Patisserie Le Pont

Makoto Yamaguchi owns the shop and runs its kitchen as executive pâtissière. She trained at Tokyo Culinary School and graduated with honours from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, then ran her own pastry shop in Tokyo for 15 years from 2006. The name means the bridge in French, and the shop says it stands for a bridge between Canadian and Japanese cultures.

The eclairs are bite-sized, and the crunchy Zaku Zaku is the house signature. Le Pont says its houjicha croquant tastes nutty and toasty because the green tea is roasted in a pot over charcoal. Matcha and coconut yuzu sit on the same long list. Its chocolate is Cacao Barry couverture from France, and Itoen supplies the tea.

Away from the eclairs, the shop bakes canelés flavoured with rum and vanilla and a buttery Galette Bretonne in the Brittany style. Whole cakes such as the Charlotte and the Earl Grey chiffon sell through the online shop from $45.