Archive for the 'Dessert' Category
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
As some of you may know, Jenkins and I are getting married later this year. 
One of the best things about the wedding planning process (or maybe even the best thing!) is cake tasting. Before I started looking into cake tastings, I had no idea that most of them were complimentary and that you had the opportunity to try so many cakes.
The first place Jenkins and I went to was Ganache Patisserie in Yaletown. I first experienced Ganache last year when some friends took me there for some birthday cake. I was quite impressed with the variety and quality of dessert there so it was definitely at the top of my list when it came to cake tasting places.
We arrived at Ganache and were greeted by the pastry chef, Peter. He was very friendly and asked us what we had in mind for a wedding cake. I had some ideas which I expressed to him but also said that since Ganache was the first place we were visiting, we really weren’t set on any particular design. After giving us an overview of what we would likely need for the cake and answering our questions, he led us to the counter so we could pick out some cakes to try.
Peter told us that the Chocolat-Banane cake was one of the most popular items so it was definitely something we wanted to try. It was so popular that even my aunt and uncle had Chocolat-Banane from Ganache for their wedding cake! It was layered with dark chocolate mousse, caramelized bananas, and a crunchy layer on the bottom. To jazz things up, there were even gold flecks on top. Yum! This cake was delicious and we could see why this was one of the most popular items. I had to remind myself that there were still three more cakes to go so it probably wasn’t a good idea to polish an entire piece right at the beginning.
I can’t remember what this next cake was, but it was a layered cake with white chocolate cheesecake and berries (strawberry or cherry). It had a nice light taste and you could really taste the berries and the white chocolate. I wasn’t sure if I would like this cake because it seemed a bit plain to me, but the combination of the berries, chocolate, and cake went really well together.
Next was the Coco-Mango cheesecake. This cake was also delicious. It was very creamy and you could really taste the mango and toasted coconut in every bite. There’s not much else to say about this but it was very tasty. Jenkins wasn’t sure if this would be an odd choice for a wedding cake though.
Finally, we were at the last cake that we picked. This cake was called, if I remember correctly, Chocolat Canneberge. It had chocolate mousse layered with chocolate cake and another layer of cranberries with white chocolate. The mousse had an interesting consistency and the cranberries added a light tang.
Of the four cakes we tasted, I liked the Chocolat-Banane and the Coco-Mango the best. Jenkins thought the Coco-Mango was good but he wasn’t sure if it would make a good wedding cake. I really liked how the cakes at Ganache all tasted very light and was not too rich. Overall, we were very impressed with the cakes at Ganache and with Peter’s friendly demeanor. Ganache is definitely in the running for our wedding cake!
Details:
1262 Homer St, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 899-1098
Summary:
Food: 
Service: n/a
Price: $$
Posted in Cake, Wedding, Dessert, Reviews | 4 Comments »
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
After our feast at El Pollo Loco, NTR, UK, and I dug into the Double Rainbow pumpkin ice cream we picked up from Trader Joe’s. According to NTR, Double Rainbow is a small San Francisco-based ice creamery that is available mostly in California. Because it was Thanksgiving, we all felt it would be appropriate to have some pumpkin ice cream.
Double Rainbow boasts that they use all natural ingredients and this can be seen when you scan through the ingredients list. Our pumpkin ice cream was a nice orange colour and you could even smell the pumpkin once you opened the lid.
I liked this ice cream because it had a very strong pumpkin taste and was not too creamy. I find that the double-churned ice cream such as Breyers much too rich and creamy for me. The price was also reasonable at $3.49 for a pint.
Details:
Available at various Trader Joe’s locations
Summary:
Food: 
Service: n/a
Price: $
Posted in Los Angeles, Other Cities, Dessert, Reviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
As if we weren’t stuffed enough from our eating extravaganza at Taiko, we went for dessert next door at Yogurtland. Actually, UK and NTR were too full but I wanted to give the frozen yogurt here a try. Yogurtland is one of the new frozen yogurt joints following in the spirit of Pinkberry and Red Mango. I’ve never been to either Pinkberry or Red Mango but have heard several rave reviews so figured that Yogurtland was my chance to get in on the fro-yo action.
Yogurtland is different from the other frozen yogurt places in that it is almost completely self-serve. As soon as you walk in, you see that there are a wall of self-serve frozen yogurt machines with flavours ranging from green tea, pistachio, mango, straberry, etc. There is also a small station where you can add your toppings, such as fresh fruit, candies, or chocolate. I should have taken a picture of the inside because it was quite interesting but you get the general idea. Your whole creation is than weighed at the counter. At $0.30 per ounce, this is a really good deal.
I selected a combination of pistachio and green tea for my choice with no toppings. I was really full from lunch at this point so just wanted to try a small sampling. My whole order came out to just over $1. I wasn’t too good at swirling my frozen yogurt so the picture below doesn’t look so hot.
The pistachio had a distinct pistachio taste but was a bit too sweet for me. I liked the green tea more, which had a light and refreshing taste. The green tea flavour wasn’t too strong and I think this would have gone really well if I had added some toppings.
I think there is a real potential to open a frozen yogurt place like this in the Vancouver area. The taste is comparable to what is available at Yogen Fruz but at a much lower price. I also like the self-serve aspect at Yogurtland, which allows you to mix and match different flavours until you find one that suits you.
Details:
14775 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA
Tel: 949-857-0884
Summary:
Food:
Service: n/a
Price: $
Posted in Los Angeles, Other Cities, Dessert, Reviews | No Comments »
Sunday, October 21st, 2007
It was Isabel’s & Meghan’s birthdays coming up so we had an advance birthday cake for them. Their mom bought it from Sweet Obsessions in Kits, which is one of my favourite dessert places. It is right next to Trafalgar’s Bistro at 2603 W. 16th Ave. I believe it is actually owned by the same people as Trafalgar’s.
This particular cake was called the Triple Berry Mousse cake, which had three different types of mousse on a thin base of vanilla sponge cake. If memory serves me correctly, I believe the three berries were strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry. Yum!
The mousse layers were light and creamy and the three berry flavours blended very well together. Before I even knew it, I had finished my entire slice and was eyeing other people’s pieces!
Details:
2611 W 16th Ave, Vancouver
Tel: 604-739-0555
Summary:
Food:
Service: n/a
Price: $$
Posted in Dessert, Reviews | 3 Comments »
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
We had Thanksgiving dinner at my house last week and my aunt brought over a cake from Michelle’s Cake Shop in Kerrisdale (6033 West Boulevard). It was a fresh mango cake, which is one of my favourites!
This cake is delicious and filled with mango-y goodness. Light sponge cake is layered with mango and fresh whipped cream. As if this wasn’t enough, the entire cake is covered with fresh mango slices. It is nice and light…the perfect way to end a great meal.
I’m not sure how they cut the mango slices so thinly and evenly but I sure do appreciate the work put into this cake.
Details:
6033 West Boulevard, Vancouver
Tel: 604-261-3284
Summary:
Food:
Service: n/a
Price: $$
Posted in Dessert, Asian, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
After our dinner at Memphis Blues BBQ House the other day, Pick, Grick, and I headed over to Joey’s across the street for some dessert. In hindsight, I’m not sure why seeing that we were all stuffed from dinner…but it was fun nonetheless.
Pick and I both decided to get some tea to go with our dessert. It came on a nice little tray. I ordered the peppermint tea, which was very fragrant and a nice way to wind down the evening.
The three of us decided to share a couple of desserts. First off was the chocolate sundae for $6.95. This came with some peanuts, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate sauce…each served in small little bowls. The sundae itself had scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and a generous heaping of whipped cream. This was ok, but I’ve definitely had better. I could even taste a some icy chunks in my ice cream, which would suggest it had been in the freezer for a bit too long.
We also shared an apple galette with vanilla ice cream. I liked this more than the the sunday. The flaky crust of the galette contrasted went great with the toasty walnuts and apples. As if you couldn’t ask for more, the whole thing was topped by a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.
Details:
1424 West Broadway, Vancouver
Tel: 604-732-5639
Summary:
Food: (dessert only)
Service:
Price: $ (dessert only)
Posted in Dessert, Reviews | No Comments »
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