Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe
I've wanted to visit Thierry for ages, but somehow never got around to it. I knew the place was popular, but I never expected it to be jam-packed near closing time on a Saturday night. Every single table and chair was occupied, and a long line snaked all the way around the glass display counters and almost out the door. As I stood in line, I admired the desserts sitting in the counters. There were big cakes...
little cakes...
chocolates...
truffles and gift boxes...
colourful macarons...
breads and pastries...
As I passed through the line, the staff behind the counter would ask which items I wanted from the display. I ended up trying 3 different desserts and of course the beautiful macarons.
dessert #1: hazelnut choux ($5.50)
This was a cluster of 4 choux pastries filled with rich and smooth hazelnut cream. Each choux was topped with a sweet and crunchy layer of hazelnut praline. My friend said it tasted like Ferrero Rocher, but of course this was much better quality.
dessert #2: passion fruit mousse ($5.75)
I really liked the presentation of this dessert. It was a combination of passion fruit mousse and gelatin on a thin layer of sponge cake with mini red macarons decorating the sides. The dome-shaped cake was topped with passion fruit seeds and a bit of raspberry. The overall taste was rather tart, and the refreshing passion fruit flavour was very prominent. I was a bit disappointed that the macarons were soggy from the moisture in the mousse.
dessert #3: apple tart ($5.75)
Compared to the other 2 desserts, the apple tart seemed the most plain on first glance. When I looked more closely, I realized it was made up of many thin apple slices carefully stacked to create layers of texture on a pastry base. I've heard that this is THE thing to try, but I wasn't particularly impressed. I think it's because the pastry had been sitting around all day (since I visited late at night), and it wasn't crisp or flaky like it was supposed to be. Just like the mini macarons in the previous dessert, the pastry had absorbed the moisture in the apples.
The highlight for me was the one dozen macarons ($21.95) packed in a cute box with colourful stripes. It sure took up a lot of space though, and it wasn't very convenient to carry around because of the length.
Just look at these beautiful meringue sandwiches. From left to right:
- 1x passion fruit
- 2x chocolate pistachio (pistachio flavour wasn't prominent, but tasted natural)
- 1x lychee (small piece of lychee meat inside, but the cream filling didn't taste like lychee)
- 2x chocolate caramel
- 1x lime
- 2x coffee
- 1x lemon
- 2x chocolate hazelnut
My favourites were the coffee and all of the chocolate flavours. I found some of the fillings a bit more chewy and sticky than I would have liked, and the meringue cookies lacked the signature light and airy texture. The macarons weren't quite as good as the ones at The Urban Tea Merchant, but they were half the price, so I'd rather satisfy my macaron cravings here.
The food was indeed tempting both in presentation and in taste, but I would suggest coming at a less busy time if you'd like to indulge in your treats in a quiet and comfortable environment. It was very loud during my visit, and I could barely make conversation with the people sitting right next to me. Personally I think that takes away from the boutique chocolate shop experience.
little cakes...
chocolates...
truffles and gift boxes...
colourful macarons...
breads and pastries...
As I passed through the line, the staff behind the counter would ask which items I wanted from the display. I ended up trying 3 different desserts and of course the beautiful macarons.
dessert #1: hazelnut choux ($5.50)
This was a cluster of 4 choux pastries filled with rich and smooth hazelnut cream. Each choux was topped with a sweet and crunchy layer of hazelnut praline. My friend said it tasted like Ferrero Rocher, but of course this was much better quality.
dessert #2: passion fruit mousse ($5.75)
I really liked the presentation of this dessert. It was a combination of passion fruit mousse and gelatin on a thin layer of sponge cake with mini red macarons decorating the sides. The dome-shaped cake was topped with passion fruit seeds and a bit of raspberry. The overall taste was rather tart, and the refreshing passion fruit flavour was very prominent. I was a bit disappointed that the macarons were soggy from the moisture in the mousse.
dessert #3: apple tart ($5.75)
Compared to the other 2 desserts, the apple tart seemed the most plain on first glance. When I looked more closely, I realized it was made up of many thin apple slices carefully stacked to create layers of texture on a pastry base. I've heard that this is THE thing to try, but I wasn't particularly impressed. I think it's because the pastry had been sitting around all day (since I visited late at night), and it wasn't crisp or flaky like it was supposed to be. Just like the mini macarons in the previous dessert, the pastry had absorbed the moisture in the apples.
The highlight for me was the one dozen macarons ($21.95) packed in a cute box with colourful stripes. It sure took up a lot of space though, and it wasn't very convenient to carry around because of the length.
Just look at these beautiful meringue sandwiches. From left to right:
- 1x passion fruit
- 2x chocolate pistachio (pistachio flavour wasn't prominent, but tasted natural)
- 1x lychee (small piece of lychee meat inside, but the cream filling didn't taste like lychee)
- 2x chocolate caramel
- 1x lime
- 2x coffee
- 1x lemon
- 2x chocolate hazelnut
My favourites were the coffee and all of the chocolate flavours. I found some of the fillings a bit more chewy and sticky than I would have liked, and the meringue cookies lacked the signature light and airy texture. The macarons weren't quite as good as the ones at The Urban Tea Merchant, but they were half the price, so I'd rather satisfy my macaron cravings here.
The food was indeed tempting both in presentation and in taste, but I would suggest coming at a less busy time if you'd like to indulge in your treats in a quiet and comfortable environment. It was very loud during my visit, and I could barely make conversation with the people sitting right next to me. Personally I think that takes away from the boutique chocolate shop experience.
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