So as I’m sure many of us would like to forget, we received quite the dumping of snow here in Toronto. A girlfriend of mine and I had the day off school so we figured we would make the most of a day off and head down to Queen West.
We got off the streetcar and Queen and Roncesvalles and decided to venture through the vintage shops. At first I thought, This is great! There’s no one out we have all the shops to ourselves! I quickly figured out why…
We walked MAYBE 3 blocks before we gave up. The snow and wind were quite violent so it was extremely cold and extremely unpleasant. Walking 3 blocks had really worked up our appetite, so we burst through the doors of the first open establishment. Sufficed to say, we were pleasantly surprised.
We ended up at Kitten & the Bear, a confiturier and café. The quaint storefront had an 
understated elegance. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and rustic, knotty pine wainscoting crept up the whitewashed walls. There was a wall of tea and preserves that almost touched the ceiling, and the smell of freshly baked scones filled the air. We were in heaven.
Sophie, the petite, bubbly co-owner of the shop greeted us promptly. She declared we were brave to be out and about on a day like today and that a pot of tea would do us good. I wasn’t going to argue with that. We decided to try the “Jam Sampling” – 2 fluffy scone, a pot of Sloane Mint Chocolate black tea, Devonshire clotted cream and 3 jam samples of our choosing. We chose Meyer Lemon & Lavender, Red Cherry, Kumquat & Sloane’s Chai Tea, and Sweet Orange, Burnt Honey and Vanilla Bean for our samples. All for just $10. Amazing.
We took a seat at the (only) tiny little table because two ladies had already claimed the comfy window seat. There was really only room for the 4 of us to be in there at one time. The scones were perfectly baked – flakey on the outside, soft on the inside. The jams were amazing as well. They make their preserves in small batches, only 6 flavours at a time. Using French confiture style, they are made in traditional hand-hammered copper preserving pans. The ingredients are inspired by what is seasonal and local. They also offer pour-over coffee by local brewers, Pig Iron Coffee Roasters.
This would be the perfect place to take your mom for a special occasion or to catch up with a girlfriend. I will definitely be back soon and I have recommended them to everyone I see!
Check out their Facebook page below for more information!
Haute&Hungry 