There is an obsession with Toronto and food. We LOVE eating out and what’s not to love? There’s every imaginable cuisine available. We were excited (seriously excited) when the Ramen craze started a few years back and then Momofuku opened up and we went over the moon. The sister restaurants, Daisho, Shoto and Nikai opened and sent us into a gastronomical tizzy. Owner and head chef David Chang is so fucking awesome. That’s all. If you haven’t been…go. And reserve me a seat. I’ll come too!
The latest excitement that has sent my Instagram into nonstop foodporn mode is this last Friday’s opening of the famous Momofuku Milk Bar. Located on the second floor above the Momofuku Noodle Bar is the bakery outpost where you can press your nose on the glass and just hear the Crack Pie calling your name.
Head Pastry Chef Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar Toronto.
Photo Credit: Sonya D
Head Pastry Chef Christina Tosi is the genius behind the Milk Bar and was in the city this past weekend to oversee the opening and give a few baking demos to some die-hard fans (ahem) giving insight how Milk Bar came to be such an unexpected success. Tosi explains that she grew up with the love of simple American desserts. She learned many of her baking techniques from her grandmother but from her mom she learned the joy of “giving” away baking. “It didn’t matter if it was from a box mix,” says Tosi. “For my mom it was the seeing how happy people were to receive a gift of baking.”
Tosi also mentioned that the concept of the Milk Bar came from that nostalgic feeling of going out for a treat and it didn’t have to be so elaborate. As a child she recalls her dad taking her to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard and to this day, she still visit and gets the exact Blizzard with the cookie crumb fixings that brings her back to that “happy place”.
The Milk Bar is famous for several items and you’ll hear all the buzz about the Crack Pie. Tosi says, “it’s kinda like a buttery butter tart for Canadians, I think.” But I would say it’s closer to a creamy sugar pie that I pine for from a tiny mom and pop bakery in St. Agathe, Quebec. Crack Pie definitely can warrant that name. A whole Crack Pie ($48) is a little rich but you can grab a slice ($6) if you’re curious. I brought two slices home yesterday and between the four of us we could only eat one slice. It’s incredibly sweet …but it leaves you wanting more. Right. Crack Pie. We did have a laugh when she mentioned how they had to explain Crack Pie to the border officials.
Birthday Cake Truffles at the Milk Bar, Toronto
Photo Credit: Sonya D
Momofuku Milk Bar in Toronto doesn’t carry everything that the shops in New York have like their famous layer cakes but they’ve only just opened. This is their first foray into international outposts and they still want to maintain complete control of their final product. “When I visited Toronto, I was really excited and knew this was the right place to open our first shop outside of the U.S.,” says Tosi. “Torontonians are really, really excited about food and it feels good here.”
However, all the pies and cookies are not made in Toronto. Tosi is incredibly passionate about having the consistency of quality and taste. “We’ve experimented with recreating our baked goods in different kitchens but found that it’s never exactly the same as what we produce in our one kitchen.” Says Tosi. “Toronto is close enough that we can drive our house-made products across the border to keep control of the quality. I am happy knowing that people in Toronto can experience the exact same Crack Pie as they would in one of our New York locations.”
The Toronto Momofuku Milk Bar is a self-serve shop. It’s not a sit down restaurant. Everything is packaged and ready for you to take away including the most favourite items like Crack Pie, Compost Cookies, Cereal Milk, and Birthday Cake Truffles amongst a few others. There are also cookie mixes that you can purchase and make at home.
A slice of Crack Pie from the Momofuku Milk Bar, Toronto.
Photo Credit: Sonya D
When you ask Tosi how to describe Milk Bar she says “it’s a quirky American bakery”. She’s awesome!
Momofuku Milk Bar is attached to the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto at 190 University Avenue.
I love what Christina wrote in this cookbook…so true!
The Milk Bar Cookbook !
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