Vegan in Toronto, Part 2: Hibiscus Sweet & Savory Crepes and Heavenly Bunners

Last minute low-ball bidding on Priceline is a skill I can add to my resume. Being V.I.V.B. (very important vegan bloggers), we needed a safe haven to recuperate from a long day of eating. Luckily, the boutique Indigo Hotel gave us a $100 room for about $50 bucks. After some restful sleep, an invigorating session in the sauna and some much needed exercise in the pool, we were ready for another day of eating.

For breakfast on a beautiful Saturday morning we stopped at Hibiscus in the bustling area of Kensington Market, a cute and hip neighborhood in downtown Toronto. I must admit that this was not our first choice for morning eats. We tried to go to Fressen for their brunch menu, which had me at “tofu omelette”, but they were closed. So Hibiscus it was. It was a delicious stop! I was thankful we were able to try this option, which otherwise would have not made the cut due to time restrictions.

Hibiscus is predominantly a creperie. Correction: predominantly a vegan creperie. To get more taste for our CAD, we split a sweet and a savory. Everything at Hibiscus; the crepes, coffee, sample treat by the register, ambiance and service; was great. Above is our savory crepe: Chutney, Pecan & Pear–a vegan pesto, fresh greens, sliced pear and pecan with some Daiya. It was more a sweet and savory crepe after a drizzle of agave and a sprinkle of cinnamon. So very good.

And the sweet! A Banana & {Vegan} Nutella–sliced banana, dark chocolate and hazelnuts, chocolate chips dusted with cocoa and powdered sugar. So. Darn. Good. Dare I say that there was a bit too much chocolate, however? There I said it. Both crepes had great texture, thin like a true crepe. [Not pancakes called crepes (worst offender: Caravan of Dreams: see here from my 2008 post)] Thanks, Hibiscus. Onward and outward, we cut across Toronto’s grid for our next sweet fix.

Bunners.
I’m going to say it again, Bunners. Bunners is an all-vegan and gluten-free bakery in The Junction in Toronto. Like the photo collage of my amazing cupcake above illustrates, they make a heavenly cupcake. I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of its pretty self. Then I bit it…

I have had a ton of vegan cupcakes in my lifetime. Bunners is up there as one of the best. Simply put, it’s got a great taste, scoring maximum cupcake points for a unique and nuanced flavor. Like Eco Bella Bakery in Rochester (post here), Bunners is not superficial sugarfest. There is a taste, there is texture and it’s their own recipe clearly. Their frosting is not a gritty pile of confectionary sugar. There is more to it. Overall, 5 stars on the cupcake scale.

Besides cupcakes, they’ve got a whole bunch of other baked goods like cinnamon buns, muffins, cookies and donuts.

Given I won’t soon be back in Toronto, I should have stocked up.

Thanks, Toronto! For the amazing vegan eats and for Jeff Mangum. Now it’s back to The States!