On my most recent trip to Toronto I decided to check out the KITKAT Chocolatory at Yorkdale mall. When I decided to go all I knew about the place was that it was a Kit Kat store. I had a few assumptions about the place, but all I knew for sure is that one thing they offered was custom Kit Kat bars. I don't like to brag, but I've taste tested a few variety of Kit Kat bars in my life (you can see all my reviews here), so I was expecting a lot out of this store.
One of my assumptions was that they would sell a selection of Kit Kat bars from around the world. In particular I thought they might have a few of the Japanese variety. This was not the case at all, they don't even sell a variety of Kit Kat bars from North America. It appears that every single Kit Kat bar they sell is made in house.
I will say that the house (the store) they built is very fancy. Many of the different variety of custom Kit Kat bars they sell were beautifully displayed in these glass display cloches. The fanciness does come at a price, as these might be the most expensive non-imported Kit Kat bars I've ever seen.
Even the packages display them as more of a fine chocolate than a simple candy bar. This leads me to the a few of the problems I had with this place.
First of all, it's very expensive, I walked out of this place with nothing because I just didn't feel like it was worth the price. My bigger problem comes from how they make the different "varieties" of Kit Kat bars. Most varieties of Kit Kat bars sold in stores around the world incorporate every aspect of the Kit Kat bar. Meaning the chocolate, the wafers and the cream between the wafers are often different in the various varieties of Kit Kat bars sold in regular stores. The bars at this store are just three variety of Kit Kat bars, white, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, with random ingredients stuck to the top. The random ingredients available where also fairly standard in the chocolate making world. While I'm sure they tasted fine, it really didn't feel that adventurous, particularly for the very steep price tag.
This with the fact that they didn't offer any of the hundreds of imports available, really turned me off of this place. If I was describe this store, I would say it's a Kit Kat themed fancy chocolate store. While Kit Kat is there, the true spirit of the brand is not. I don't blame you if you want to try this place out, as I'm sure the treats taste great, I was just hoping for a little more adventure than what was on offer.
We have yet another great sweet company to check out today. For the next little while, we’re going to look at sweet places that can still bring a smile to your face. Today we’re looking at a candy company out of the good old US of A.
Cooking With Boxcar might seem like an unconventional name of a place to get homemade toffee, but don't let the name fool you. These guys make classic toffees, and John (AKA Boxcar) has a pretty deep Italian cooking family history to make sure he's doing it right.
During these difficult time, Cooking With Boxcar has continued to stay open to make sure anybody craving a crunchy bite of toffee isn't denied. They even have some interesting deals on right now for Mother's Day. Since they deliver almost anywhere in the USA, make sure to check out cookingwithboxcar.com if you need some crunchy sweet fun right now.
(ED – This is not a paid advertisement, we here at Candy Critic want to help the local candy shops in this very difficult time. If you’re feeling down, and you need a little sweet treat, make sure to visit the website of your local candy shop, and consider placing an order, many are still open for curbside pick up or delivery. If you run a small sweet, snack or dessert shop, let us know, we’ll be happy to feature you on this blog and on our social media to let people know you’re still open for business.)
Over the next little while, we’re going to feature candy stores all over the world that are bringing a little bit of sweetness into the world right now. Today we’re going to check out a sweet shop with heart, from my home town of Toronto, Ontario (that’s Canada eh).
They have a local following that just loves them, and that all comes from the amazing personalities of the people who run it.
It’s great to see a candy store that’s all about fun, and it reflects in all the candy treats that they sell.
Right now, they’re not letting anybody into the store (for health and safety reasons), but they’re accepting online and curb-side orders, and making sure that their community is still smiling. If you’re in Toronto, and need a sweet fix, make sure to place an order and stop by. Even if you’re not in Toronto , they ship across Canada too. Follow them on Instagram to see pictures that will warm your heart. You can check out their website at thecandybar.ca.
(ED – This is not a paid advertisement, we here at Candy Critic want to help the local candy shops in this very difficult time. If you’re feeling down, and you need a little sweet treat, make sure to visit the website of your local candy shop, and consider placing an order, many are still open for curbside pick up or delivery. If you run a small sweet, snack or dessert shop, let us know, we’ll be happy to feature you on this blog and on our social media to let people know you’re still open for business.)
