Those of you who work in Toronto’s financial district are in luck.  Bakery/café and SoHo favourite, Maman has opened north of the border and features delectable southern French treats.  DelectablyChic! had the opportunity to attend media event on Bastille Day where we had the opportunity to sample cocktails and some of the treats, both savoury and sweet.

Mini tuna salad and hard boiled egg sandwiches with a cocktail

Located at the spot which housed Szechuan Szechuan at First Canadian Place, the interior is not big – the eatery is purely fast casual where one can order at the counter and then eat in the small indoor seating area (it was set as a communal table when I was there), the tables outside (either on the patio or outside the restaurant, indoors) or take back to the office.  As it was a nice day when I attended the event, the party was mostly held on the patio.

The items we tried, almost all cut into bite sized pieces, were Maman staples – the Croque Maman (Parisian ham, cheese and homemade béchamel sauce) was definitely a favourite of mine, as it reminded me of my childhood (my mom used to make a version of this but used deli ham and processed cheese.   It was the 1980s and early 90s, before people went all foodie.  So yeah, it really IS Croque Maman to me!).  Another item I liked was one of their quiches – a roasted red pepper and goat cheese plus three other items.  Dessert treats included a small wedge of Maman’s “nutty” chocolate chunk cookie, served in a shot glass of milk (again, childhood memories.  And also of my grandmother telling me that it wasn’t “proper” to dunk.  She isn’t from here, so she didn’t “get” it) and a delicious Tropezienne, which is NOT on their menu.  I think that was a special, as it was not “sample” or “bite-sized”, but personal sized (we are talking about a dinner roll sized bun filled with custard).

Cocktails were also sampled, but they were mostly extremely strong, so I was glad that something lighter – white and rosé wines were also available, in addition to water.  It would, however, have been nice if we could have had some coffee, in addition to their non-sweet bakery items on their own.  It would ALSO have been good if napkins were left on the table.  However, those details are NOT that important.  It is, after all, about food.  Definitely worth the visit!

Maman is located at the mezzanine level of First Canadian Place.  Its hours are Mondays to Fridays from 7 AM to 6 PM.