604: Lotus Cake Boutique (Burnaby)

Lotus is well known for their crepe cakes but unfortunately, the Richmond location does not sell ice cream so I had to venture out to Burnaby. In their Burnaby location, they sell Matcha Ice Cream platters with 5 grades of matcha intensity. I have a good feeling that I will like their most intense level.

The worker there said that their normal matcha ice cream is at level 3 and most people prefer it at level 3. Level 4 has a bit more bitterness and level 5 is quite bitter. Nonetheless, I just ordered the platter to make my own judgment. My friend and I also ordered their creme brulee crepe cake on the side, the server there recommended that since it's one of the best sellers and it's on the sweeter side which was perfect for my girlfriend who has a sweet tooth. He said no one had ever complained about that. He also recommended the matcha crepe cake, but since we already had 5 scoops of ice cream on the table, we figured we should try something else.

Strategically, we tried the mildest matcha flavored ice cream and worked our way up to level 5. Here are our thoughts:

Unlike some of the famous matcha dessert stores, their ice cream is creamy and silky rather than slushy :)

Level 1: We were quite impressed with the first level. It had a pretty strong matcha flavor that already beat a lot of other well-known matcha specialized dessert stores! It's on a sweeter side since it lacks bitterness but it's not overly sweet.

Level 2: Slightly stronger but similar to level 1

Level 3: Matcha flavor was noticeably stronger with a hint of bitterness. We both liked it a lot.

Level 4: Matcha flavor intensifies and the bitterness is quite noticeable here but not unwelcoming. The sweetness also diminishes as the bitterness increased.

Level 5: Matcha flavor amplified that leaves your mouth with an aftertaste of bitterness. I also liked that the sweetness was not as noticeable. Recommended for matcha addicts but not for any average matcha lovers.

My favorite was level 4 to 5, but of course, different people will have different preferences. My girlfriend preferred level 4 and 5.

As for the Creme Brulee crepe cake, it was pretty much like a creme brulee in a layered custard crepe cake with the Brulee on top. The texture of their Crepe Cakes are similar to Lady M but shorter in height. I like that their crepe layer has the perfect thickness and not being overly thin. There's still a good mouthfeel to it with the perfect ratio of cream layers in between.

For some odd reason, the Chinese community has a thing for crepe cakes where they purse the crepe layer being so ridiculously thin that it becomes unnoticeable. The crepe cake dessert shops that the Chinese community prefers here include Berry Good (in Richmond) and Cake Bae (at Dunbar). I've tried Berry Good but I really didn't like the lack of mouthfeel. You might as well just buy a can of whipping cream and just directly spray it into your mouth in that case...

From a reliable source, Cake Bae is similar to Berry Good and it's also very expensive, so I think I'll pass.

Another crepe cake that I've tried at Lotus was the 64% dark chocolate crepe cake. It's rich and smooth and still has a good level of sweetness to it. It's good but I personally like my chocolates at 70% t0 75% dark. Whether it be matcha or chocolate, the strong bitterness takes over the sweetness which is perfect for a weak dessert eater like me. As you can probably tell by now, I don't like my desserts being overly sweet. (I'd say I have a sweet tooth that lies in between a Caucasian and a Chinese? Which is more or less having a Persian sweet tooth. East Indian Sweet tooth is out of the question. It's wayyy too sweet for me. haha. )

Next time, I'd like to come back to try their rose lychee and matcha Crepe cake. Their blue Earl grey is also interesting :)

P.S - I normally find desserts at $9 + pretty expensive here, but crepe cake is one dessert I wouldn't mind paying at this price point because it's time-consuming and labor intensive to make at home. So before you complain about their price point, try making a crepe cake at home first!

📍Location: Richmond || Burnaby

💵 Price: $12 🍰; $7 🍨 or $15 for the sampler

🤤 Taste: 4.9 / 5

🕯Atmosphere: 5

🪑Seating: 2.5

📈 Price Performance ratio: 4.8 / 5

Retention Rate: 100%

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕤:

🍨 They’ve got a strong Matcha game going on

🍨 the strongest matcha flavored ice cream I’ve had in Vancouver. Even better than the 🍨 from Matcha Maiko or Tsujiri ☺️

🍨 the sampler has 5 levels of Matcha intensity. 1st level is the mildest and 5th is the strongest. The matcha flavor from the 1st level was still noticeable but marginally sweeter

🍰 they make the best crepe cakes in Vancouver IMO. I know some people prefer the paper-thin crepes resulting in a nearly unnoticeable crepe layer... but that’s just like eating whipping cream. You might as well just buy a can of whipping cream then.

🍰 we tried the creme brûlée crepe cake and it was delicious. Perfect crepe to whipped cream ratio. The top had the caramelized crust and it was slightly crunchy 👌🏼

🍰 I also tried their durian and 65% chocolate dark chocolate crepe cake before and they were also lovely.

🍰 their desserts aren’t too sweet

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤:

🍰 nothing to complain about atm

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

🍰 I find desserts at $10+ range expensive here in Vancouver but not for crepe cakes. It’s very labor intensive and time consuming to make each of those layers, so I’m happy to pay

🍰 Looks like most of you are matcha addicts and prefer the slightly bitter aftertaste from the matcha ice cream 🥰 I also prefer level 4 - 5 intensity

🍨 their ice cream reminds me of the ones from Japan ❤️

🚨🍨 Note: only the Burnaby location sells ice cream

604: J Squared Ice Cream (Richmond)

Came here to mark my territory since everyone has been highly praising this place. According to my research, the most popular flavored is the Shanghai Fog (Jasmine Tea), Japanese Black Sesame, Thai Tea, and Oolong Tea.

I chose the Shanghai Fog and the Oolong Tea since they are more unique flavors. As a tea lover myself, I prefer my sweets and drinks with a bit of bitterness.

I find that the tea flavored was drowned in the Oolong ice cream. I couldn't tell what flavor it was until I had a bite into the Shanghai Fog to identify which was which. I buy a lot of Oolong Tea from 7 Eleven in Hong Kong so I am not foreign to the taste of Oolong. It should be stronger than green tea but less powerful than black tea. It has a woodsy flavor with the first sip being bitter but finishes off with a sweet note. I could taste none of that from their Oolong Ice cream.

On the other hand, their Shanhai Fog was quite refreshing. It's scented with a delicate sweet perfume aroma with subtle notes of floral flavor. I liked it but would still prefer it to be a tad stronger.

Overall, their ice cream was smooth and had the right amount of sweetness. I have no complaints with the serving sizes either. Pretty big scoops in my opinion.

Now, as per my follow up research, it seems like their Thai milk tea has the same problem. Some people complained that it wasn't strong enough, but the black sesame was potent. I probably wouldn't come back for a second try, but if I do, I'll give the black sesame a chance.

So far, my favorite tea flavored ice cream is from: @lotuscakeboutique for their green tea 🍨 @tenrensteahongkong (天仁茗茶）from Hong Kong for their Tie Guan Yin (鐵觀音）ice cream. I believe Ten Ren's was originated from Taiwan so they have stores in Taiwan as well.

📍 Location: Here

Menu: Here

💵 Price: $5.50 - 7.50 🍨 || $11.50 per pint

🤤Taste: 3.5 / 5

🕯Atmosphere: NA

🪑Seating: NA

📈 Price Performance ratio: 4.8 / 5

Retention Rate: 🧐 possibly for the black sesame (heard it's potent)

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕤:

🍨 not too sweet

🍨 reasonably priced

🍨 big scoop

🍨 Shanghai Fog: tea flavor was present but could be stronger. This was refreshing

🍨 Oolong: tea flavor was drowned. I had a hard time identifying the Oolong flavor

🍨 used green products 💯

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤:

🍨 the tea flavor isn’t strong enough for me🥺

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

🍨 Their tea flavored ice cream is probably suitable for the general crowd, but for a tea lover like me, I prefer my tea flavored drinks or sweets with a bit of bitterness. So this is a bit weak for me

🍨 Japanese black sesame is another popular one here as per my research

🍨 so far, my favorite tea flavored ice cream is from: @lotuscakeboutique for their green tea 🍨 @tenrensteahongkong (天仁茗茶）from Hong Kong for their Tie Guan Yin (鐵觀音）🍨 😍

604: Au Comptoir (Vancouver)

So I had a theme for my birthday this year. Since I can't travel to Paris, I decided to bring Paris to me. I did a lot of research before selecting this restaurant. I also called several times to make sure that they will have the Mille Feuille. But man there are so many obstacles. First I could hardly understand their English on the phone, but that means that this restaurant is operated by French people and you know this is authentic! There's also a ban on indoor dining, but I had a good feeling that by June they will remove the restriction, and I was right. The worker there told me that they don't take reservations, and they only sell Mille Feuille on Fridays. So I purposely planned a day off on Friday to celebrate with a friend.

When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the limited patio dining tables outside their restaurant facing a busy street. While we were waiting for our table, the buses would occasionally make a stop to offload passengers right in front of the restaurant. With the traffic and noise, I definitely wouldn't want to eat outside. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. The inside of the restaurant was quite fancy with a cocktail bar on one side and seating booths on the other side with large mirrors hanging above it.

As soon as I settled down, I asked the waiter if I could reserve a piece of mille feuille. In a heavy French-English accent, the waiter said that they do not have that. I was devastated... but when I peered over my right shoulder, I saw a tall dessert showcase right next to our table with at least a dozen mille feuille in it. I then figured that the waiter did not understand my poor French...

When the waiter returned, we ordered the braised lamb and a duck leg confit for the main, and then I pointed at the mille feuille from the showcase to reserve a piece.

The duck leg was seared to perfection. The skin was crispy while the meat is leathery with a palatable chew. The texture of the meat isn't moist and tender, but a drier texture that resembles a bit like jerky strips with parts of the edge being crusty. The deep flavor and the fibery texture only tell me that this duck leg has been cured with salt and seasoning before submerging the leg in duck fat. This also explains why the duck skin was extra crispy too. In the process of curing, it draws out the moisture from the meat which enhances the flavor. The skin is also dehydrated which yields to a crispier skin when it's cooked and baste with its own rendered fat. I have full respect for the chef who prepared this using the traditional French cooking technique rather than cutting corners using sous vide, a widely used method in restaurants these days to save time. It's not the same. Sous vide results in a soft and tender texture but you will never have the same enhanced meaty flavor without curing it. The duck sauce added an extra touch to this dish with the perfect amount of condiments that did not rob away the flavor of the duck meat. With just one bite, it tells a story about the cooking techniques and the preparation behind this meal.

With the braised lamb, frankly, I wasn't as impressed as the duck leg. It was ultra gamey, and even for a lamb lover myself, the pungent smell was a teeny bit overwhelming. So I wouldn't recommend it for the general crowd. However, the texture of the meat was fall off the bone tender.

The mille feuille was the highlight of my meal. I do love my sweets and mille feuille is one of my favorite desserts, so I'm probably a little bias. I liked the strong vanilla fragrance in the smooth custard, and the puff pastry was somewhat flakey and crispy. The puff pastry is a bit greasy though and it tasted like the packaged ones I buy from Trader Joes. So I had some marks docked off for the pastry layers as it's nothing out of the ordinary. I prefer the puff pastry from Foret Noire, but I really like the custard from this restaurant. If only I can combine them together...

The lemon tart was also excellent. It had the perfect tang with the sweet. The lemon flavor really stood out and I liked the crust holding the lemon curd. It's more like a shortbread type of crust instead of a flaky one. It's harder but it crumbles in your mouth. I can't comment on the merguine decorated nicely on top, as I generally am not a fan of it. It's usually too sweet for me (and for my friend too) so we scraped it off.

Overall, everything was executed perfectly and you could tell a lot of careful planning and preparation were involved. What a great place to fine dine during lunch or brunch! I would want to come back to try out their breakfast or dinner menu in the future.

📍 Location: Here

Menu: Breakfast || Brunch || Lunch || Dinner || Dessert

💵 Price: $ 25 - $35 pp for lunch (excluding 🍷🍰) || $40 - $60 pp for dinner (excluding 🍷🍰)

🤤Taste: 4.5 / 5

🕯Atmosphere: 4.5

🪑Seating: 4

📈 Price Performance ratio: 4.8 / 5

Retention Rate: 100%

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕤:

🍴 excellent service

🍴carries a lot of classic French dishes

🍴 the confit duck leg was seared to perfection using real cooking techniques and not sous vide.

🍴the lamb meat was fall off the bone tender

🍴has amazing desserts

🍴I love the custard from the mille feuille. It has a strong vanilla fragrance

🍴The lemon tart has the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. The crust resembles a shortbread cookie. It's buttery and it crumbles with a bite (not the flaky kind)

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤:

🍴 the braised lamb was really gamey which I'm okay with. I think it would be too much for the general crowd

🍴Don't take reservations

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

🍴love everything about this place. Especially the Mille Feuille 😍

🍴 they only carry the Mille Feuille on Fridays

🍴 can't comment on the merguine. I scraped it off from the lemon tart (I don't like merguine in general cause it's usually too sweet)