Vita Bella Ristorante

Restaurant: Vita Bella Ristorante

Cuisine: Italian/West Coast
Last visited: February 4, 09
Area: Burnaby, BC
4544 Hastings Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 4.5

Ambiance: 3.5

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Specializes in Italian cuisine with West Coast flare
• Italian husband and wife operation - Chef Leonardo Moschetti
  
• Local BC seafood
• Extensive wine list – Italian/BC wines
• Friendly, family owned service
• Attracts locals/neighbourhood/ages 45+
• Affordable/casual fine dining
• Spacious/comfortable
• Old Italian tradition music
• $9.98 Take-out pasta specials
• $25 3 course menu (Sun-Thurs)
• Vegetarian/Gluten free options
• Charges $1 for hot water
• Minimum $15/person
• May be surcharge for split orders
• Dinner only – from 5pm
• Closed Tuesday
• Dine in/Take out
• Cash/Visa/MC/Debit

**Recommendation: Linguine Fumante, Zampina (more so because you can’t get it anywhere else)

Vita Bella Italian Ristorante has been around for 4 years and they specialize in Italian cuisine with West Coast flare. However taking a look at their menu I thought the items were on the whole Italian with minor West Coast influences in a couple of their sauces such as orange cranberry compote and cranberry vinaigrette.

Chef Leonardo Moschetti (husband/owner/chef) is born and trained in Bari Italy (Southern Italy) and continued his training in Vancouver (hence the West Coast flare). For me the food was more Northern Italian with Southern influences. Everything was homemade but also quite hearty and rich which is not common of Southern Italian cooking. The food was really good however it left me quite thirsty because of the richness and saltiness.

It was actually really nice because near closing time he actually came out of the kitchen to meet and greet every table for that evening. It was such a nice touch and it made the experience so much warmer. Vita Bella Ristorante serve great food at reasonable portions and prices compared to downtown. It’s family owned affordable fine dining.

On this occasion I was joined by fashion blogger Nicole. We were supposed to come here a month ago, but realized it was closed on Tuesday so ended up at El Inka Deli instead. We ordered a whole crap load of food and ended up finishing everything. We shocked the staff and even ourselves…we were even contemplating another dessert but my tights were starting to dig…

On the table:

Complimentary Freshly Baked Foccacia 4/6

• With balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
• They serve it complimentary, but it's also an appetizer for $3
• The Foccacia was served warm and it was lightly toasted and quite fluffy with lots of flavour from fresh basil, black pepper, oregano and a little bit of melted butter. The bread is good.
• The olive oil they served it with was not good – 1/6. It looked rich and flavourful, but it wasn’t at all – they need a better quality/brand.

**Veal & Beef Sausage "Zampina" 4/6

• House made, grilled atop tomato caper Bruschetta $20
• The zampina sausage is supposed to be one of their specialties. It’s a homemade traditional Southern Italian sausage. This is the only Italian restaurant I’ve ever seen it serve at, so I would recommend trying it because it is authentic.
• The zampina is made with minced veal, beef and some chopped sun dried tomatoes and some dried herbs. I felt like there were some jarred pimento peppers or pecorino in there too. It’s very slightly spicy and tastes mainly like minced beef.
• It actually reminded us of those Chinese sausages – it was a bit dry in texture and the meats were really lean so it wasn’t a juicy type of sausage. I actually liked eating the sausage by itself rather than with the Bruschetta.
• The Bruschetta was loaded with toppings such as tomatoes, capers, red onion, basil and green onion. It ended up making the bread soggy and a crostini mght have been better.
• There was a strong smoked salmon taste and I think they put little pieces in it and it wasn’t necessary. There were too many flavours going on and the smoked salmon taste was a bit overpowering and it took over the sausage. It was a bit salty too because there were so many big capers in it.
• The focaccia was also burnt and I could taste the bitterness.
  
• I could have used more balsamic reduction, they used it for décor, but the sweetness and tang made the dish better.

Gnudi 3/6

• House made ricotta cheese gnudi tossed with roasted peppers, butter and fresh sage $20
• I asked to order it as an appetizer and it was $12 which is a bit steep for the 4 we got. I think $10 would have been more reasonable, but it was a special request so I didn’t really mind.

• As an appetizer 3/6 as a main 2/6 because it would be too rich and I’d get sick of it before I’d finish it.
• Gnudi is basically a big version of gnocchi. They’re very fresh, handmade and were almost like ricotta stuffed ravioli.
• It’s really soft, almost like pizza dough or very soft bread stick. It’s very creamy and there’s a lot of ricotta stuffing so it’s very rich, filling and hearty.
• They served it with a sage butter sauce but all I could taste was melted butter. They needed more sage, I couldn't see or taste any.
• They serve it with pepperonatta which are sweet red pimento peppers cooked in olive oil, garlic and butter. I needed way more of this though because there wasn’t enough for the 4 pieces. The tangy sweetness helped to break up the creamy gnudi and gave it more flavour.
• I’ve had something similar at Lupo Resaurant + Vinoteca: The Ricotta Gnocchi – they’re not really comparable though.

**Linguine Fumante 6/6

• House smoked duck breast, sun dried tomatoes, assorted mushrooms in Grand Marnier demi-glaze cream sauce, drizzled with truffle oil $18
• Ding! Ding! Ding! This is the one. This was the star of the night and this is the one I would recommend and come back for myself.
• The duck is a star anise hickory smoked locally grown Fraser Valley heritage duck. It almost tasted like ham or bacon! It looks like the only give you a little, but it’s actually a lot when you start eating it.
• The duck skin tastes like those skins on European wieners – they almost snap back. I liked it!
• Since it’s smoked it’s not as juicy or sweet as duck can be. It was still good though.
• The sauce was a rich duck demi-glaze and it was delicious! It tasted like duck gravy drippings with a red wine reduction and then cream. I couldn’t tell it was Grand Marnier. It was so creamy and rich in flavour I loved it. It was surprisingly thick and sticky, very well reduced, so it stuck to the pasta very well.
• The pasta was cooked perfectly – al dente! People may think it’s undercooked, but it’s not! If you go to Italy they cook their pastas for 6-7min not 8-9min.
• The dish was delicious overall. I could smell the truffle oil and they used more than I thought they would! It was delicious with lots of juicy strips of mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. The sun dried tomatoes should be cut a bit thinner though because at times they were overpowering and very salty and tangy. A little goes a long way…

BC Golden Trout 4.5/6

• Rolled in mascarpone cheese and toasted almonds, in lemon cream sauce $21
• All seafood entrées served with risotto and seasonal vegetables. All seafood is from local BC waters.
• This was another rich and hearty entrée. It was even richer than the ricotta gnudi and that says a lot! The richness came from the sauce and the mascarpone cheese stuffing.
• It was a big piece of boneless trout with the skin on so there was a lot of flavour. However the skin wasn’t crispy which really bothered me because it was a bit slimy and didn’t go with the texture of the creamy stuffing.

  

• There is so much stuffing in this trout and it was almost pure mascarpone cheese! It was so rich and thick and it was actually hard to swallow, but it was really good! It had a lemon flavour and was ultra creamy…it was almost like eating a fluffy lemony melted cream cheese with salmon.

  

• The toasted almonds were ground up in the mascarpone cheese stuffing but I couldn’t taste them at all. They were the size of rice so it came off as uncooked rice or even fish bones. I think they should crust the trout with slivered almonds, or instead of almonds use pine nuts in the stuffing. It would have been a better match as the nuttiness was masked by Mascarpone.
• The lemon cream sauce was almost like a béarnaise sauce or a hollandaise sauce. It was really thick and rich and I could definitely taste the fresh lemon in this as well. It was quite tangy, almost like it had sour cream. As good as it was, I think a lighter sauce might have been nice since the mascarpone stuffing was so thick and rich already. To put it into perspective, after the mascarpone stuffing the buttery lemon cream sauce comes off as light!
• The veggies were tender and grilled with a little olive oil. They actually had a smokey flavour to them as well.

Saffron Risotto 4/6

• It could have been creamier, but the flavour was there. This was a super cheesy risotto with lots of parmesan cheese. It was actually stringy instead of creamy and came off as sticky rice or even mac and cheese. It was still really good though. I like the texture of the saffron risotto at Lupo Resaurant + Vinoteca better, but the flavour of this one was stronger.

Dessert

House Special Tiramisu 2.5/6

• Traditional Italian cheesecake made with savoiardi biscuits soaked in our secret mixture of espresso and liqueurs, layered with creamy mascarpone filling and dusted with pure Dutch cocoa $8
• The piece was fair but for $8 I think it’s a bit steep. It was worth $6-7 for me.
• It was obviously premade and sitting in the fridge…which isn’t the part that bothers me. But if you’re going to do this then you have to dust the cocoa powder on last minute before serving otherwise it actually looks like it’s been sitting in the fridge! That bothers me.

  

• I couldn’t taste the Rum or the espresso. Real tiramisu should use espresso and not a mixture of espresso and liquors – it came across as sweet syrup, so it wasn’t a “sophisticated” Tiramisu – although not bad either.
• The Mascarpone was creamy but not thick enough and it came across as whipped cream almost. They also didn't use enough and the middle layer was too thin.
• The Savoiardi biscuits were soaked quite nicely and it was a very moist Tiramisu, but I really missed the richness of the Mascarpone – which is weird because they used so much of it for the BC Golden Trout.

Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca – Desserts

Restaurant: Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca – Dessert Review

Cuisine: Italian/Pacific Northwest/Casual fine dining
Last visited: January 16, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
869 Hamilton Street
Price Range: $20-30 (for entrée)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 Dessert: 4
Service: 5

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Located in historical Victorian house
• Executive chef Julio Gonzalez Perini
• Italian chef
• Specializes in Italian
• Italian with West Coast influence
• Extensive wine list
• Casual fine dining
• Clean menu, nice selection
• Home made desserts
• Great presentation on the whole
• Very friendly service
• Cozy, intimate atmosphere
• Great for parties, private rooms available
• Dinner from 5pm
• 5-6:15pm 3 course set menus $28/$38 available

**Recommendation: Braised Beef Short Ribs, Lamb Ossobucco, Panettone Bread Pudding, Tiramisu

I came to Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca for dinner and obviously I had to order dessert. I rarely skip dessert – it’s too important to my daily diet.

This review focuses just on the dessert; I posted the dinner review here. The dessert was either really good or really not so good. Everything was made in house and the presentation was really nice. They have seasonal dessert specials, but I know the tiramisu is permanent. The only dessert I didn’t try was the crème brulee.

On the table:

**Tiramisu 4.5/6

• About $7
• This is a pretty good tiramisu, but also not the best I’ve had. I think I need to do a hunt for the best Tiramisu in Vancouver one day.
• Anyways the mascarpone cream was right on. Not too sweet, rich, creamy, and I could taste the mascarpone without it being overpowering.
• The “cake” layer was lady fingers and they were soaked perfectly. They still kept their sponge cake like texture and I tasted more espresso than Rum flavour.
• The top layer of mascarpone was fine, but the bottom layer of mascarpone was looking a bit thin. It started to taste a bit dry because it was more cake than cream.
• Overall it was a quality Tiramisu, and even though it was very good, I also don’t think I will remember it in a week.
  
• I wanted more cocoa powder on top too.

**Panettone Bread Pudding 6/6

• About $7
• The best of the 3 desserts. This was very creative and smart. An Italian style bread pudding.
• Very moist and baked perfectly. It was a dome of Panettone bread pudding and it was soft in texture. The raisins were plump and plentiful and the dried fruits like candied orange and lemon and they weren’t too hard or fake tasting.
• The ice cream was very rich and ultra creamy…it almost tasted like a quadruple whipped cream ice cream. Very decadent. I think they should serve it with a mascarpone ice cream, which would be over the top good with the Panettone!
• Don’t let that wafer curl fool you. When you break it it’s very crispy, but then you bite it and it’s not crispy. It’s almost stale and chewy – I would much rather have a crispy wafer and it was quite deceiving. It tastes almost like a soft thin fortune cookie wafer, with a slight almond taste.

Toasted Pound Cake with Pears 1.5/6

• About $7
• This was not impressive and way too simple. It was a very small slice of regular pound cake that was toasted – it wasn’t dry, but the edges were crispy. I’m not sure how they did that actually. But the taste still wasn’t impressive although I’m curious about the method.
• The pears were very hard and not tender at all. I think they may have been poached in red wine, but the crunchiness was so distracting I couldn’t tell. They definitely were not caramelized enough.
• The ice cream was the best part – it was very tangy and light and I think it could have been a sour cream or crème fraiche gelato or sorbet.
• I didn't get a picture of the chocolate souffle, but it's the one in the back behind the Panettone bread pudding.

Chocolate Souffle 1.5/6

• About $7
• Soufflé is French not Italian.
• The soufflé should have been served in a soufflé dish and not on a plate and not with hazelnut gelato either. It was too heavy for a soufflé and they needed something like a cream l’anglaise. I love ice cream too, so for me to say this…it’s a big deal.
• They compared it to a molten lava cake, but I wouldn’t. It’s not a rich dense brownie that’s half cooked with a melted chocolate centre.
• It’s a soufflé, but it came across as an undercooked sponge cake. The problem with this one was that it was very soggy and a bit mushy and the chocolate taste was very light.

Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca

Restaurant: Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca

Cuisine: Italian/Pacific Northwest/Casual fine dining
Last visited: January 16, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
869 Hamilton Street
Price Range: $20-30 (for entrée)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 5

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Located in historical Victorian house
• Executive chef Julio Gonzalez Perini
• Italian chef
• Specializes in Italian
• Italian with West Coast influence
• Extensive wine list
• Casual fine dining
• Clean menu, nice selection
• Home made desserts
• Great presentation on the whole
• Very friendly service
• Cozy, intimate atmosphere
• Great for parties, private rooms available
• Dinner from 5pm
• 5-6:15pm 3 course set menus $28/$38 available

**Recommendation: Hard to say – I liked parts of each dish. Ideally it would be braised pork cheeks on soft mascarpone polenta…which is a combination of 2 entrees. I’ll have to recommend the braised beef short ribs, and the lamb shank ossobucco is popular too. I’m very curious about the chicken; it’s supposed to be amazing. For dessert: Panettone Bread Pudding, Tiramisu

Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca recently reopened. The restaurant was originally Villa Del Lupo Restaurant but they went through some new owner and also had to reinvent themselves. Rather than catering to the $50+ clientele they are targeting to a $30-40 crowd and hoping for a more casual atmosphere. As much as they’re trying to revamp themselves it still feels intimate, cozy and slightly pretentious, although the service is not at all. Good thing! It’s almost impossible to leave this “cozy/intimate” atmosphere because the restaurant is in a historical Victorian house from 1905. I felt like I was walking into someone’s house for dinner, it reminds me of Mis Trucos on Davie, but more upscale.

It’s supposed to be serving traditional Italian food (what I was told), but the menu looks more West Coast Italian to me. The main ingredient in each dish is Italian, but there’s still some creativity and small global influences to it. I was more impressed with the service and presentation than I was with the food. The food was good, but it sounded better and I don’t think any of it reached its full potential. Everything was missing a note and parts of every dish had something going for it, but no dish on the whole was outstanding - it was quite good though. I would come again, but I also wouldn’t chose to come again.

My dessert post

On the table:

Ricotta Gnocchi 4/6

• Braised pork cheeks and porcini mushroom “sugo” $14/19 (14 appetizer size, but quite big)
• The pork cheeks were the tenderest meat out of lamb shank ossobucco and braised beef short ribs. It was really juicy tender and soft which just a thin layer of fat around the edges. Even as an appetizer it came with 2 cheeks which was a great surprise.
• The sauce was “sugo” almost like a ragout made with stewed tomatoes and mushrooms. The sauce was very simple in flavour and tasted mainly like tomatoes so it was quite tangy and one dimensional in flavour. I wanted to taste some red wine and some meaty flavour like beef stock.
• The mushrooms were very slippery and very soft. I didn’t feel like the mushroom flavour cooked into the sauce though.
• The gnocchi wasn’t a traditional gnocchi. The concept was there and I was really excited about it, but it sounds better than it was. I couldn’t taste the potato, and if I paid close attention I could taste the ricotta, but if I didn’t I could have forgotten it was in there. The ricotta made the texture a little more mushy and soft than typical gnocchi is. They also put some minced flat leaf Italian parsley and minced carrot into the ricotta potato mixture. It was quite flavourful, but I didn’t warm up to the texture.
• This may be getting a bit picky, but the gnocchi was inconsistent in terms of size. They were very oddly shaped and it might be because the ricotta made for an overly soft dough.
• They were also missing the fork indents so it’s didn’t pick the sauce up as well as it could have.
  

Risotto 3/6

• Seasonal wild mushrooms and garlic confit $16/20
• The biggest issue with this was the size and plating. The ricotta gnocchi as an appetizer looked the same size and was probably more filling than the mushroom risotto as a main dish size.
• It was served on a plate and I think it should have been served in a deeper dish. I wasn’t too impressed with the plating which is unfortunate because everything else was plated well.
• This wasn’t my dish, but I did get to try it. Based on my sample I wasn’t too impressed. I’d be really disappointed if I ordered it because at $20 it was really small and I’d still be hungry. Not just me too, anyone would.
• The price comes from the fact that this dish is loaded with mushrooms. The mushrooms are great, juicy and plentiful, but the rice is still hard. The texture could have been creamier and I felt like it was rushed.
• It also needed some truffle oil, which would have enhanced everything.

Lamb Shank Ossobucco 3.5/6

• Lamb shank ossobucco with lemon saffron risotto $20
• This has been an item on the menu for 20+ years. It’s the only item that has carried on from the old menu and it’s one of their most popular entrees.
• The presentation is lovely with mini scoops of zucchini and carrots – talk about fine details to plating.
• The lamb was coated with a simple tangy tomato sauce and it was tender but it could have been tenderer. It wasn’t falling off the bone and it still required some kni fe and fork action. The lamb also had a slight gamey taste at the end, it’s wasn’t too strong, but I’m really sensitive to that taste and I could taste it.
• The lemon saffron risotto was creamy but the rice was still hard again. It tasted like exactly what it sounds like so the recipe was quite simple. It was tangy and I could taste both ingredients, but not much of anything else. I could have used more parmesan cheese to give it more flavour. It maybe could have used some peas too, to give it some texture.

**Braised Beef Short Ribs 4/6

• Braised beef short ribs with soft mascarpone polenta $24
• It was really good, but could have been better. The au jus was the problem for me.
• The braised beef was boneless and very lean with little bits of juicy fat around the edges. It wasn’t chewy either.
• The meat was very tender but not necessarily juicy (except for the fatty parts) because there weren’t many spices or seasonings if any.
• The braised beef had more fat than the pork cheeks yet the pork cheeks were most tender out of the 3 meat entrees. The braised beef still shred away with a fork, but still not as easily as the pork cheek.
• The mascarpone polenta had a great texture and I loved the ultra creaminess. It’s creamier than the risotto. The problem was I couldn’t taste the mascarpone – even keeping in mind mascarpone has a very mild flavour. It was almost like mashed potatoes, but less starchy and it has a mealy (like polenta is) in texture. I really liked it though – just missing the cheese factor.

  

• The gravy they served it with also wasn’t very reduced. It was actually very salty and tasted like over salted beef au jus. At first I did not like the runny texture of the gravy, however with the polenta as the starch it worked well. If you let the polenta absorb the au jus then the mascarpone flavour completely disappears even more than it did before. The sauce was very overpowering and didn’t enhance the dish.
• On top of the short rib was a crispy piece of pancetta. I think it’s deep fried, but I didn’t like it. It was salty, and it looks nice, but it has the texture of egg shells.
• If the gravy is going to be like this then they need to serve it in a deeper dish so that the polenta can absorb the sauce. They should have served it like my Roasted Duck Leg at The Irish Heather.
• Again it had nice presentation, but hard for me to capture.
  

I didn't forget the dessert...yes there is always room...;)

Boulangerie Cho Pain - Review 2

Restaurant: Boulangerie Cho Pain - Review 2

Cuisine: Bakery/Desserts/Breads/French
Last visited: January 6, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West end)
1165 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 3

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Authentic Parisian bakery - operated by French people with cute accents!
• French baker/pastry chefs
• Offers 125+ classic European breads and rolls
• Some breads and pastries prepared daily, but not all
• Small selection of savoury snacks available: quiche/homemade sandwiches
• Espresso/lattes available – supplier: 49^th Parallel
• Few tables and chairs for sit down
• Casual/self-serve atmosphere
• Pastries to go
• Daily specials
• Closed Monday

**Recommendation: Gateau Basque, Paris Brest Hazelnut Choux, Almond Croissant, Hazelnut & Cream Slice

So I’ve been to Boulangerie Cho Pain on a few occasions and I try something new every time. I want a better idea of what they’re serving so I can keep my reviews as updated as possible. I mean a restaurant can go uphill or downhill so I want to give a fair review because a lot can happen in a few months…or even days.

I still really like Boulangerie Cho Pain, but not as much as when I first tried them. Everything is still good, but the more I try the more I find it is “very good” instead of “excellent”…hence why I gave the food 4.5 instead of 5 like I did on my last review for it.

I came in the late afternoon and stayed for a couple hours. Within that time I couldn’t smell any baked goods, but I could see some being made. Everything in the display case is quite professional, but their daily features like: cookies, truffles, and banana bread are quite home style and simple. It’s important to remember it’s not a gourmet bakery, but it’s still very French in the sense that it has authentic French recipes and effortless style and charm.

My 1^st review for Boulangerie Cho Pain

On the table:

Hazelnut & Cream Slice 5/6

• I don’t have the exact description but it’s layers of hazelnut cake, hazelnut cream topped with chocolate hazelnut chocolate ganache $3.95
• I really enjoyed this cake. It is a dessert of course, but I could enjoy it as a tea cake or snack because it was so light and not that sweet. It was a perfect tea time cake.
• There’s a lot of hazelnut flavourings in it and it’s very distinct. They really used it in every layer of the cake so it was well incorporated into every bite.
• The edges have these caramelized hazelnut praline crumbs, but they’re very soft and not hard at all. I wish they had used them for the top too.
• The chocolate ganache topping had a nice marbleized design, but I wasn’t a fan of it. Since it was in the display case and chilled it was a bit hard for my liking. It wasn’t brittle, but it wasn’t delicate enough for me. The layer was just a bit thick and I was chewing it because it didn’t melt well. It tasted like a milk chocolate ganache and I would have preferred a dark bittersweet chocolate to match the hazelnut.
• The cream was almost like a hazelnut mousse. It was very light and not too sweet at all. I’m pretty sure it’s the same mousse they use in their Paris Brest Hazelnut Choux.
• The cake part was delicious and had finely ground hazelnuts incorporated into the batter. It was more like a tea cake than it was a cupcake batter. It had a very crumbly texture because of the hazelnut crumbs too.
• Like the Paris Brest Hazelnut Choux it reminded me of a Ferraro Rocher, however this cake was much lighter and not as rich as the Paris Brest…although neither are that sweet. This cake you could enjoy as a afternoon snack, whereas the Paris Brest Hazelnut Choux is a real dessert.
• If you want to attempt something like this at home, I did make Almond Hazelnut Cupcakes that tasted very similar to this.
  
• 

Tiramisu 2.5/6

• I don’t have their description, but I’ll assume we all know what it is and have tried it at one point or another $3.95
• I wasn’t a big fan of their tiramisu because it was a bit too sweet.
• Similar to the Tiramisu from Sweet Obsessions Boulagerie Cho Pain used a cake layer instead of lady fingers for the bottom layer of the Tiramisu. However they did use actually lady fingers for the middle layer.
• The Rum and espresso was very apparent because the entire bottom layer of cake was completely soaked with this syrup. The lady fingers were also dipped almost completely in the syrup as well. It was it a bit too sweet so I think they put a lot of sugar in this Rum/espresso. When I poked my fork into the cake some of the liquid syrup would come out because the bottom cake layer was holding too much of it. Literally like a sponge with too much water.
• The wetness of the tiramisu made the whole thing very soft. It was quite creamy however they didn’t used enough mascarpone for me. The layers of mascarpone cream were mixed with some espresso too I think. It had a pale brownish colour rather than a pale yellow or cream colour.
• The topping was whipped cream and chocolate shavings instead of mascarpone cream and cocoa. There is a little cocoa powder but mainly chocolate shavings. I didn’t mind that part, but I did mind the whipped cream. I don’t like whipped cream on tiramisu because I think it “cheapens” it…it definitely saves cost though. The whipped cream is made in house and it’s not very sweetened. They used too much on this tiramisu too so I really think the mascarpone flavour was lost.