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If Dufflet Rosenberg is Toronto’s diva of desserts (787 Queen West, at Manning, 416-504-2870 and others), Dessert Trends ‘ Donald Duong is our king of cakes. Since 1999, his Weston-based bakery has supplied those served at several of Toronto’s loftiest haunts, including Holt Renfrew , the Toronto Club and the 360 at the top of the CN Tower.
Last summer, he opened an outlet cum café in the Annex (154 Harbord, at Brunswick, 416-537-9696) where he retails his gorgeous gallettes and breathtaking chocolate croissant bread pudding. If anyone knows what’s going to be the next big thing to come in a crust, it’s the winner of the gold medal for desserts in the 2004 Culinary Olympics.
“Organics will be big,” says Duong, who only uses locally grown berries in his spectacular tarts and flans. “And health-conscious deserts, things like gluten-free flourless chocolate cake.”
Deeper downtown, Red Tea Box ‘s (696 Queen West, at Euclid, 416-203-8882) Han Wong has made her reputation as the baker of some of the most deliciously lurid desserts around. Her sister and partner in pastry, Mun Wong , describes their artful gateaux – sublime tarts like kaffir lime and coconut with mango curd – as “whimsical.”
On a more serious tack, they’ve also boarded the healthful bandwagon, as evidenced in their over-the-top gluten- and egg-free vegan cocoa walnut cupcake slathered with sticky chocolate caramel. It comes festooned with a bouquet of organic blackberries stuck on upright toothpicks next to an edible maroon marigold, all plated on a puddle of tart mango purée. Never has eating healthy tasted so sinfully good.
