Way up the road from Thomas Haas, and at the extreme polar opposite end of the brand spectrum, is Monarch Bakery, a humble, no frills shop in Central Lonsdale that turns out some of the very best jelly filled doughnuts in town (they go fast, so best to get in on that action when they are fresh out the oven, around 11 a.m.).
You are not going to encounter delicate chocolate art within Monarch’s walls, nor elegant packaging in which to take home your basic wares. A search for the bakery online does not yield industry accolades or awards, but the little shop does have a loyal, vocal following that gives the place an almost cult-like status. My kids love the doughnuts there and we periodically pick up a few cookies or a loaf of bread when we’re on our doughnut missions. I popped by to see if the understated bakery was offering any holiday treats.
Indeed they were.
I picked up a small fruitcake, that often maligned but seasonally appropriate confection that tends to be gifted and re-gifted like an ugly necktie. When done well, as Monarch does it, the fruitcake is actually something I enjoy, especially with a coffee first thing in the morning. Monarch’s fruitcake is dense and moist, and is packed with candied fruit and toasted chunks of walnuts. Their version also reveals an intense fruity flavour that enlivens the palate, wresting dominance from the more traditional notes of dark spices and rum.
For $7, the cake was a steal and just the right size for those who, like me, relish a taste or two of fruitcake every season but would rather not be saddled with a daunting brick of it.
Gingerbread man cookies had a nice spiciness to them, and were heavier on the ginger than the molasses, which is my preference for these seasonal treats. They were good value at six for $3.
Sugar cookies, just $0.60 each, had a rich butteriness to them and were the biggest hit with the kids.
Raspberry jelly-filled doughnuts, which have absolutely nothing to do with the holidays, were bought out of habit and disappeared on the car ride home.
Monarch Bakery is located at 1823 Lonsdale Avenue. 604-980-8498.
