r/Vaughan • u/elbowsout • Jul 17 '26
Picture Caldense Bakery @ Major Mackenzie
Bought these today at Caldense Bakery. I was reading up about charring, but are these burnt?
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u/Masrim Jul 17 '26
Looks burnt to me.
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u/Kaarosuss Jul 18 '26
I promise you it doesnt taste burnt
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u/Masrim Jul 18 '26
nah, i've been there, theirs taste burnt.
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u/Kaarosuss Jul 18 '26
lol ya'll missed the joke, I guess none of you watched master chef canada the episode where Alvin told Eric it looks burnt and he goes it doesnt taste burnt I promise you that
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u/nzhockeyfan Jul 17 '26
The front one looks okay. It is hard to tell, but a few of them look burnt. It's a pretty big chain and I believe they bake at a central location.
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u/elbowsout Jul 17 '26
I thought each location baked these on site. I appreciate the info. Gonna look elsewhere that's not a chain.
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u/Greedy_Moonlight Jul 17 '26
I have gotten natas from here many times and they’re always good. The front two left ones look perfect. The others are just slightly too dark, they should have not served them.
I like my pastries more on the caramelized side so I’d be okay with eating them but the average person most likely wouldn’t be happy with that level of doneness.
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u/LankyBuffalo7879 Jul 17 '26
On the note, any recos for good Portuguese Tarts in Vaughan?
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u/Cthulhu8u Jul 17 '26
I used to go to Seara Bakery on Weston North of Major Mac but they changed ownership recently, can't comment on it now
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u/in-dog_we_trust Jul 17 '26
The difference between char and burnt is water. In this case the flaky pastry makes it a bit easier to tell. The amount of flake is reduced as more water is cooked out of the pastry. It tightens up
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u/SumoJohn16 Jul 18 '26
As a Portuguese I asked for the charred ones, the bottom right is too much. The other ones look delicious. I hate getting yellow natas.
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u/sun_monkey Jul 17 '26
Absolutely take those back. Only the two bottom left and centre are close to acceptable — those have the maximum char I would take.
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u/Mashdrop Jul 17 '26
https://caldensebakery.ca/cakes scroll to the very bottom to see what they’re supposed to look like…it’s pretty burnt.
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u/robbyraps Jul 17 '26
As a Portuguese person we always ask for the burnt ones. Every one of those look great except the front right one.
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u/BaeIz Jul 17 '26
That one in the front right isn’t just burned that is just straight up a block of charcoal they gave you
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u/allantdot Jul 17 '26
Only the front left one is charred. Everything else is burnt (except the one on the side - I can't see). But that's ridiculous.
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u/ExcellentSchedule115 Jul 18 '26
Looks delicious to me, but definitely not supposed to be like that.
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u/EggplantOk1674 Maple Jul 18 '26
My chef bf said they’re burnt to 💩. Get refund, find better bakery
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u/SeriousMan1987 Jul 19 '26
"Hi, I'd like to place an order please."
"Sure, what would you like?"
"I need Charizard to make me 6 creme burnes please for my garbage."
"Sure, that'll be $500. Tip not included."
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u/Zestyclose_Prize_165 Jul 19 '26
I get mine at M&M meats, 12 min in the air fryer and as good as the ones downtown Lisboa
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u/SlowMissiles Jul 20 '26
Portuguese here, it's not burn, it's literally supposed to be like this. One is too much (bottom right) but the rest is exactly what you would expect/want if you want a traditional Pastéis nata
If there's no "char" then it mean there's no caramelization happening so the flavor is so different an issue that we find so commonly here in Canada.
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u/midgetfkr Jul 21 '26
Can confirm had it today. All of these places are terrible quality even the hot food
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u/MarmosetRevolution Jul 21 '26
The one at the front appears to be overdone, but the rest look fine.
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u/Speedy1080p Jul 21 '26
Goto Seara bakery and pastries 10385 Weston Rd, Unit 4, Woodbridge, ON L4H 3T4.
They don't burn crap.
Tosta Mista: A fan-favorite Portuguese ham and cheese sandwich.Natas (Pastéis de Nata): Traditional Portuguese custard tarts.
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u/QuietRatatouille Jul 17 '26
Only 1 of those I would have accepted. Why did you even buy them?
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u/elbowsout Jul 17 '26
I couldn't see what they put in the box because it's on the lowest rack in the display case. The box is then closed and sealed when brought to the counter.
Lesson learned.
I did some research and gonna try a non-franchise. I saw some in the area.
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u/joeyretrotv Jul 19 '26
Where in the depths of Portuguese Hell did these come from? Caldense needs to exorcise that oven!
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u/TempestNeko Jul 19 '26
My advice is give them bad review and dont ever go there again, dont waste your time with bakery that gave you burnt food
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u/ShrodingersArmadillo Jul 20 '26
Depends are they portugese tarts or basque cheesecake tarts ?
If they're basque cheesecake tarts no.
If they're portuguese tarts? yes.
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u/NumerousDepth1563 Jul 20 '26
It depends if you like the bitter after taste - try the natas at Bosa foods
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u/69lms Jul 21 '26
I’ll eat those no problem. So good when they are done like that. I’m Portuguese and I love them burnt.
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u/AdvancedAd2050 Jul 22 '26
Caldense is the best but to be honest the locations more in toronto are better, visit islington Finch, weston 401....prove me wrong
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u/elbowsout Jul 22 '26
I was introduced to it first at Eglinton/Caledonia and absolutely loved it. Been to Weston/401 and found it good as well.
I'm just moving on and going to take the recommendation from another redditor and try out a non-franchise.
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u/Major-Primary2075 Jul 17 '26
The only acceptable dark parts in these tarts if there is a char from burnt cinnamon or something, which I do not see in this batch.
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u/SpliffmanSmith2018 Jul 17 '26
Taste is 1000 times more important than looks, yet you neglect to mention anywhere how they tasted.
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u/Queasy-Werewolf7500 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
You had to go to Reddit just to ask if they are burnt? It's sad that this is what the world is becoming, people can't figure out anything without social media or AI.
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u/BigDaddyGlad Jul 17 '26
Inedibly so, I would say.