Mon K Patisserie is a Japanese French-style pastry café that sells one of the best almond croissants and pastries as well as the best desserts in Toronto!
Located at 1040 Coxwell Ave., it is by far the best Japanese pastry café in the Toronto East York area!
It was 1 PM on a Saturday afternoon, and I decided to stop by this top bakery spot because I was craving for something small and sweet.
I had just finished my lunch, which was my usual – a bowl of quinoa with chickpeas, pinto beans, cucumbers, and bell peppers with a Green Spring mix. It was super healthy, but since it’s the weekend, I felt the itch to treat myself and indulge in something small.
I heard a lot about Mon K Patisserie’s signature creampuffs and how amazing they were, so I thought… “OK, YOLO! Why not give this a try?”
Plus, I was excited to be doing a review on this small hidden gem today, so I went ahead and ordered their Creampuff and a Matcha Tiramisu Cake.
Spoiler alert, I’ll be rating this place a 4/5 stars!
And because I really liked their their desserts, I’ll be coming back here to order a cake this coming December for my Dad’s birthday to see how it is. Who knows, they may even make it to our list of the best birthday cakes in Toronto. We’ll see how it goes…
Mon K Patisserie Review
So, when I arrived there and opened the door, the pastry store smelled heavenly! It smelled SO good to the point where I wanted to indulge in every single one of their treats. But of course I couldn’t afford to do that or I’d be adding unnecessary pounds to my waistline. 😬
I even wanted to buy their box of macarons because they also sell good-tasting French-style macarons in the city, but I didn’t. I’ll be saving that trip for next time when I treat myself again.
Because it was during Covid, they only allowed four people in the store at once.
When it was my turn, I asked the lady at the counter if the creampuffs were sold out. She said yes.
These puffs sell like hotcakes so they’re gone really fast. And the lady told me to get what I want, I have to come early in the morning.
She said you have to come here before 12PM if you want their creampuffs, croissants, baguettes and signature pastries.
Fortunately, she told me I was in luck and that they actually had one more cream puff at the back so she grabbed it for me.
I also noticed at the counter, there was only one Matcha Tiramisu cake slice left so I grabbed it on the way for my husband to try.
Food: 4.3/5
Here are my thoughts on their signature cream puff pastry and Matcha Tiramisu cake.
Mon K Patisserie Cream Puff
This round flakey pastry is beautifully made with a sprinkle of powered sugar.
When you cut it in half, you can see the centre filled with some delicious yellow cream.
What I really like about it is how the texture of this cream feels in your mouth when you take that first bite.
The cream felt nice and “cool” in my mouth – it was very soft, smooth, and light. Yes, surprisingly, it was light and not heavy at all! It would actually drip and flow out if you’re not holding your cream puff properly.
On the plus side, it wasn’t overly sweet, so I didn’t feel too guilty afterwards.
It was definitely not thick like other heavy cream-based fillings, and it did not feel fattening at all.
Though it felt like there was a very (and I mean very) light taste of butter, it was subtle. I am quite sensitive to taste, so you probably wouldn’t even notice it. You only notice that slight buttery taste if you really paid attention to each and every bite.
The pastry on the inside is light, soft and flakey. The outside was slightly harder and crispier, which made the treat more enjoyable. In other words, it had a nice crunchy texture, but not to the point where it would hurt your mouth when you bite into it.
Overall, this pastry was not sweet at all. It was just right, which is perfect for the person who doesn’t like overly sweet pastries or desserts. Even those who love sugary desserts will really enjoy this too!
My conclusion is Mon K’s creampuff is amazing and it makes a very light dessert for the afternoon.
Now, I’m going to review their matcha tiramisu cake below. I picked it up for my husband but because it looked so irresistible, I decided to take a small bite – hehe!
He actually loves it and prefers it over the creampuff whereas I’m the total opposite!
Mon K Patisserie Matcha Tiramisu
When you look at this Matcha Tiramisu slice, the first thing you’ll notice is the moist and spongey centre. This is the layer that consists of matcha mixed with tiramisu.
The other two soft creamy white layers actually tastes almost like cheesecake. I am surprised they didn’t name this cake “Matcha Tiramisu Cheesecake.”
If this is actually cheesecake, then it would make it to our list of the best tasting cheesecakes in Toronto!
It’s definitely NOT a heavy type of cheesecake like the New York style. Instead, it was light, airy and creamy – what you would expect from a Japanese dessert place. It was very soft and moist too.
The bottom layer of the cake had a paper-thin slice sugar plate, which you can’t see unless you flipped the cake upside down.
The cake was not overly sweet according to my husband. He thinks the sweetness level was perfect and he absolutely loved this cake!
I, on the other hand, thought it was kind of sweet but not nearly as sweet as other western-style cakes like thick chocolate mousse cakes or New York style cheesecakes.
Although I prefer Mon K’s creampuff over this matcha tiramisu cake (because the puff was less sweet), my husband thinks the opposite.
What we both loved is when you take the first bite, the whole thing instantly melts in your mouth, so you don’t need to chew a lot. It’s very heavenly and delightful.
The matcha does not overpower the tiramisu flavour. We would say the Cheesecake flavour was the most dominant and intense, so it’s actually perfect for those who love cheesecake, tiramisu and matcha.
Service: 3.5/5
The service was friendly. The woman who work there are Japanese – they’re very soft and polite just like what you would expect from the traditional Japanese culture. They don’t really speak English but they will understand what you want to order.
They mentioned to us that we need to come in very early in the morning because a lot of the good stuff sell out fast. It’s not surprising to see their baguettes and croissants sell out before 12 PM.
Ambiance: 3.5/5
The shop is very tiny and cute.
During Covid, there are no tables for you to sit in to eat. But during normal times, they have 3-4 small tables available for you to enjoy your coffee, snacks and desserts. It’s quite cozy and a lovely place to enjoy an afternoon tea with a friend.
Price: $$
This place isn’t cheap like Tim Horton’s or McDonalds for obvious reasons, but it’s not overly expensive either.
The Matcha Tiramisu cake is worth buying. It was $6.25 for a slice before tax, so not bad at all. It’s a light and airy matcha tiramisu cake with cheesecake flavour.
Their signature creampuff is $3.75 before tax, which I think is totally worth it! Again, it wasn’t overly sweet, so this makes a great light dessert or snack.
Mon K’s pricing is comparable to other small dessert cafes that specialize in delicious high-quality pastry. I don’t believe in the combo of “cheap and high-quality” as there’s no such thing. That would be a scam and too good to be true. For the price you pay here, you’re definitely getting quality and one of the best-tasting desserts in town!
Mon K Patisserie Rating:
Overall, we rate Mon K Patisserie café 4/5. Despite the shop being super tiny, and the servers’ limited ability to speak English, the high quality and taste of their Japanese pastries and desserts make up for the bulk of our rating. It is honestly so good that we couldn’t give this place less than a 4-star rating!
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