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| - 4.5 stars... with each visit, this place just gets better. It helps they just moved west on the same street to a much bigger space.
Little Pebbles is a bit of anomaly in Kensington. There are no hipsters, loud music, or grittiness that the area is known for. Stepping inside the small bakery resembles a bit of the serenity of small store in Japan. Clean white walls and thoughtful cute accents are it's only decorations is a minimalist zen atmosphere. The seating area is further down which is a nice relief compared to the cramped quarters of the previous spot. There are no true tables here... just small shelves that allow you to sit as you enjoy your amazing drinks and food. They do have a communal table finally. I love how they restrict the use of laptops to only weekdays mostly. Nothing is more frustrating than to find a spot when a bunch of laptops are taking up 2 seats.
I find the staff here really great. When you first enter, you're warmly and politely greeted by the staff... there's usually 2 of them. On weekends, I do see 3 people now. You're given the opportunity to drool over the desserts in the case. They have a lot of seasonal items and YES, the matcha tiramisu is great but if they have the strawberry or cherry blossom items... grab them! They are very good on offering explanations so if you're not sure of something... just ask! I had to ask a bit about their drink menu and they took the time to explain.
I highly recommend you try their drinks here. They use De Mello beans which is a local Toronto coffee roaster... it's definitely more on the bitter and adventurous side but its a good one. I really love the black sesame and kinako lattes here. Quite unique and if you love roasted nutty notes... these are so soooo good. They do offer it without a syrup if you're wanting more of the authentic nutty note.
As for the baked goods... they're all good. I've had the mochi and it's wonderfully smooth and with the right QQ texture. Tender and soft but still bouncy. They also offer cakes like swiss rolls... unlike other places, the swiss roll is a perfect swirl and the cake is still tender. One thing I love about the Japanese influenced baking, it's always just the right minimal amount of sugar. It's really about letting the natural flavours show through before any sugar is added.
Kinako Latte - Kinako is roasted soy bean ... now I know most people would be 'eh' but this note is so wonderful and clean. Though it veers towards the nutty... it's a light note and in a latte, it just makes the drink very creamy. It just had a richer taste than your normal matcha latte. Between the Black Sesame and the Kinako, it's so hard to choose a favourite. There's so much care when they make this drink. I saw the barista gently use a whisk of the kinako and a bit of the hot milk to make the paste be smooth and creamy before doing the rest of the pour. 5/5
Matcha Tiramisu - This is one of their showcase desserts... well I think so just cause their presentation is so unique. The tiramisu is layered in a wooden box with the vivid green of the matcha powder dusting the really silky custard. When you dip your spoon, you immediately scoop up the lightest cream filling you've probably seen. Lightly sweet from the white chocolate, this light cream is almost cloud like and then you notice the natural sweetness in the end. The matcha powder on top gives you that strong burst of flavour that keeps this out of the boring territory. It can be a bit bitter... but when you take a big scoop of the creamy interior, it's not so bitter. On the bottom somewhere is a cookie that has been soaking up the flavours. All together, it's easy to eat one just by yourself. I may have argued for the last few bites. 5/5
Flat White - Still think these are good but I'm not sure Im a fan of these beans. They're a bit more bitter than what I like but I've been finding that as a De Mello feature instead of a Little Pebble. 4/5
My previous review had the Black Sesame latte at a 5/5 and I highly recommend it if you love nutty flavours. I think the can even do it iced but honestly... it's so good as a latte. Hopefully you'll come in a small group so you can try all the various little desserts. They're so unique and worth the stop.
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