Gurts

Gurts is a new bakery/frozen yogurt shop that recently opened in Queen of Tarts’ old space on Roncesvalle and it’s proving to be a great addition to the neighbourhood.

I haven’t had a chance to try the frozen yogurt yet (you get to add in your choice of a wide variety of toppings) but over the past two weekends, I have tasted a couple of the bakery offerings.

First up: the brownies. Here we have a true smash hit. These brownies are chewy with chunks of chocolate that add in some great, tasty texture, and contain swirls of sea salt caramel. That last touch means that these items are saltier than your typical brownie but personally, I quite like this.

These definitely aren’t the chocolatiest or most decadent brownies that you’ll have in life but they are very delicious. At $2.40 a square, they’re not exactly cheap but that’s probably for the best; if these things were much cheaper, I think I’d be stopping by Gurts several times a week for a brownie treat.

The second baked good that I’ve purchased from Gurts are the cinnamon buns. Here I was both pleased and disappointed. Pleased because the buns themselves are great. They are very, very sticky but aren’t too sweet. They're also free of raisins or icing or any of that other stuff cinnamon buns sometimes contain (unnecessarily in IMHO). Instead, it’s just the tasty, though messy, cinnamon sauce and some puff pastry.

That’s right, puff pastry. Gurts makes their cinnamon buns a little different from everyone else’s by using puff pastry, which results in a fluffy, light-weight bun. From a taste perspective, this is a great idea. But from a satisfaction perspective, well, this is where the disappointment comes in.

In my mind, an amazing cinnamon bun should be a big, sticky bun that can basically serve as breakfast. Unfortunately, Gurts’ cinnamon buns are so light-weight and small that ever two of them, soaked in butter (my addition), aren’t filling. And if these things were cheap, that would be one thing but they aren’t. One cinnamon bun, which is about half the size of your regular bun, is $2.40.

That’s a price I don’t mind paying for a really good, reasonably sized brownie but it’s a bit steep for the cinnamon buns, even though they are quite tasty.

So next time I’m in Gurts, I think I’ll skip the cinnamon buns and either pick up another brownie or try one of their other tempting offerings. While this place isn’t cheap, it certainly does sell some great baked goods.

Want to know more about Gurts? Check out its recent review on BlogTO where yes, the yogurt side of this shop is discussed.

(Sorry for the lack of photos; Husband and I started shoving our faces before it occurred to me to grab the camera.)

Would I buy this again: Hell yes, I already have a loyalty card.
Should you buy it: If you’re in the neighbourhood do check this place out.