The Tempered Room - Toronto

After recommendations to visit, we stopped in for coffee and treats on the way out of Toronto. Indeed, the baked goods were amazing; the bread pudding with drie... read more After recommendations to visit, we stopped in for coffee and treats on the way out of Toronto. Indeed, the baked goods were amazing; the bread pudding with dried fruit and nuts was probably the best I've ever had. The coffee, on the other hand, was ordinary; however, I do come from the land of coffee snobs so take that with a grain of salt.I'll be back for the pastries next time I come!

Jack took me to his favourite coffee & pastry spot! He enjoyed a cinamon bun & iced coffee while I had a toasted baguette with butter & an Americano. Everything... read more Jack took me to his favourite coffee & pastry spot! He enjoyed a cinamon bun & iced coffee while I had a toasted baguette with butter & an Americano. Everything is baked fresh at the back of the shop.

This is one of the most friendly deli / Cafe that I had been for a long time. I was very surprised that it was almost full house on a Monday morning. There were... read more This is one of the most friendly deli / Cafe that I had been for a long time. I was very surprised that it was almost full house on a Monday morning. There were only one young Asian lady as the. Cashier, she also worked at the counter, any request on the floor. As we were sitting right at the counter, I couldn't help but drawn by the great customer service this only staff was to each and every patron. She thanked each customer on the queue for waiting with a smile! I asked if she is the owner, she said she just work there.Their blueberry scone was good size and very moist. Good quality coffee. I feel great about that visit, will go back there again.

I'm conflicted about writing this review. After having pastries at another Toronto restaraunt, we asked where they came from and were told The Tempered Room. We... read more I'm conflicted about writing this review. After having pastries at another Toronto restaraunt, we asked where they came from and were told The Tempered Room. We had never heard of the Tempered Room and made a special trip to experience the wonderful offerings shown on their website. Our first impressions walking in was underwhelming. I suspect our own expectations were placed too high because of the excellent croissants we had and the clean look of the website. It is very small, with a large family style table in the entrance and a few L-shaped tiny tables along the wall in the back. The decor was downtown rustic but with the small tables in the back, reminded me more of a sushi restaraunt, not a French patisserie. The croissants were hands down THE best in the city. Flaky, rich, full of buttery flavour. You can see the proper laminating of the pastry layers were done with excellence. The sandwhich (cheese and ham layered with becemel) was very good, but cold in the middle. My mini quiche was loose which was a bit of a turn off for me. The coffee was okay but the misto tea was very good. Unfortunately, it was a long wait during a slow time to receive our food and drinks.The service was slow and a bit frustrating. Perhaps the one person at the cash was not trained long enough or just feeling unorganized that day. It was not busy but we had to ask for cutlery each time an item was ready; the coffee was cold and had to wait for a fresh brew, and sadly, the server was handling cash and food without any help or handsoap. (Yes, I know you use tongs to grab the food, but hands always end up touching food, napkins, cutlery etc) I would highly recommend the croissant pastries for take-out and their tea and I do hope they give more attention to their service. This coffee house could do very well.

To call this just a patisserie really does it a disservice. Wonderful ambience with a mix of sweet and savoury traditional French pastries with a twist. Brunch... read more To call this just a patisserie really does it a disservice. Wonderful ambience with a mix of sweet and savoury traditional French pastries with a twist. Brunch is very popular but was there for a private event last week...what an amazing party venue. Bertrand Alepee studied under Alain Ducasse and his creations show a Parisienne flair hard to find in Toronto let alone Parkdale. Savouries were stellar, well sized for a cocktail event with many levelled flavours (ie. a small bite sized croissant /croque cMonsieur). Highly recommended. Only wish that a dinner selection was available for trial.