Tasty Breakfast Spot

I finally tried Tutti Frutti (Breakfast and Lunch) for the first time yesterday, and I have to say I was mightily impressed. Granted, I was a tad hungover due to a few too many drinks from Wednesday comedy night-but that's beside the point. Anyways, generally the day after drinking I'm much pickier because my taste buds are dulled so it speaks well that I very much enjoyed this brunch chain.

I didn't know much about this place, as every time I've heard "Tutti Frutti" mentioned by others they were referring to the frozen yogurt places that were the recent craze. This is not the same, and from what I understand these two franchises have no connection to each other, besides sharing the same name.

From the very beginning I had a fantastic experience. The service was prompt and efficient, the menus were nicely designed, and the selection was great. I ordered an Ice Capp, of which there was a multitude of flavours to choose from (Hazelnut, White Chocolate, Irish Cream, Coconut, etc.) and  Ham Eggs Benedict, which is my typical favourite breakfast food.

The atmosphere itself was great and everyone was extremely pleasant. Even the other customers seemed quite happy and it was welcoming for all ages. 

I have to say the Ice Capp was particularly delicious. I ordered a coconut one and it was the perfect blend of coffee and ice with a subtle taste of coconut. It cost around $5 so it was on the pricier side, compared to say Tim Horton's, but way better. (And I find Timmy's Ice Cappuccinos to be pretty good!) It was worth paying a similarly Starbucks price for the superior quality of it, in my opinion.

One thing I would've liked to change though was the fact that no one mentioned how incredibly large the portion sizes are. It would've been good to know before we started adding things and all that. Once the food came I was like holy crap-I am totally going to need a to-go box, which kind of sucks because let's face it-breakfast type food does not taste particularly good as leftovers.

Otherwise I was quite content, the food was great, the price was fair especially considering the portions, and practically everything came with a mound of fruit: hence the name. Actually, it really reminded me of a better Cora's, which is a common breakfast spot I used to go to often. In all honesty, it is hard to make a breakfast place stand out because eggs and sausages get repetitive, and to make them memorable isn't the easiest thing to do. The taste was awesome, I devoured my eggs benny and tried some of my friend's crepe and they were stellar. The hollandaise sauce for my bennies won me over, it can be difficult to get the correct consistency and taste and they didn't skimp on it either, so it it was perfect.

Little bites of Heaven..

I've gone to Yann Haute Patisserie multiple times now, and every time I've traversed to Calgary and been able to stop by this little bakery I haven't been disappointed. First off, it's conveniently located in a nice area of Calgary that's pleasant to walk around in. The first time I'd tried it here was because a friend of mind had heard about the bakery and wanted to try it out, so I tagged along. If you'd never heard of it before, and perhaps was strolling by to visit a local coffee shop in the area, the first thing you'd notice would be an adorable butter-yellow house. That alone was intriguing to me; it was amusing that a cute house had been turned into a business. However, be warned, this is not the type of place to go to if you're on a diet!

 

The first thing I noticed when I went inside was an array of rainbow colours. Those would be the macarons, or macaroons as I tend to call them. Over the last few years I've heard both of those names used interchangeably by people, but I believe the correct term is actually macaron, because macaroons are in actuality those cheap little clusters of chocolate you get from the candy section in a grocery store. Macaroon, macaron-really, who cares though-they're amazing!

Inside the bakery it's a bit small and crowded so even 2 small groups of people will easily make it feel very packed in there. The people that work there are always kind and friendly and there's always been at least a few other customers inside when I've gone. The assortment of macarons take up most of the baked good offering area, however while there are other tasty treats offered at Yann Haute as well as macarons, I've honestly never tried them myself yet. The macarons always draw me in immediately and those are the bulk of what is offered and what the bakery is justly famous for. The other desserts look tasty and I'm sure are quite delicious but I came for the macarons.

Now if you've ever had macarons before you would know exactly what you're looking at. Essentially these little bites of heaven that look like miniature colorful burgers are originally French desserts, kept chilled but best eaten at room temperature, meringue-based with a type of filling such as buttercream or ganache. I've been to a few different places that sell these, but thus far Yann Haute Patisserie is by far one of the best. 

The taste is amazing, when you bite into any of their macarons it is extremely fresh with a slight firm flakiness to the exterior but incredibly soft with that melt-in-your-mouth quality at the centre. The flavours I tried tasted just like they should, even a special one that I bravely ate was tequila and lime, and I felt like I had taken an actual shot of alcohol as I consumed it. 

 I generally get a box of at least a dozen or more. The amount of variety available can be a bit overwhelming, as they have all the typical macaron flavours you generally see such as chocolate, lemon, or pistachio, as well as exotic types like carrot cake, nanaimo bar, and PBJ. A box of 12-which still didn't enable me to try all the potential flavours available that day-cost a bit less than $25, and although on the slightly pricier side at about $1.95/macaron, it was well worth it in my opinion. I always tend to bring a box of these back for my family or loved one as they make great little gifts!