I have been using the Too Good to Go app here and there. The problem that I found was that all places locally within Markham tend to have sold out on end-of-day food before I look at the app.
The concept is great. Rather than having businesses throw out food and have it go to waste at the end of the day, they sell it at reduced prices through the app. I decided to expand my search radius, which has been wonderful. I found Bravo Baklava and Bagels. I bought a surprise bag for $6.
My pickup time was between noon and 7 pm yesterday. I took my time getting there on a Saturday, eventually arriving well before 2 pm.
Bravo is in a plaza with a bunch of other stores, diagonally across from Canada's Wonderland. I found a parking spot and backed into it.
I didn't do any research about Bravo before I headed over. I was delighted to see a sign saying that it's a Turkish bakery.
I was in Istanbul several years ago. I absolutely loved hitting bakeries.
I walked through the door and saw a fridge with fizzy drinks. I have not seen them since I was in Istanbul. It threw me back and I was incredibly happy.
A lovely woman behind the counter said hi. I reciprocated. I looked at all the baklava in the display case. Wow! I was mesmerized.
I let her know that it felt like being back in Istanbul. It felt so comfortable. I then indicated that I had a Too Good to Go order. I showed her my code and she started packing stuff for me.
I liked that she described what I was getting. I was shocked at how much she was giving me. She showed me a generous slice of mango cake. She gave me two containers. She also gave me two bags of simits, which are Turkish bagels. These ones were huge and fully covered in sesame seeds. Each bag had four simits. I was so shocked to get so much food.
She indicated that I should freeze the simits and take one out whenever I wanted one. She was so helpful.
I looked at the puddings and desserts. I couldn't take my eyes off a baked good with a honey glaze, with some sesame seeds on it. She was so kind to put one in a bag and give it to me. It was such a kind gesture.
She was so generous. I thanked her for everything and wished her a great day. I walked out and put everything in my car before I drove off.
I ate the honey-glazed baked good in the car. It was so fresh. It had a touch of sweetness. It was chewy and still warm. I loved the sesame seeds on top. I ate it plain, but I'm sure that it would be yummy with a spread of your choice.
I had one of the mango cakes for dessert last night. The cake was moist and yummy. The mango puree on top wasn't overly sugary. It tasted like ripe, fresh mangoes.
This morning, I had a simit for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs. There is something enjoyable breaking up a simit and dipping it into runny egg yolks. Delicious! Each simit is generously covered in sesame seeds. It's chewy and so perfect.
I love bagels, but simits are special. I remember having one every day while in Istanbul, thanks to the lounge area that offered them any time of day. I'm so glad that I can get my fix here and be transported back to Turkey. Bravo makes authentic simits and I am thrilled to have seven more to enjoy before I head back there for more.
It was such an unexpected, cool find. I will go back and get a carbonated imported drink from Turkey, along with some baklava next time.
This place also has Turkish delight. It was another weakness that I had developed while in Istanbul. Bravo is so deadly, but so good for Turkish pastries and desserts.
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