In Canada, Cobs Bakery has somehow managed to become the corporate titan of neighbourhood bakeries. At 700 locations, it's only approximately 32,000 franchises away from being the next McDonalds. In other words, it is The Man, omnipresent and each as consistent as the next. And yet, each one seems like a friendly mom and pop operation, suited to its location, which is the great ideal of what franchises are supposed to be. They have a quite varied, if predictable, selection of scones. I avoided the ones that were greenish in hue (possibly a misguided, week-late St Paddy's day themed scone?) and went for the raspberry and white chocolate.
I've been grappling for a while with the problem of Cobs scones, trying to understand our relationship. Soft, sweet, chewy, bready, delicious- it's very hard to find anything to complain about. True, they may be a little small, but at a reasonable $1.50, you can well afford two. The ratio of raspberry to white chocolate is absolutely precise. This is a scone perfectly engineered to please and satisfy. And I think that's exactly the problem. This scone lacks soul. Somehow in all the consistency and the mass production, they've lost that crunch, the burned edges, the dripping berries, the mess and crumbs.
I'll go back again, of course, and sure, they'll be good- what else could they be? But I'll feel a little empty on the inside. Well, not literally, but you know.
Overall: 3 / 5.
P.S. Some bonus points also have to go to the Main & 14th location because they were listening to some pretty killer dubstep at 8:30 in the morning.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Butter
Searching for "Vancouver scones" will quickly lead you to glowing reviews of Butter, a bakery out by Dunbar & 27th. I decided to make the trek on Saturday morning. After sleeping in until 11 I was pretty hungry.
The first thing you notice upon arrival is the wonderful aroma. It's like your kitchen after you've been baking cookies, but maybe like fifty batches of cookies, and not those kind of meh cookies that you make, but the kind that someone good at baking would make. It smelled pretty good. I probably inhaled at least half a cinnamon bun.
The decor is also worthy of note. If you wanted to define the word 'twee' to someone, you might suggest a visit to Butter. Actually I found it pretty nice and kind of old-timey. They had aprons that say, "I love Butter," and ever-so-lovely little jars of sauce and fancy marshmallows and what not. Probably a good place to go Christmas shopping for your diabetic aunt.
Now, on to the scone. I get the impression that they're more of a cookie and pastry type shop, and it shows in this scone. My choice was the Scone of the Day, the Butterscotch Maple Walnut. It had a pleasing heft to it. I knew this was no dainty scone - I'd be in for a battle.
The butterscotch chips and the way it was baked give it a very cookie-like crunch on the outside and a slightly burnt taste. Inside it was a little crumbly but pleasingly so. It certainly held itself together well. Really, given the sweetness and texture, it was a lot like a big cookie. It hit me hard. I couldn't imagine eating a second one. Not right away, certainly. As breakfast, probably not recommended. But I'll back for round two, Butter!
Overall: 3.5 out of 5.
The first thing you notice upon arrival is the wonderful aroma. It's like your kitchen after you've been baking cookies, but maybe like fifty batches of cookies, and not those kind of meh cookies that you make, but the kind that someone good at baking would make. It smelled pretty good. I probably inhaled at least half a cinnamon bun.
The decor is also worthy of note. If you wanted to define the word 'twee' to someone, you might suggest a visit to Butter. Actually I found it pretty nice and kind of old-timey. They had aprons that say, "I love Butter," and ever-so-lovely little jars of sauce and fancy marshmallows and what not. Probably a good place to go Christmas shopping for your diabetic aunt.
Now, on to the scone. I get the impression that they're more of a cookie and pastry type shop, and it shows in this scone. My choice was the Scone of the Day, the Butterscotch Maple Walnut. It had a pleasing heft to it. I knew this was no dainty scone - I'd be in for a battle.
The butterscotch chips and the way it was baked give it a very cookie-like crunch on the outside and a slightly burnt taste. Inside it was a little crumbly but pleasingly so. It certainly held itself together well. Really, given the sweetness and texture, it was a lot like a big cookie. It hit me hard. I couldn't imagine eating a second one. Not right away, certainly. As breakfast, probably not recommended. But I'll back for round two, Butter!
Overall: 3.5 out of 5.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Bean Around The World
Today was sunny and nice, as it goes. True, I was wearing a jacket, and it did rain a bit, but at least I wasn't cold. The cherry trees are in bloom. Even better, I just had time before work for a scone.
Bean Around the World is a Vancouver chain. As coffee-themed puns go, it's not bad. The also have a badass "Fuelled by Caffeine" logo. Consistency is not the watchword. Some stores are decent (Parkgate), some tolerable (Lonsdale Quay), some pretty terrible (Main & Broadway). There are at least two within walking distance. The one at Main and 20th, however, is special. It produces some damn fine baked goods. The coffee is fine and definitely drinkable, but it's an afterthought. You go there for enormous, warm, bready scones. The scones are the size of your head. And oh, the variety. Blueberry, of course. The difficult to enunciate, but no less delicious, Blueberry-Raspberry. The Raspberry, with or without white chocolate. There may also be a cheese one.
Today was blueberry.
Unlike most scones, here we have a crispy outer shell you have to crunch into. Sometimes you even get a slightly burnt sensation. Inside is soft, yielding baked excellence. There's actually a bit of a raw aftertaste that adds a sense of danger to your scone experience. This is the V8 muscle car of the scone world. Far from refined, it revels in its savage flavors and monstrous size. You devour it and sigh happily, hands stained with blueberry juice. One would never drink tea with this scone. Strong black coffee and lots of it.
This is my go-to scone and current Vancouver favourite.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5.
Bean Around the World is a Vancouver chain. As coffee-themed puns go, it's not bad. The also have a badass "Fuelled by Caffeine" logo. Consistency is not the watchword. Some stores are decent (Parkgate), some tolerable (Lonsdale Quay), some pretty terrible (Main & Broadway). There are at least two within walking distance. The one at Main and 20th, however, is special. It produces some damn fine baked goods. The coffee is fine and definitely drinkable, but it's an afterthought. You go there for enormous, warm, bready scones. The scones are the size of your head. And oh, the variety. Blueberry, of course. The difficult to enunciate, but no less delicious, Blueberry-Raspberry. The Raspberry, with or without white chocolate. There may also be a cheese one.
Today was blueberry.
Unlike most scones, here we have a crispy outer shell you have to crunch into. Sometimes you even get a slightly burnt sensation. Inside is soft, yielding baked excellence. There's actually a bit of a raw aftertaste that adds a sense of danger to your scone experience. This is the V8 muscle car of the scone world. Far from refined, it revels in its savage flavors and monstrous size. You devour it and sigh happily, hands stained with blueberry juice. One would never drink tea with this scone. Strong black coffee and lots of it.
This is my go-to scone and current Vancouver favourite.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Beach House
We went to the Beach House in Dundarave the other day. It was snowy. My mom was visiting. It's a pretty fancy place, so one must expect a fancy scone. Indeed, for $3.50 you can get the Fresh Baked Scone, with Devonshire cream and berry compote.
Since they were still serving brunch, naturally I ordered the scone and a coffee.
First, the coffee. A small cup, coffee was a little thin and watery. Not the best, but drinkable, certainly. I was in dire straits by that point so the caffeine was appreciated.
Now, the scone. It was warm from the oven, or was it the heat lamp? (truly, my cynicism knows no bounds.) No cream was in evidence, sadly. The berry compote was good, but how to apply it? The scone was too thin to cut in half. Both brittle and too crumby, it splintered as you sank the knife in, and spilled its crumbs on the plate. I managed to cut it into thirds and it did taste good, if a little bland.
The rest of the food was very good, but, this is a scone review.
Overall- 2 / 5. Probably wouldn't go back. And where is my god-damned Devonshire cream, Beach House?
Since they were still serving brunch, naturally I ordered the scone and a coffee.
First, the coffee. A small cup, coffee was a little thin and watery. Not the best, but drinkable, certainly. I was in dire straits by that point so the caffeine was appreciated.
Now, the scone. It was warm from the oven, or was it the heat lamp? (truly, my cynicism knows no bounds.) No cream was in evidence, sadly. The berry compote was good, but how to apply it? The scone was too thin to cut in half. Both brittle and too crumby, it splintered as you sank the knife in, and spilled its crumbs on the plate. I managed to cut it into thirds and it did taste good, if a little bland.
The rest of the food was very good, but, this is a scone review.
Overall- 2 / 5. Probably wouldn't go back. And where is my god-damned Devonshire cream, Beach House?
Intro
Welcome to the Scone Review.
This is the place for reviews and criticism of Vancouver's coffee houses and scone-eries. Partial to scones as I am, I will try to sample every scone in the city and rank them in order of deliciousness. Bakers and baristas alike will tremble in fear at the release of my official scone-list. Who will be elevated to scone glory, and who cast down to the darkness with the likes of Tim Horton's and lesser pastry shops?
Biscuits are sort of a grey area. If served plain or with butter, I'd say they're just Scones of the South and will consider them. If served with gravy, that's something else entirely (an abomination, delicious though it may be).
When are scones appropriate? At all times.
What makes a good scone? Ah, this is why you've come seeking scone advice. An excellent scone shouldn't need to be slathered with butter or jam, but it should be possible to do so. Warm from the oven is nice. The scone shouldn't be a crumbly mess, nor should it be hard, or doughy. It should travel well in a paper bag. Nuts have no place therein. On the outside, it may be crunchy or soft. Sweet or savoury, both can be sublime. Above all it should make you happy and content and think, "Ooh, Lovely," even though it's raining out.
This is the place for reviews and criticism of Vancouver's coffee houses and scone-eries. Partial to scones as I am, I will try to sample every scone in the city and rank them in order of deliciousness. Bakers and baristas alike will tremble in fear at the release of my official scone-list. Who will be elevated to scone glory, and who cast down to the darkness with the likes of Tim Horton's and lesser pastry shops?
Scone Rules
You speak of muffins? Muffins have no place on Scone Review. They may occasionally be mentioned in passing, sconefully. Bread-y puns are encouraged here at Scone Review.Biscuits are sort of a grey area. If served plain or with butter, I'd say they're just Scones of the South and will consider them. If served with gravy, that's something else entirely (an abomination, delicious though it may be).
Scone FAQ
What is the appropriate drink to accompany a scone? Coffee, black.When are scones appropriate? At all times.
What makes a good scone? Ah, this is why you've come seeking scone advice. An excellent scone shouldn't need to be slathered with butter or jam, but it should be possible to do so. Warm from the oven is nice. The scone shouldn't be a crumbly mess, nor should it be hard, or doughy. It should travel well in a paper bag. Nuts have no place therein. On the outside, it may be crunchy or soft. Sweet or savoury, both can be sublime. Above all it should make you happy and content and think, "Ooh, Lovely," even though it's raining out.
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