Another 3.5 star review!
Even though I generally try to stay away from 'chains', I've made Pan Quotidien an exception in the past, mainly because of their absolutely perfect spreads.
During my time in New York, I frequented one of the Upper East Side locations since it was exactly between my apartment and work! Hence a direct comparison with one of the two Toronto location is fair.
It seems that the Canadian branch is less generous than those south of the border. The baker's basket which is generally meant for a few people was basically just enough for me! It also took about 15 minutes for the basket to arrive and I was a little puzzled with regards to how long it could possibly take for a few slices of bread to be selected and put in a basket.
During one of the visits in Toronto, I also tried the pesto omelette, which is a decent choice but not particularly amazing!
On the more impressive side of things, the "Belgian Hot Chocolate' is to my surprise the best I've had in Toronto. The melted chocolate is provided separately from the cup of warm milk and you basically can mix it in the proportion that is to your liking.
The Rhubarb and Sour Cherry jams, which I had not tried in the US locations, were absolutely amazing and worth a try (the Rhubarb was particularly good!). Needless to say the 'Brunette' spread (chocolate-hazlenut) they are known for was also as fantastic as always!
I would recommend Le Pain Quotidien if you are in the mood for some fresh bread and jam for breakfast. Then again, unless you are interested in the hot chocolate, I would just get all those things to go and enjoy them at home for a fraction of the price.
I must note that this is a great spot to go if you have small children/babies in the group. They are very accommodating (good management) and the fact that it is roomy makes it more comfortable for everyone.