Is This 'Chika' Worthy?

Pastry Shop: ChikaLicious

Website: www.chikalicious.com

Location: 203 E 10th Street

Phone: N/A

Price Range: $$$$

Choices: White Chocolate Mousse Napoleon with Pistachio Wafer and Concord Grape Sorbet; Fromage Blanc Island "Cheese Cake"; Warm Chocolate Tart with Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream and Red Wine Sauce; (And wine pairings)

For this week, I chose this destination because when I first created this blog ideally I wish to learn all I can learn about pairings of desserts with coffee, and/or wines. ChikaLicious is a dessert bar, which offers this unique service of coupling flavor combinations of desserts with wines. Their menu gives you the option of ordering single dessert choices or ordering the prix fix, which is $16 (+$8 with a wine pairing).

My friends and I had difficulty finding our way there; making our way around streets and avenues we finally found it. It was hidden on a quiet street, with a small signage engraved on the door indicating we were at the right place. We stepped into a very intimate, modern, clean, chic restaurant with an organized open kitchen. In the background you can hear Jazz music and the low mumble conversations of the guests, chefs, and servers. We were not greeted immediately; first we had to seat ourselves. We sat next to the entrance to the kitchen, which was the only table available at the time out of the three tables. The table was set for two. Chef Chika noticed right away that there were going to be a third person, she then came over and set the table for three and to place down the menus. This shows her attentiveness towards her guests. Minutes after, one of the chefs came over, introduced himself and asked if we had any questions regarding the menu. We went ahead to place our orders.

Before I go ahead and describe the flavor components of the Amuse, I would like to take this opportunity to define it for those who are not aware of what it is. A amuse is a pre-appetizer prepared by the chef to appease the guest while waiting, usually it consists no more than two bites. The individually prepared delight is a Bourbon Molasses floating on Espresso Jelly. It served its purpose with its light and refreshing taste, tickling our taste buds making us look forward to what was coming.

The White Chocolate Mousse Napoleon with Pistachio Wafer and Concord Grape Sorbet was my dessert entrée. When it arrived I was a bit a taken back by the plates used. However, the plating itself had balance amongst the colors. Overall the fruity flavor combinations along with the creamy white chocolate, and tart pistachio wafers mingled well with the fruitful Moscato d’Asti, Bricco Quaglia 2010. When it came to fruity flavors I think the Concord Grape Sorbet takes the win. It was the epitome of grapes with its sweet and flavorful juices.

Due to the excessively small portion size, I was not able to fully taste any of my friend’s menu choices therefore I entrust them to give their honest and most professional opinion with their review. My friend’s review is as follows, “As for the Fromage Blanc Island “Cheese Cake” it was light, airy, and had a very bold cheesy flavor somewhat like a French cheese. The heavy cream that surrounded the cheesecake was an unexpected pairing; it cut through the richness of the cheesecake and gave it a tanginess that it needed. The plating was fun and unique. The wine Alvear Pedro Ximenez 2008, was sweet and have flavors of molasses, when combined with the cheesecake, it gave a dark tone to the lightness of the cheesecake. I wanted more, there was not enough.”

My best friend ordered the Warm Chocolate Tart with Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream and Red Wine Sauce. “The peppercorn ice cream very sweet, had a hint of peppercorn but not so much that it would overwhelm the sweetness of the ice cream. The chocolate tart was very warm and crispy, but there was too much chocolate sauce. The richness of the chocolate was too overpowering for the thin tart. Overall the chocolate tart did go very well with the peppercorn ice cream. It was a warm and cool feeling in your mouth.”

Shortly after the server cleared our entrée dishes, we were served the petit fours. There were three varieties; first was the coconut marshmallow, second was the chocolate genoise with chocolate whipped cream and chocolate crochet, and lastly is the gooseberry mascarpone. The gooseberry was very refreshing binding well with the buttery sweet cookie and the richness of the mascarpone. The toasted coconut shreds added a tropical uniqueness to the light, fluffy homemade marshmallows. The chocolate genoise was heavily punched with simple syrup to give it intense moisture. The dark chocolate whipped cream was a great addition to the cake because it evened out the levels of heaviness.

Overall, my friends and I came to a conclusion that the dessert bar was definitely worth a try but we probably will not be going back. The varieties of plates used for each dessert was indeed unique. Although, it was clear the designs of the plates had no connection to one another. As I have mentioned before, the portion sizes were not ideal. There was just not enough for the three of us to share our entrées with another to admire the wonderful artistry that she obviously worked hard on.

Mishii’s Rating: 7/10

Best Chocolate "Cake" In The World

Pastry Shop: The Best Chocolate Cake In The World
Website: www.thebestchocolatecake.com/
Location:   55A Spring Street
Phone: 212.343.2253
Price Range: $$ ~ $$$
Choices: Tasting Menu (1/2 Traditional & 1/2 Bittersweet); Pastel de Nata; Vanilla & Espresso Gelato Shake; Affogato

For this blog, I wanted to post about something different, something special. At last, we discovered a wonderful little shop in the Soho area called The Best Chocolate Cake In The World. Looking into the petite bakery, you get a sense of modesty in its design. There were elegance and comfort where it was needed without one dominating the other. It also offered a historical feel from the brick white walls and gold plated furniture. When we walked into this bakery we were greeted kindly and welcomed. We were seated at the last of the four tables for guests. After looking at the menu, we decided to order the Tasting Menu which consists of ½ Traditional & ½ Bittersweet slices with whipped cream, fresh fruit & choice of two scoops of gelato, and a Pastel de Nata; and for beverages we ordered a Affogato (Vanilla gelato with a shot of espresso), and a Vanilla and Espresso Gelato Shake. The wonderful young lady answered any and all questions we had genuinely.

The first pastry we tried was the Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese egg custard tart. Even though the puff pastry tart was a bit soggy due to the length of time it has been exposed to air, the rim of the tart still gave a bite of crunchiness due to the brulee. Taking a lick of the egg custard, you feel the smooth creamy texture coating your palate with the perfect amount of sweetness and a hint of vanilla as a last lingering note.

Next, we tasted the Tasting Menu. There will be a breakdown for each component of this menu item. First, there were the Vanilla gelato, and the seasonal Pumpkin gelato. Both flavors had creamy and smooth textures. The vanilla had strong tastes of vanilla bean while intense flavors of cinnamon spice was evident in the pumpkin. The flavors when combined complemented each other flawlessly.

Following, we tasted the homemade whipped cream. It was light and airy but lacked sugar. Lastly, we tasted the traditional and bittersweet slices. The composition of the slices has layers of flourless crispy chocolate meringue, airy chocolate mousse, and a thin layer of chocolate glaze. From observation, we thought the chocolate cake was a cake but upon taking the first bite we discovered the cake was infact what could only be described as a malt. Remember eating a Whooper; how the malt on the inside melted instantly onto your tongue. The texture of the chocolate mousse and chocolate glaze reminded me of a light, and a heavy ganache. After my second bite, I realized that each bite melts together creating a gracious smooth chocolate mousse. The only two differences we found amongst the slices is that the bittersweet had stronger bitter chocolate flavors and it has four layers while the traditional had three.

My friend ordered the gelato shake. His review is as follows, “It was refreshing and cool. The vanilla and espresso flavor went wonderfully together. It was smooth and luscious. And if it weren’t so expensive I would’ve gotten another one.”

The Affogato was very intense with coffee due to the shot of espresso. With the first sip, it hits you with a strong bold taste then the gelato comes in with a smooth finish. Highly recommended for coffee lovers!!

Overall, we had an amazing experience here not only because of the great desserts but the service was impeccable. It definitely made my night unforgettable.  If you decide to come and give this place a visit, I recommend everything I ordered.

Mishii’s Rating: 8/10