One of the great things about being in the city is that no matter the weather, you can still get around without driving by making use of the TTC system. On this damp, cold and drizzly day I made my way to this quaint little gem on Queen West.
Along with the signature jam, the gifting items include a potpourri of teas, soaps, tea ware, honey and a darling pin set.
If coffee is your preference ... V 60 is a unique style of coffee (to me - I had not heard of it before)
tasting all the wonderful jams. The scrumptious scones can be order to go.
Kitten and The Bear is one of only a handful of preserve companies in the world that still makes confiture (the French term for “jam”) using hand-hammered copper “confiture pans” imported from France. The artisan jams, jellies and marmalades are made completely by hand in small, limited batches at the shop in Parkdale.
A jam tasting is a wonderful experience to do on your own, an outing with friends or a date with your sweetheart.
I choose the Jasmine Pink Lemonade tea ...and my friend Shirley choose the Oolong Cream tea...
All the jams in our tasting were beyond delicious ...
and my favourite was the Banana Bourbon and Vanilla bean -
I may have not been able to resist buying a jar for home.
The Kitten & The Bear is located at 1574 Queen Street West, easily accessible by the 501 Queen Street trolley which stops steps from the shop. The shop is small and reservations are not taken, though you can be placed on a wait list - and when one of the two sitting areas becomes available.you will receive a message your table is available. There are many little shops along this stretch of Queen West to explore as you wait for your table. A side note: there is no washroom on sight ( I was told this is common with the little shops - but the Deli literally a few steps away is accommodating to the Kitten & The Bear guests.)
Whether you sit in to enjoy the tea and jam service or get your scones and jam to go, this is definitely a gem in the city that you should give a try. To learn more about the Kitten & The Bear visit the website HERE.
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Celia, what a delightful little place to duck in from the weather and enjoy my favorite beverage of all time, black tea, with scones and jam. If ever I'm in Toronto, I'll definitely pop in.
ReplyDeleteDearest Celia,
ReplyDeleteWell, I finally manage to visit you here and almost feel like I was there WITH you.
Such a lovely little gem you discovered here.
Elegant settings and very cozy atmosphere.
Love the name too.
Well, we always learned that Confiture (is used also in Dutch as we were under the French regime for so long) is made from sugar and whole fruits. Jam is made of sugar and pureed whole fruits. Marmelade (also Dutch and French) is made from citrus fruits with sugar.
Since I've cut the sugar out of my diet, we don't eat marmelade anymore. My favorite used to be the strawberry from Bon Maman...
Also the scones look very delicious and they do have a great website and lovely blog. Hard working people with an eye for nostalgia.
Hugs and wishing you a Happy Valentine (both of you!),
Mariette
P.S. Forgot to tell that I had to share this great post on my Pinterest Tea & Coffee board! You should add the Pinterest button to your blog for making it easy for others to share... I did by screenshot and adding your blog's title and link.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it and the suggestion for a Pintrest Button ( I will see if I figure out how to do that later this week) Happy Valentine's Day to you both as well .. Hugs, C.
DeleteThis quaint little place looks right up my alley! Everything looks so delicious!
ReplyDeleteI would join you in a heartbeat! This is my kind of place, love the quaintness, the teas ( i enjoy tea far more than coffee) and sounds like such a fun thing to do! Those scones look scumptious as do the jams and make for a lovely day out admist winter weather.
ReplyDeletethanks for linking with turning heads tuesday
jess xx
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