Where To Eat: Maman

While for us Toronto was surely a vacation filled with tons of exploring, delicious meals, & lots of sightseeing, Maman felt like a completely different experience. Upon entering you’re instantly relocated to what feels like a Parisian cafe. Fresh pastries line the shelves while delicate decorations are adorned along the walls. With the option to sit inside or out, we chose inside at the communal tables. As something that typically becomes more of a pain than a comfort, Maman’s communal tables were quite enjoyable. With plenty of room between diners, it was enjoyable being able to mingle with others & bonding over what to order based on what others around us had. As for the staff, they could not be friendlier & were beyond attentive to every detail from the food, service, cleanliness, & overall experience.

The first dish we started with was the smoked salmon served on blinies bread with yogurt sauce, lemon, dill & espelette pepper. A light & fresh dish, the blinies were fluffy & paired perfectly with the smooth salmon. The seasonings & spices were measured out just so that each bite had a bit of oomph to it which we loved. At first we were concerned when we realized there were only three on the plate but their richness along with the huge, light salad it was served with made it perfectly portioned & it instantly became one of our favorite dishes at Maman.

Next up was the Croque ‘Maman’–a play on words as the dish is typically called the Croque Madame. Filled with parisian ham, comté cheese, a sunny side up egg, and béchamel sauce this was hands down our favorite dish at Maman. For a dish that can typically be overbearing with flavor leaving one feeling sickly full, this Croque ‘Maman’ while generous in portion, the taste left us only wanting more.

The final brunch dish we enjoyed were the matcha green tea pancakes with blueberries, ricotta, & shredded coconut. A sweet dish to counter all the savory ones we indulged in beforehand, these pancakes are as tasty as they are gorgeous. Served with a side of fresh maple syrup, we kept going back & forth on whether or not the dish even needed anything extra. Either way we were extremely satisfied from these matcha green tea pancakes.

While the pancakes certainly hit that sweet spot, it just wouldn’t be right for us to leave without Maman’s famous cookie & milk. Served warm with a shot of milk, this nutty chocolate chip cookie was a hit amongst everyone. While we could have eaten about 10 more, we opted to try another sweet treat of Maman’s as well…

The lavender hot chocolate allowed us to take a little sweetness of Maman’s with us as we went on with our day. Even with it being 85F outside we couldn’t put down the little cup of goodness.

Overall, we enjoyed every second of our time at Maman. One of the most photogenic places we’ve been to pretty much, ever, it’s most definitely at the top of our Toronto list when we (hopefully soon!) return again.