#53 made in paris
i was looking for a cake for aldhyan and i’m the kind of person that does not like to buy the same cake from the same place (think ganache, sweet e’s, etc). i then stumbled on the faubourg website and looked at how their cakes were displayed. however, there are only individual cakes displayed in the website. it is so eye-catching that i called the bakery immediately to ask them for their 6″ cakes. i talked to a receptionist with a strong european accent. even though i couldn’t understand her accent and kept asking her to repeat what she was saying, she was very patient and apologetic. she described the 3 6″ cakes they had in great details and thus, i ordered the charlotte cake.
first published on: 6th April 2011; last updated on: 5th june 2011.
faubourg
2156 West 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
(604) 266-2156
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i came from UBC to the bakery with gigi to collect the cake and boy, was i amazed by the classy exterior and interior of the bakery. the exquisite cakes are displayed on the surrounding glass plate, just like thomas haas. after gigi told the owner that i review food, the owner was so nice to me. it’s so funny because she called thrice during the day to confirm my order and was quite pushy.
6″ charlotte cake – CAN$35
(inclusive of tips & tax; CAN$32 exclusive; CAN$33+ inclusive of tax)
it is the first time that i tried a charlotte cake and it looks appealing tastes orgasmic. the cake has a vanilla creamy base and is surrounded by lady finger and topped with fresh berries. gigi commented that it is too sweet but the rest highly recommend it and even asked me where i got the cake from.
ratings: 5/5★
[EDITED]
UPDATED ON 19TH OF APRIL 2011
since it was pendy’s birthday and i did not manage to head to his huge surprise the night before due to exams, i decided to get the mini lemon tart and the triple chocolate tower with janet for him. the total cost a total of CAN$11.20 inclusive of tax.
we surprised him at the lobby of irma and dwi’s apartment together with dwi and jenny ! it was such a funny scene. everyone really like the lemon tart and chocolate tower including our lumiere chef, pendy ! the lemon tart is not too sour and the inner filling of lemon is so fresh. it is topped with sugar rims and surrounded by crispy and sweet french pastry. i’m craving for it as i’m writing about it right now. this lemon tart beats capers’ lemon tart anytime !
ratings: 4.5/5★
the chocolate tower had three layers of milk chocolate and chocolate mousse. pendy, being a chocolate lover, found it really so orgasmic. (gotta use this word again because this bakery serves the best cakes !) the person at the cashier told me that this is created for chocolate lovers but i did not find it very concentrated. i like how it is creamy yet light.
ratings: 5/5★
creme brulee
last saturday was our favourite pastor’s birthday so i was thinking of the type of cake to buy for him so since mike suggested creme brulee, i went for it and eliminated ganache because the last time i tried ganache’s creme brulee, it was so disgustingly burnt ! so i decided to try my favourite faubourg and thank goodness, they managed to make a 10″ creme brule (CAN$36 without tax; CAN$40 with tax and tips) for me !
the creme brulee was the biggest i have ever seen in my entire life !! i was mad with the baker for not putting the ” <3 HFAN ” though. that’s my trademark when buying cakes for someone. i was also disappointed that i talked too much with my churchmates until i did not managed to eat the creme brulee that tastes heavenly according to my friends – fine, bella, dicky, vicky, angel, etc.
bella told me that the middle portion was too concentrated though but other than that, it tastes DIVINE !
as for the croissants, dicky was so nice to get it for me. we both like it a lot. he even stated that “it’s crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside” and that “it is the best croissant he has ever tried ! i agree to a large extend !!
ratings: 4/5★
[/EDITED]
[EDITED]
UPDATED ON 5TH OF MAY 2011
anabel asked me and liedia to have high tea together for steph’s birthday so i suggested faubourg since i have never tried their high tea and i heard good reviews about it. so i made reservations with faubourg after anabel agreed. anabel kept mum about the place for so long but i accidentally spilled the bean. steph did not hear it though so she was surprised when we entered the place.
SETTINGS
every single time i enter faubourg to collect the cakes i have ordered, i never see the hidden high tea place they had at the corner. it looks even more elegant than the place where they store the cakes. the lights and clock totally make it feel like i’m in paris. i love how all my pictures turn out so pretty for this visit to faubourg. it must have been the atmosphere and decoration. A+ for the ambiance ! the service was AMAZING as well !! our server was a male, who is so amicable.
all of us ordered the pink afternoon tea set (CAN$25.50), which consisted of a two-tier rectangular high tea set with a teapot with tea of our own choice.
TEA
i had the macro polo, which is a fruity and flowery black tea. it has a tinge of vanilla taste that makes the tea sweet and this is my ultimate favorite tea out of the four that we had ordered.
ratings: 4/5★
the other three girls had the vert fuji-yama, casablanca and vert provence. the vert fuji-yama and vert provence are green teas that taste almost alike to me. i’m such a bad taster for teas. as for the casablanca, it is a blend of both green tea and black tea. it has a tinge of moroccan mint and is bergamot flavored.
BOTTOM TIER
1st picture – we started from the bottom of the tier, which consisted of all the savory mini pastries. the first picture is a mini roast beef sandwich that looks like a mini hamburger. it consist of cucumber and a coriander cream too. i found the roast beef a little dry but the dough of the bread was very well done. it has a shiny crumb texture and a slightly buttery yet sweet taste.
ratings: 2.8/5★
2nd – 3rd pictures – this petite sandwich is pretty unique as it consist of chicken and cube like apples with country ranch dressing. the country ranch dressing tasted like the egg sauce for egg sandwich so all along, i kept thinking i’m consuming an egg sandwich. how silly of me, really ! one fact you gotta know about me is that i really love egg sandwiches so this egg-like sandwich with cube shaped apples is definitely a thumbs UP !
ratings: 3.5/5★
4th – 7th pictures – anabel said that the x factor of high tea is their scones. if their scones ain’t good, the overall high tea experience will be bad. to me, the scone with raisins taste average. i have had better ones. the scones with jam taste much better than the ones with apricot though.
ratings: 2.8/5★
8th – 9th pictures – the smoked salmon sandwich is my favorite sandwich of the day. it has a slice of lettuce with wasabi cream as well. the smoked salmon tasted so refreshing and good. i especially love the shape of the dough and how tasty it is.
ratings: 4.5/5★
TOP TIER
1st to 2nd pictures – the parfait is too sour for my liking. it was liedia’s favorite dessert since she doesn’t like food that is too sweet. as for me, it is totally the opposite. the berries didn’t help to sweeten the parfait but the nuts did.
ratings: 2.5/5★
3rd picture – we had the mini apple cake topped with caramelized apple fruit and icing sugar. the cake itself is quite bland but it has a tinge of cinnamon and nutmeg on it. the caramelized apple fruit adds sweetness to the cake so it complements totally.
ratings: 3/5★
4th and 7th pictures - the fruit souffle was so good !! liedia and steph did not quite fancy it as it was too sweet for their liking so they kept drinking tea to neutralize the flavors. as for me, it was exquisite. it tasted like guava but it should be passionfruit. the consistency was perfect !! for those who do not know, souffle is made out of whipped egg whites into richly seasoned base.
ratings: 4/5★
5th to 6th pictures – the miniature version of the lemon tart i have described in my previous experience at faubourg above. it was still as delicious as i previously tested, no questions asked !
same rating as above.
8th to 9th pictures – the chocolate mousse is silky, foamy, airy and smooth. it is not as rich as other chocolate mousse that i have tasted before so that’s a bonus points for it. that made liedia not detest it as much as the other desserts. it is pretty simple as it is only topped with only one raspberry.
ratings: 4.5/5★
10th picture – the chocolate mousse and parfait were enclosed in tiny glasses, which made it so adorable to take pictures. BOTTOMS UP !
THE BILL
the bill came up to a total of CAN$114.24 so we paid CAN$126 altogether inclusive of tips. anabel, liedia and i paid CAN$42 each as we covered steph’s share for her birthday.
[/EDITED]
[EDITED]
UPDATED ON 5TH OF JUNE 2011
it was irene’s birthday and i wanted to get her a chocolate cake from faubourg but i got the 6″ fruit tart (CAN$33.60) in the end because the server suggested that it is the lightest cake. i ordered the fruit tart via the telephone. i repeated to the person on the line to write ” Happy Bday Irene <3 HFAN ” many times but i was shocked to see it written as ” Happy Birthday <3 Hfan ” when dicky collected the cake for me. i was a little pissed but did not have time to vent my anger out (-1 for services). the cake has orgasmic vanilla filling topped with raspberries and blueberries and covered with shredded coconut and a tinge of chocolate layering. irene really likes it and she was addicted to it. angelia and wt didn’t finish the berries as it is too sour for their liking though. i did not like the berries as well but i ate it anyways. for me, i only enjoyed the shredded coconuts and vanilla filling as the other toppings and layerings are not my cup of tea.
ratings: 2.8/5★
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ACCEPTS CASH/CREDIT CARD/DEBIT CARD
ambiance: 10/10
service: 8.5/10 (deducting 1.5 due to the boss’ calls)
food (taste & appearance): 7.71/10
value: 9/10 (pretty standard price for a 6″ cake but the cake is very value for money !)
total: 8.8/10★
in conclusion, this is one of the best bakeries around that should be checked out ! high tea set is way better than fairmount and tea merchant.
