ESM Fine Cakes and Pastries

ESM Fine Cakes and Pastries 
9261 34 Avenue
Monday to Wednesday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Thursday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
780 477 3987

In my world, ESM Fine Cakes and Pastries is a new Bakery. I came across this place by simply using google as a search engine for Bakeries in Southeast Edmonton. I was giddy.

 This place has been around for over 30 years now. The owner Mohamed claims he has recently been dealing with a family illness, thus the somewhat bare shelves (still a lot of selection though!). 

  These guys sell exactly what their name suggests as well as ready to eat food. Cream horns, eclairs, pastries, nut corners, brownies, mousse cups, danish, butterflys, and a selection of tortes. They have a great selection of samosas, triangles and Jamaican pattys; all in vegetarian, chicken or beef choices as well as sausage rolls. I noticed a small selection of buns and bread; white, french, baguettes and sweet buns.

 Also inside the shop were European goods, such as chocolates, jams and candy. Mohamed is proud of the fact that all the baked goods that are sold in his shop are made in house, with the exception of the baklava.

 I had the privelage of trying a brownie, a cream horn, all three types of samosas, and a chicken jamaican patty. We toasted the patty and samosas, as was recommended, in a toaster oven to prevent them from becoming soggy. Although they were not soggy at all, one thing they all had in common was a very dry crust.  A dipping sauce would have prevented this, but non was offered. The brownie and cream horn, although good, were not superb.

 Overall, I give this place a 5 out of ten. Their ready to eat food was mediocre at best, but there are many more pastries I have to try!

Bon Ton Bakery

 Bon Ton Bakery was started by a Hungarian couple back in the 1950's. In 1998 they decided to sell it to the current owners who are from South Africa. The Bakery claims that it offers customers high quality and European style baked goods. I'm not so sure about that.

Looks great, right?

 So this has to be at least my tenth time inside Bon Ton Bakery and I hate to say it, but this place just doesn't jive with my taste buds. I have always tried to write positive reviews, but I just can't this one time. I find the baked goods here just terribly tasteless! The reason I've kept coming back was because I thought I had bad luck; maybe that loaf of bread was having a hard time rising, or there was a bad batch of poppy seeds, maybe someone left the pastries out over night and they all got dry... I have made excuses for this place for so long now I had to come back one more time and test one more thing.

 I figured with the price of their poppy seed loaf being abnormally high it couldn't be bad, plus it is kind of hard to really mess up poppy seeds rolled with vanilla and some sugar in a bread. Right? Wrong. I was utterly disappointed for the tenth time with this place. The poppy seeds inside the loaf had no flavour, the dough around them was stale and dry, old. I really shouldn't have to butter up a slice of this stuff. It should be moist and overflowing with poppy seeds so that the next time you look in the mirror it looks like you ate dirt for lunch. I was really, really disappointed.

 Some other things I have tried in the past are their cheddar loaf (lacking cheese), cookies, pastries, buns, muffins... and more. Almost everything I have bought from this place lacks flavour. It seeps B-O-R-I-N-G. They have now hired a french pastry chef and are making more delicate type pastries, but I cant be bothered to come in here again and hope that these are better. I have spent too much time feeling guilty about not liking this place and I will not be back here anytime soon. I'm sorry Bon Ton Bakery, I just dont like you!