I must begin this post by saying that aside from breakfast, dessert is my favourite meal. So, when the opportunity to attend a whole event dedicated to Vancouver’s finest in desserts came knocking, I literally jumped for joy.
The dessert festival was hosted by Swallow Tail, who are known for their pop-up restaurants and unique culinary tours. For this specific event, the theme was the retro 50′s (think poodle skirts and slicked back hair). I wish I had been able to snap some shots of the attendees because everyone really was into the spirit of dressing up – it made all the difference in atmosphere!
The brightly lit bar definitely lured me over with all its buzzing activity. Shawm Soole (pictured below) was nominated this year as International Bartender of the Year by Tales Of The Cocktail.
Within seconds our drinks were in our hand and we were ready to munch on more goodies. [side note: I unfortunately lost some of the photos of the event's menus and thus can't recall what precisely was in these drinks.] In short, the bar had a selection of boozy sodas, floats, and milkshakes – all paying tribute to the 50′s malt-shop theme. Since everything was sweet, the citrusy soda worked as a great palette cleanser while I went from station to station. I did find the drinks to be quite pricey for an event like this ($10-$12)..perhaps it would’ve been better to have smaller “sample-sized” drinks. Che Baba Cantina showcased their almond tarts w/ chocolate ganache and fresh raspberry, as well as a few macarons. They made the Myrtle macaron specifically for this event – it was a vivid blue-violet with a spicy scent that reminds me of aromatherapy. These macarons sold-out long before the event ended (they were $1.50 each). The assortment of goodies at Beta 5 Chocolates was definitely a welcome encounter. Not only were their chocolates hand made with great quality and passion, but they weren’t afraid to pursue unique flavors like Tobacco, Imperial Stout, and Olive Oil. [side note: lighting was really funny and didn't end up getting a decent shot of them.] Aside from that, there were also caramels, of which I recommend the Passion Fruit caramel. They weren’t overly chewy and just melted in your mouth. I’ve never had a cream puff that had a crunchy top coat before, so this was a neat surprise and complimented the gooey custard nicely. They reminded me of those Chinese pineapple buns in the best way possible. Just a few days before the event, I dropped by Woodland Smokehouse on Commercial Dr. to grab a pint of Earnest Ice Cream. Ohh man, my faith in ice cream has been restored (I used to work at a gelateria..so nothing else seemed to compare.) The pints have a $1 glass jar deposit. So you can return the jar for your $1, or just keep it. For this specific event, Earnest was serving up some fun sundaes. There were actually 4, but one of them sold out. From left to right, cardamom and candied orange (my favourite of the three), chocolate and sea salt, and vanilla and crushed hazelnuts. Cartems Donuterie had a fully-stocked table worth of donuts (which all disappeared by the time I finished my rounds through the vendors). The Earl Grey Donut has rose petals in them, which was a great collaboration between floral and fruit notes. If you’re a bacon lover, you would have enjoyed these Bourbon and Bacon Donuts (which had a whole bottle of bourbon going into their making.) The palette cleanser was these mint-infused soju shots with salty watermelon. They were pretty good, but I could have used more mint in them. All in all, this event was a great way to learn about local dessert vendors as well as up-and-coming dessert trends in Vancouver. There were some things that sold out before I had a chance to try them. Hopefully all the vendors have learned that there can never be too much dessert, and that preparing for guests with bigger appetites will help with the shortage of goodies. Well then! Good bye cupcakes – hello new era of gourmet donuts, ice cream, chocolates, and pastries!
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