Princess Coco Part 2!

So you might have read my post last week when I went to check out Princess Coco when they had their 'sneak preview' opening. They were closed again monday to wednesday this week for further 'training, security and refrigeration upgrade'. Today they were open again and I decided to buy a couple of their individual cakes to take home and share with my mum (THE cake lover of all time).

Sorry mum, there's only 2 cakes in there!

Admittedly these cakes are not cheap, they're around the $8.50 mark for takeaway and around $12.50 for eat in but they looked really good and definitely worth a try.

Ooh I cannot wait to eat these pretty things!

The first piece I chose was a raspberry and chocolate cake - it has a crunchy biscuit base which contains nuts (hazelnuts I think?) topped with layers of chocolate and raspberry. Decorated with fresh raspberry and pistachio, some silver leaf and a delicate curl of chocolate it's almost too pretty to eat. But oh my does it taste good. Really good! The base has a nice roasted nutty flavour, the raspberry layer is tart and fresh and the dark chocolate mousse is smooth and not too sweet - it all combines together really well and it's not too sweet at all.

Raspberry chocolate cake - layer upon layer of yum!

The second piece was a raspberry mousseline (or was it just called berry mousseline? I can't remember now I'm afraid). It's a round cake and cute as a button and very striking in colour. There's a thin cake layer on the bottom, topped with the berry mousseline and decorated with chopped nuts, a small cube of coconut dusted marshmallow and an arc of chocolate. Mum did the honours of cutting it in half for me to get an inside shot but had a little mishap as you can see in the photo, oops! Inside there is actually a disc of mango mousse (or something like mousse). Dang this cake is realllly good as well. The berry and mango components are very fresh and you can tell they use real fruit for both the cakes. It's tart and fresh with just the right level of sweetness. Yum!!

Berry (raspberry?) mousseline. Arrrgh cake down! cake down!

I'm really impressed by these cakes - perfectly balanced flavours and great 'cakemanship' which is clearly evident when you eat them. Yummy!!

What: Princess Coco Chocolaterie
Where: 158-166 Day St, Sydney (Mon-Wed: 7am-8pm, Thu-Fri: 7am-10pm, Sat: 10am-10pm, Sunday closed)
How much: The mousseline is $8.50 takeaway and the raspberry chocolate cake was $9.50.

Princess Coco Chocolaterie - Salon du chocolat

So.. I walk past this block every day and have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Princess Coco. After a long time of no action, the renovations started happening and then last week they seemed like they were training staff and preparing to finally open (yes, I was peeking through the glass doors whenever I could catch a glimpse!).

Today the store had a 'sneak preview' opening with the official opening on August 29 which will have the full menu available.

View from outside.. those chandeliers are bright and sparkly!

I like the fit out which is in line with their belle epoque style (see the story on their website) - pretty chandeliers, comfy purple and gold chairs, soft music which isn't too loud so it's a relaxing space which is suitable for conversation too. Service was polite, prompt and unobtrusive with menus and water provided as soon as we sat down. Oh and behind the counter you can see into the kitchen which I like as this means they at least make some, if not all, of the food there!

Hmm... glass cabinet full of chocolates

Seating along the side

And they use Valrhona chocolate so how can you go wrong? I decided to try something simple - Earl Grey chocolate noir (Caraibe dark chocolate with hints of bergamot). The earl grey flavour is just right - strong but not overpowering. The chocolate was a tad too sweet for my liking but that's just personal preference. It's a little on the pricey side with takeaway at $6.50 and dine-in $8.50 but nothing out of the ordinary for a chocolate cafe and looking at the displays of macarons, cakes and chocolates I think the quality should be good.

I'll definitely be interested to see what the full menu will be like and to try some more of their stuff!

I'd like one of these chairs in my home! Earl Grey chocolat noir and the macarons on display.

Cakes look pretty.... might go back and buy one...

What: Princess Coco Chocolaterie
Where: 158-166 Day St, Sydney (Mon-Wed: 7am-8pm, Thu-Fri: 7am-10pm, Sat: 10am-10pm, Sunday closed)
How much: Hot chocolate was $6.50 takeaway and $8.50 dine in.

Jack Snacks!... N2 Extreme Gelato

Gelato made with liquid nitrogen! When Hey Hey House closed down at Number One Dixon I was hoping something good would open up in it's place.

The glass doors had been covered in printouts of chemical symbols and a definition for Nitrogen - hint hint!

Nitrogen coming...

So it finally opened last night (Friday) and there were lots of people watching with interest as their gelato was made with liquid nitrogen. I hadn't even had dinner yet but I was totally keen to have a taste so decided to try their Earl Grey Burnt Caramel but it was sold out so I went with a chocolate instead (I know, bo-ring). It was a good chocolate gelato though, on the dark side so not too sweet which is good. And the texture is thick and smooth. I like!

Is that a crowd?

Yep.. that's a crowd!

Ooh... now this looks like fun!

Liquid nitrogen gelato in chocolate flavour.. gone almost as quick as it took to make...

Check out the super frosty liquid nitrogen jug and those cool science lab gelato mix bottles... I wanna play!

There's nitro shakes which I'll have to try after I've tried some more of their flavours - this place is fun and different and oh so dangerously close to work so there's no doubt I'll be back next week for a gelato fix!


What: N2 Extreme Gelato
Where: 43/1 Dixon St Sydney
How much: Prices start with one scoop for $6

Gelato Messina - The Creative Department (Laboratorio and Patiserie)

It seems lots of people are talking about Gelato Messina's "Creative Department" (Laboratorio and Patisserie). A friend had shown me a photo of a mushroom gelato dessert and I was intrigued! So too was the rest of our supper group and we went to check it out one friday night.

Located next to the Gelato Messina store in Darlinghurst, the Creative Department is a tiny shop - 2 tall glass cabinets filled with large gelato cakes - I'm already thinking in my mind, who's having a birthday soon? But for tonight, we've only got eyes for the small gelato desserts at the counter. There's 5 of us so we pick 5 out of the 9 different ones to share.

Big gelato cakes, cute gelato desserts, some of our selection!

"Samurai" consists of yuzu sorbet and salted caramel swirl encased in orange scented chocolate in the shape of a magnum ice-cream ($7.90). The yuzu sorbet is refreshing and overall it's not too sweet. "Bitty,,,,,,,,Bitty!!!" is salted caramel gelato, caramel and milk chocolate puffed rice crackle, vodka flavoured milk, coated in white chocolate ($8.90). It looks like a big gelato brick with 2 round domes on top. It's one of the ones that we eat last so by this time the insides have already started to melt and as a result we find it too sweet. If eaten at the right temperature it would most likely be lighter in sweetness. "Royale w' Cheese" is chocolate crackle gelato, financier bun, white chocolate gelato and apricot gele'e, compressed cucumber and white chocolate slice ($11.90). And yes it looks like an actual burger! So cute, but rather hard to divide between a group of 5 so we ended up eating the components separately.

"Samurai", "Bitty,,,,,,,,Bitty!!!", "Royal w' Cheese".

"Mini Me" is Dr. Evil chocolate gelato, dulce de leche jam, peanut butter cookie, vanilla gelato, popping candy and feuilletine ($9.90) and for me the cutest looking one of all being a mini red mushroom. None of the flavours in this are too outrageous but I'm never disappointed with chocolate gelato so it's quite pleasant to eat. Last photo but not least is "Ugly Balls" - manuka honey gelato, lemon and lime gele'e center, rolled in tonka bean and feuilletine ($9.90). It is a little bit ugly but manuka honey has me sold so this is my choice for our selection of 5. And probably one of my favourites - there are only a few flavours but they work well together without being too sweet.

"Mini Me" and..hehehe.. "Ugly Balls"!

The gelato desserts are very novel and cute so I can see myself eating them again. I'm definitely interested in trying the big cakes as soon as I get a chance! Just 3 days later I find myself at their "The Star Store" (at The Star, of course). A simple scoop of gelato simply is the best of all.

What: Gelato Messina - The Creative Department (Laboratorio and Patisserie)
Where: 234 Victoria St, Darlinghurst 2010
How much: Gelato desserts are around the $10 mark

Jack Snacks!... Mango Glutinous Dumplings

It's already the middle of summer and I had nearly forgotten about the tasty Mango Glutinous Dumplings from Sweeties Paradise. From memory I think last year's ones were slightly better but I still gobbled these down with much glee. Biting through the dessicated coconut and glutinous dumpling yields a fresh piece of mango - yum!

Mango is the wonderful taste of summer!

What: Mango Glutinous Dumplings
Where: Sweeties Paradise, 45 Dixon Street, Haymarket
How much: $5 for 3

Jack Snacks!... Breadtop Banana in Pyjamas

Nevermind anything else, but I love the name of this cake! I'm sure most people are familiar with Breadtop's Banana in Pyjamas but I think it's worth writing up in case anybody hasn't tried it. Not only is the name cute but it also serves as a description of the cake. Y'see, it ain't just some regular banana cake, it is one half of a vertically bisected banana wearing pyjamas made of cake. I still remember the very first time I ate it, a friend introduced me to it as soon as they discovered that I had never eaten one. The surprise! Nothing beats fresh banana but dressed up in light cream and fluffy cake you get a really nice treat. Or should I say dressed down?

Pyjama party!

What: Breadtop's Banana in Pyjamas
Where: Breadtop
How much: It costs $3.00

Sweeties Paradise

Sweeties Paradise. It's a Hong Kong style dessert place featuring a myriad of sweet dessert soups and various other offerings. So many that even after 6 visits there are still so many things to try, and already a few favourites. Mango Grass Jelly ($4.99) is a nice, simple mix. The fresh mango offsets the sweetness of the grass jelly. Papaya Fungus Sweet Soup ($6.20) is a tried and true classic that can be served hot or cold. When eaten cold, it's refreshing and perfect for summer. Mango Pomelo & Sago Sweet Soup ($5.50) is fruity, the pomelo giving it a bitter kick to balance the flavours. Almond Soup and Tofu Pudding ($4.50) is for people who really like almond. The tofu pudding is a little different from the usual kind, it has more of a jelly texture than one often sees. Almond Egg White ($5.20) is another one for the almond lover, the almond soup is a nice consistency containing pieces of egg white.

The one let down so far was Snow White Soup (with sago/black pearl, $5.50). We had it with black pearl, maybe that's where we went wrong. There's some bits and pieces of fruit, I can't be sure exactly what they are. And then there's about seven million bits of black pearl, with a load of vanilla ice cream on top. After eating about two million bits of black pearl, one starts to wonder how they are going to eat the other five million.

Papaya fungus sweet soup (front) and Mango grass jelly (back), Mango pomelo & sago sweet soup (front) and Almond soup & tofu pudding (back), Snow white soup with (seven million) black pearls, Midway through Snow white - still so many black pearls... 

Almond egg white and mango glutinous dumplings - when will I see you again?

But there's another highlight to make me forget about Snow White and the seven million black pearls. It's Mango Glutinous Dumpling ($4.99 for 3). The dumpling is soft with the right amount of chewy stickiness and a light mango flavour. Then inside one finds a treasure - a piece of fresh mango. I've been day dreaming about the dumplings ever since that first taste.


Mango glutinous dumpling - the second encounter is just as breathtaking. Thumbs up all round! 

They seemed to be open quite late when I went there on a Friday night, so it's a great option for an after-dinner treat. And they have takeaway too, for those like me who can't get enough. Paradise indeed!

Papaya Fungus Sweet Soup - takeaway makes for a nice treat at home.

What: Sweeties Paradise
Where: 45 Dixon Street, Haymarket
How much: Most dessert soups around the $5 mark

MeetFresh

Back in September 2010 MeetFresh, a popular Taiwanese dessert chain, opened it's first Sydney store in Chinatown. Even now you'll usually see a long line out the front, such is it's popularity. And one can understand why, the handmade taro balls are a unique offering - chewy with a nice bite. The herbal jelly has a bit of chewiness too, and it's not overly sweet. Tofu pudding is light and silky. I've only tried a couple of the drinks and found them a little on the sweet side. I'm sticking to the taro balls instead!

Taro dessert 1 (left) and Honey bean tofu pudding (right), Taro dessert 1 (front), Herbal Jelly 2 (back).

What: MeetFresh
Where: Corner of Goulburn and Dixon Streets, Chinatown
How much: Around the $5/$6 mark

Lindt Blueberry Chocolat Mousse

I like chocolate. I like cake too. So naturally I should like chocolate cake, but often it's just too sweet. This Lindt Blueberry Chocolat Mousse ($40 for a whole cake) from one of the four Lindt Cafe's in Sydney looks like it should be too sweet but it actually isn't. Described by Lindt as "layers of chocolate hazelnut biscuit, blueberry compote and dark chocolate mousse that lay beneath a mirror of blueberry glaze", it's surprisingly easy to eat. Not too sweet, the chocolate not too overpowering and the blueberry giving a hint of fruitiness. I guess I do like chocolate cake afterall.


What: Blueberry Chocolat Mousse cake
Where: Lindt Cafe's
How much: this one was $40