[REVIEW] Bonchaz (W Hastings)

Bonchaz is a cute little cafe located on Hastings St. x Richards St.

They actually have 2 locations: Hastings location & Broadway location.

It's a typical cafe that sells savory soup, flavorful sandwiches, French press coffee, to decadent chocolate cupcakes.  They also have a choose any 2 special for $6.59 (classic sandwich/ 12oz soup/ pasta/ salad) that's quite popular.

Bonchaz: choose any 2 for $6.59 deal

What Bonchaz is well-known for is their Bonchaz buns (coffee buns).They have tons of different flavors for the Bonchaz buns: chocolate truffle, banana walnut-yum! They are baked fresh everyday and costs $1.50 (original) or $1.75.

They also have a morning special: buy a coffee and get a free Bonchaz bun (small mocha-$3.95). I got the Chocolate truffle bun to go with my mocha. The mocha was perfect- not too sweet. The chocolate truffle bun looks a bit burnt, but not very burnt. Maybe it was in the oven a bit too long, or maybe because it's chocolate.

Bonchaz: small mocha, chocolate truffle bun

I know there's suppose to be a type of custard/jam inside the bun, but I guess the bun moved it when it was rising.

3 bites, still no chocolate centre :(

 The chocolate center tastes a bit like Nutella, but a bit off.

There we go!

Bonchaz have quite a large menu. They also offer 10% discount for students. Just show the cashier your student ID.

Bonchaz- menu

Bonchaz-menu

Bonchaz- pasta and salad options

This is where I had a hard time deciding what to get... I was so tempted to get a large chocolate cupcake.

Bonchaz-display

Bonchaz-display

I went to Bonchaz again with my friend, K. I got a black and white cookie that was the size of my hand @__@

Bonchaz-black and white cookie

The cookie is moist, the good-chewy type. Kinda reminds me of eating cake.

I find the vanilla icing too sweet, but the chocolate ganache (?) tastes absolutely wonderful! I paid $2.22 after tax and the student discount.

Bonchaz- butter croissant

K got a butter croissant. It wasn't too buttery, and was light and crispy- and he didn't ask them to reheat/toast it! I had a little piece and was impressed as well, considering how it was taken from the display case and it still feel light and crispy. K said that it was better than Thierry's croissants. He paid $1.85 after tax and the student discount.

Food: (4/5)
I was expecting more chocolate center from the Bonchaz bun, but it was overall great to eat with my mocha. The vanilla icing on the cookie was seriously too sweet (for me), it tasted like commercial icing.

Service: (5/5)
Quick and friendly. They offer quite a lot of specials and discounts. I think you can also get 10% off if you have a Qooway card. They also offer free Wi-Fi (password located on the pillar).

Value: (3.5/5)
The mocha was expensive, IMO. A Bonchaz bun is worth it if I want to grab something to keep my stomach from growling till I get home. The black and white cookie was expensive..for a cookie, but the quality (and size!) of it was worth it.

Ambiance: (4.5/5)
If the smell of fresh-baked buns doesn't bother you, Bonchaz is a great place to meet-up with friends or study (if you don't mind some background noise).

Overall:
I will definitely visit again! Maybe I'll try their choose any 2 special, or try the other flavours of the Bonchaz buns. It's unfortunate that it's not really wheelchair accessible. They have a couple steps that leads to the front door, and their washroom is located on the second floor of the building. However they do have a take-out window for people on-the-go.