General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[taylortbb]

I agree,  bit it has to be in search of the best of each, not either or

I'm heading off to Lisbon and the Algarve for a month this winter - one of my key objectives will be to enjoy a pastel de nata from the place that allegedly invented them!  I only hope it doesn't spoil me for the local ones, after I come back home!

Best pastel de nata I had was at https://goo.gl/maps/tGFFA75FcjHZ4Qbr9 . And yes, it will spoil you, the ones in KW don't compare.

[panamaniac]

I'm heading off to Lisbon and the Algarve for a month this winter - one of my key objectives will be to enjoy a pastel de nata from the place that allegedly invented them!  I only hope it doesn't spoil me for the local ones, after I come back home!

Best pastel de nata I had was at https://goo.gl/maps/tGFFA75FcjHZ4Qbr9 . And yes, it will spoil you, the ones in KW don't compare.

Bonus!  That's only a ten minute walk from my apartment.

[sevenman]

Best pastel de nata I had was at https://goo.gl/maps/tGFFA75FcjHZ4Qbr9 . And yes, it will spoil you, the ones in KW don't compare.

Bonus!  That's only a ten minute walk from my apartment.

I think the most famous one in Lisbon may be here https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Past%C3...-9.2032278.
Been there and they were awesome.  The key to a great pastel de nata is timing.  If you manage to get one fresh and warm that's the key.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and have a coffee.  Can't beat it.

[GarthDanlor]

Bonus!  That's only a ten minute walk from my apartment.

I think the most famous one in Lisbon may be here https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Past%C3...-9.2032278.
Been there and they were awesome.  The key to a great pastel de nata is timing.  If you manage to get one fresh and warm that's the key.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and have a coffee.  Can't beat it.

I've also been to that bakery in Belem and the tarts were absolutely fresh and delicious.  Very long line-up but fast moving, and worth the wait.

[panamaniac]

I think the most famous one in Lisbon may be here https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Past%C3...-9.2032278.
Been there and they were awesome.  The key to a great pastel de nata is timing.  If you manage to get one fresh and warm that's the key.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and have a coffee.  Can't beat it.

I've also been to that bakery in Belem and the tarts were absolutely fresh and delicious.  Very long line-up but fast moving, and worth the wait.

Yes, I think that's the one that claims the original recipe.  Also on my list.

[tomh009]

I've also been to that bakery in Belem and the tarts were absolutely fresh and delicious.  Very long line-up but fast moving, and worth the wait.

Yes, I think that's the one that claims the original recipe.  Also on my list.

That said, it's not easy to find a bad pastel de nata in Lisbon!

[jamincan]

The bagels and, though I haven't had one for years now, their butter tarts - they were crazy sweet but excellent!

Ahhh, but you could sprint over to Nova Era from the Kitchener Market stop and pick up some fresh Pastéis de Nata!

My local Tim Horton's (Stanley Park) has Pastéis de Nata now. I think we might be one of their test markets, so I'm unsure if they're just testing the product right now, or only have limited distribution or something. FWIW, I strongly suspect that Nova Era is their supplier - I seem to recall seeing or reading something from Nova Era recently that hinted at it, and the one's Tim Horton's is carrying don't seem any better or worse to me.

[Momo26]

What a boon that would be for Nova Era if all the Timmies in the tri-cities said hey 'we want to order 500 a pop daily', assuming strong sales. Timmies = volume. It's almost like getting your product into a Wal-Mart.

[jamincan]

The company (they're a small chain) already makes on the order of 10-million per year, so I'm guessing their ambitions are closer to supplying Tim Horton's across Canada, if my speculation that they're making them is accurate.

That article seems to be the source of my speculation, for what it's worth:

Though he wouldn't disclose full details, Dias says Nova Era is embarking on a pilot project to sell pastéis de nata in a national chain coffee shop this fall — with Kitchener and Waterloo as the test market. 

[Momo26]

How many locations do they have? I suppose they already supply a ton of smaller outfits and cater parties/work functions etc. 10 million...wow

[tomh009]

10 locations, from London to Ajax. And they do already supply some stores and restaurants. They say 80% of the pastéis are wholesaled, so that's about 200K retail pastéis per store, or about 500 on an average day. I do think that's more than the Kitchener store sells, but some others may be much bigger.

[plam]

What a boon that would be for Nova Era if all the Timmies in the tri-cities said hey 'we want to order 500 a pop daily', assuming strong sales. Timmies = volume. It's almost like getting your product into a Wal-Mart.

It can be a bit of a double-edged sword to get your product into Wal-Mart specifically. The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman (old now but probably still somewhat relevant) describes how Wal-Mart gets suppliers to crappify their production (and to sell stuff at lower prices). In fairness, Wal-Mart and the suppliers do share the savings. But the stuff is less good and more disposable.

I could definitely see that happening with Tim's as well.

[panamaniac]

What a boon that would be for Nova Era if all the Timmies in the tri-cities said hey 'we want to order 500 a pop daily', assuming strong sales. Timmies = volume. It's almost like getting your product into a Wal-Mart.

It can be a bit of a double-edged sword to get your product into Wal-Mart specifically. The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman (old now but probably still somewhat relevant) describes how Wal-Mart gets suppliers to crappify their production (and to sell stuff at lower prices). In fairness, Wal-Mart and the suppliers do share the savings. But the stuff is less good and more disposable.

I could definitely see that happening with Tim's as well.

As it has with their own products ....

[dtkmelissa]

I agree,  bit it has to be in search of the best of each, not either or

I'm heading off to Lisbon and the Algarve for a month this winter - one of my key objectives will be to enjoy a pastel de nata from the place that allegedly invented them!  I only hope it doesn't spoil me for the local ones, after I come back home!

We had many(!) pasteis while in Portugal last year. I have to say, I feel that Nova Era does a pretty great job of reminding me of some of the great ones I had while travelling

[jeffster]

Hey guys -- you do realize if it tastes super good it's probably not good for your health. Anyway, I'm in for a couple hundred....