S’more Than You Bargained For: A Campfire Classic Gets the Crème Brûlée Treatment
It starts with a crackle. That first tap of the spoon through a glassy caramelised top — and suddenly, the campfire has gone gloriously upscale.
The Dessert That Made the Whole Table Go Quiet
There’s a particular kind of hush that falls over a table when a truly good dessert arrives. Conversation pauses. Phones come out (then go away again, because some things are better tasted than photographed). At the Vineland Bistro, our new S’mores Crème Brûlée has been responsible for more than a few of those reverent little silences.
It’s a love letter to the humble campfire s’more — that sticky, smoky, slightly chaotic treat of Ontario summers — reimagined with the polish of a proper French dessert. Think of it as the s’more that grew up, went to culinary school, and came home far more sophisticated, but no less fun.
What’s Actually In It
At its heart is a milk chocolate crème brûlée — silky, rich, and just sweet enough — finished with that signature caramelised sugar crust that shatters under your spoon. Alongside it sits a house-made graham cracker, baked in our own kitchen, and a beautifully toasted house-made marshmallow with those tell-tale golden edges that say someone took their time with the torch.
Every element is made in-house, which is exactly the sort of fussy, lovingly unnecessary detail we can’t help ourselves over. A store-bought graham cracker would do the job. It just wouldn’t do the moment.
This is nostalgia, plated and torched to order — the comfort of a backyard fire pit with the finesse of a Vineland Bistro dessert.
How to Eat It (Yes, There’s a Right Way)
- Crack first — break that caramelised top with the back of your spoon before anything else. The sound alone is half the joy.
- Build a little stack — graham, a swipe of marshmallow, a spoonful of crème brûlée. Reconstruct the campfire classic, fork in hand.
- Don’t rush the marshmallow — those toasted edges are the best part. Savour them.
- Share, or don’t — we won’t judge either choice. (We’d quietly recommend “don’t.”)
A Sweet Ending to a Slow Afternoon
Dessert is rarely just about dessert. It’s the unhurried end of a good meal, the excuse to linger a little longer, the reason you order “just one more coffee.” Our Vineland location was built for exactly this kind of lingering — a European-inspired floral paradise where the greenhouse, the café, and the bistro all blur into one warm, plant-filled afternoon.
Settle in among the greenery, let the world slow down, and finish things off with a dessert that brings a little campfire magic indoors. No bug spray required.
“Had this last time I was there. So delicious.” — a happy guest, summing it up better than we ever could.
Where to Find It
The S’mores Crème Brûlée is available now as a plated dessert in our Vineland Bistro at 3725 King St. Pair it with a coffee, make it the grand finale of a Tropical Garden Tea, or simply wander in for an afternoon treat among the plants. However you arrive at it, come hungry — and bring someone you like enough to maybe, possibly, share with.
Come for the Flowers, Stay for the S’mores
Pull up a chair in the greenhouse, order the dessert everyone’s talking about, and make an afternoon of it at The Watering Can in Vineland.
