Paul Lafayet

Hong Kongers, we have something to celebrate! I've recently discovered another Ispahan in town! Remember how I got all excited upon discovery of Sift's Ispahan, and begged you to tell me whether other patissiers offered this delicatessen in Hong Kong? Well, about ten days ago, I visited the newly opened shopping mall in Causeway Bay, Hysan Place, to take a look at the new complex and see how I liked it. I loved it, and after only a week since its inauguration, you could already tell the place is going to be a success. I wandered around the shops, Jason's the supermaket, and the mesmerising Eslite bookstore, and then had dinner at Sen-ryo, the Japanese restaurant on the 12th floor. When I was about to go out in the Ground Floor, I saw Paul Lafayet has a tiny store in Hysan Place as well! It's mostly for take away, but there's four seats in the bar. My eyes stumbled upon the Ispahan as if it was magnetised. Paul Lafayet calls it "Rose and Raspberry Macaron", so no "Ispahan" name there, but we all can recognise an Ispahan when we see one. This one doesn't come with the eye-catching details on top, namely a raspberry and a fresh rose petal, but the rest is the same.

I liked the fact that the lychee was sweetened to the point that it lost all sourness. Since I don't like to eat lychee as a fruit, I enjoyed this sweet technique. Overall this Ispahan was delicious and I highly recommend it (5*). On an aesthetic note, I missed the details on top that I mentioned.

As you can see from the pics, we also had the Chocolate Craquelin (5*), a must-try for dark chocolate lovers. I loved everything in this petit-four: intense dark chocolate flavor and the most amazing of all the textures in the base: crispy praline that explodes in your mouth just to melt immediately afterwards.

Overall Quality: 5*

Price: HK$40 per petit-four

Value for Money: 5*

Visited on: 19 August, 2012

Would I recommend it? Yes, chocoholics can't miss out on the Chocolate Craquelin

Sift Patisserie - Wan Chai

After having heard people raving about Sift's cupcakes and claiming Sift's to be THE Red Velvet Cupcake in Hong Kong, I had to go and give it a try.

So last Thursday I made my way to Sift's Patisserie in Wan Chai and got my Red Velvet Cupcake. While in the store, I found out Sift not only has cupcakes but also all sorts of gorgeous petit fours. Well, what was my delightful suprise on this first-ever visit to Sift when I discovered a small tag on the counter saying "Ispahan: Homage to Pierre Hermé". You should know that my favorite treat in the whole world is Pierre Hermé's Ispahan. I couldn't believe my eyes! Even if there was nothing behind the label (the Ispahans were all sold out), I still couldn't keep my joy just at the thought of knowing the Ispahan existed in Hong Kong! I decided to go back as soon as possible to get hold of this divine treat, so there I was back again on Sunday. There were three Ispahans left!!! I got one and a Hazelnut Chocolate cupcake.

Now here is my review for these three delicacies:

Sift's Red Velvet Cupcake: (4*)

A perfectly moistened cake, however lacking flavour. A cream cheese frosting that is not as tasty as it should be. Very good texture for both the cake and the frosting, but overall lacking chocolate flavour.

Sift's Hazelnut Chocolate Crunch Cupcake: (3.5*)

A very good cake with enough chocolate flavour. A frosting with strong hazelnut flavor, yet a bit too creamy. About the crunch part, I'm guessing it was the Valhorna chocolate pebbles that topped the cupcake. I personally would not repeat on this one.

All in all, Sift Cupcakes feel very light. After eating one, you feel as if you hadn't eaten any, so two cupcakes per person for an afternoon treat is definitely the way to go.

Sift's Ispahan: (5*)

 

Finally, the masterpiece: this is heaven! It may not reach the perfectionist level of Pierre Hermé's, but it's certainly very close. Ispahan is one of Pierre Hermé's astonishing creations, consisting of a 7-cm wide rose macaron, filled with fresh raspberries, rose petals buttercream and lychee, topped with a fresh rose petal. Nowadays other patissiers offer this on their repertoire, but the creation is to be attributed to Pierre Hermé exclusively. I was so lucky to live in Paris for a whole year and get to eat this so often. I probably had an Ispahan twice a month, and was always looking forward to go back!

I would be so grateful if someone can tell me whether other patisseries in Hong Kong offer this exquisiteness called Ispahan. Meanwhile, until Pierre Hermé decides to come to Hong Kong, let me tell you, you can't miss out on this showpiece, so plan a short visit to Wan Chai, and pray for Sift to have an Ispahan left! UPDATED: I found another Ispahan in town! Check it out here.

Visited on: 09 August, 2012 & 12 August 2012

Overall Quality: 4.5*

Value for Money: 5*

Price: 1 Cupcake: $25, 1 Petit Four: $40

Would I recommend it? Totally. The cupcakes are very well priced, and the petit fours are delish!

Sift has 4 locations in Hong Kong. The one I visited in Wan Chai is the Patisserie were only take-away is available, but I believe the rest have at least a couple tables, with the one in Ap Lei Chau being the biggest with several white leather sofas for an unforgettable cupcake experience!