the crisp outer shell, a chewy and soft interior, and the hard-to-achieve feet. The feet refers to the little ruffles at the bottom of each cookie. The matcha macaron had enough matcha flavour to satisfy this matcha fanatic (me!), making it my favourite out of the three. Light and pleasant, the earl grey macaron melted in my mouth. Last but not least, the widely popular sea salt caramel had a thicker and sweeter filling, and I could spot the specks of vanilla bean in it (what a bonus!). All in all, I wasn’t disappointed in Butter Avenue’s macarons.

An entremet is a mousse-based cake distinguished by its plentiful layers, colours, textural contrasts, and appearance. So complex and labour-intensive, the beauty of entremets never fails to amaze me. Terre et Neige (green tea mousse, semi-sweet brownie, soft chocolate biscuit & light crémeux) was priced at $7.15 per slice. The green tea mousse on top was smooth and prominent, but it didn’t take away from the sweetness in the chocolate cake. When I tasted the white layer, I was quite surprised at its spongy and fluffy texture as I was expecting it to be mousse. When I laid my eyes on this cake, I ordered it knowing there was green tea, so I didn’t read the full description ;) I did enjoy Terre et Neige, but if I could choose, I would’ve preferred it to be more moist. It’s also smaller and pricier than the cakes in the area, so do take note of that.

Before ending my pastry-spree, I couldn’t leave out the pretty tarts that kept seducing me. So attractive, I gave in. St. Honoré aux Macaron ($7.25) comprised of crème chantilly pistachio, raspberries and macarons. The pâte sucrée (pastry crust) underneath was firm, flakey, and slightly sweet. The crème chantilly (sweetened cream) pistachio had a hint of the aromatic nut, with several chopped pieces as an added texture. The pistachio cream doesn’t scream kaboom-here-I-am, but it’s definitely there. When you taste it, you can’t help but to smile almost blissfully. Raspberry macarons on top like garnish, I’d take that over fruit any day ;D I enjoyed this tart more so than the entremet; who would’ve guessed? :)

Butter Avenue makes it onto my revisit list, and I wholeheartedly look forward to their new creations (I hear that sandwiches are coming soon!). I do think the prices are high considering the small portions, but I’d say their macarons are worth a try!

Address

3467 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M4N 2N3
(647) 341-8686