Happy Sunday, all! I hope you’re having a great weekend. Mine has been fun – last night, we had some friends over to celebrate Tania’s 31st birthday (almost 2 weeks past her actual birthday, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re born around two major holidays – Easter and Orthodox Easter!) Everyone had a great time, and I made a very yummy coconut cake that turned out beautifully. I used a box mix from the Dolly Parton x Duncan Hines collaboration, but jazzed it up with some extra ingredients – see my Valentine’s Day post for the “formula” – and a homemade cream cheese frosting using this recipe from Preppy Kitchen.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I love a good day trip – and that I’m not afraid to “go the distance” when it comes to fun places to visit! Heck, Tania and I once drove three hours (one way) just to go to a cool restaurant in the middle of the woods…but that’s a story for another post. I’m also notorious for planning little detours enroute to our destination, whether they be truly on the way or not. Tania always looks at me skeptically whenever I tell her I’ve found a fun place to stop at “along the way”, because she knows that more often than not, the detour will take us further off route than expected. That’s what happened with the spot I’m going to share with you today. We recently drove up to Orillia to visit my friend, who just had a new (and utterly adorable) baby. We rarely get up that way, so I immediately started looking for fun things to do in the Simcoe County area, and I came across this adorable café in Innisfil. While it did take us an hour out of our way (I know, I know) even Tania had to admit that it was worth the detour: this place is fabulous! It’s called Parisienne, and it’s located at the beautiful Friday Harbour Resort.
Located in Big Bay Point on the shores of beautiful Lake Simcoe, Friday Harbour is a luxury lifestyle resort that first opened in 2020. The all-seasons resort spans 600 acres, and is comprised of townhomes and condominiums that can be purchased or rented out for vacations. The resort features tons of amenities: a marina, 18-hole golf course, performing arts centre, hiking trails, and several restaurants and shops. They also host various events throughout the year. The resort was carefully designed with a focus on environmental sustainability and protecting the surrounding woodlands and wetlands of the area. The team behind Friday Harbour took several eco-friendly initiatives when building the resort, from creating new wetlands to planting endangered trees to building a special stormwater management system. You can learn more about Friday Harbour’s commitment to environmental sustainability here – it’s quite impressive!
In addition to their eight restaurants and bars, Friday Harbour has a juice bar and three cafés, one of which is the delightful Parisienne. Parisienne is a traditional French bakery and café that serves a variety of breads, pastries and desserts, which are all baked fresh in-house every day. Once you see the photos below, you’ll know why I was immediately drawn to this spot: the interiors and atmosphere are next-level. From the pastel blue shelving units to the Parisian bistro chairs to the flower-and-chandelier-adorned ceiling, every detail is on point.
Even the bathroom, with its flowery bird wallpaper, is on theme!
It must have been our lucky day, because we happened to visit Parisienne on their one-year anniversary, and they were celebrating with complimentary treats for guests! We were pleasantly surprised to walk in and see the bar laid out with mimosas and plates of petits fours. Even though it was still morning, I couldn’t resist a chocolate-covered strawberry.
We ordered two croissants – the pistachio and strawberry – and they kindly cut them in half for us so that we could share. Both were delicious, but the strawberry was the definite favourite for us both. It’s filled with the most delicious strawberry cream, and the red stripes are so pretty! Parisienne also serves plain, chocolate, almond and Nutella croissants.
If you’re in the mood for something sweet, there’s no shortage of options here! From cookies, muffins and tarts to an exquisite selection of macarons and “petit gateaux” (French for “little cakes”), there’s something for every sweet tooth.
If you’re more of a savoury person, Parisienne has got you covered there too. They offer a variety of quiches and sandwiches, including some yummy-looking croissant sandwiches. You can also pick up a loaf of their artisan bread, which is baked using organic unbleached flour, without any additives. Their sourdough is a work of art!
In addition to offering sweet and savoury pastries, desserts, breads and coffee, Parisienne is also open for afternoon tea service and private events. I would love to come back and try the afternoon tea experience!
I’m looking forward to returning to Friday Harbour this summer and checking out some of their other eateries – and perhaps we’ll even spend a night or two! It looks like a fabulous place for a getaway.
Thanks for reading, and until next time, I hope you all have a great week!
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