REVIEW | CACAO 70 | EDMONTON

It may be the dead of winter in Edmonton but I'm of the mindset that it's never too cold for ice cream. And when it's gourmet chocolate-dipped soft serve from Cacao 70... well, everyone should agree.

I first heard of Cacao 70, a Montreal-based chocolate company, while I was researching restaurants and eateries for my next trip to Vancouver. (Research includes reading endless food blogs and the painstaking task of scrolling through Instagram tags.) Turns out I can check off one my bookmarked spots without even having to fly there!   

Since their conception in 2011, Cacao 70 has evolved and expanded their brand quite a bit. With 14 franchises nationwide, their concept ranges from bistro to sweet house to ice cream shop. Their first ice cream parlour concept opened up early September in Vancouver's Gastown and has been trending and popular ever since.

From that success, Cacao 70 has now opened up the cutest little ice cream cart in Kingsway Mall, as part of #CommunityKingsway, a revolving showcase of "local" retailers. (I put local in quotations since Cacao 70 is based out of Montreal.) Other food retailers you'll find in the shared space include Whisk Dessert Co., Milk Milk Lemonade, and the Cookie Dough Stand. Because it's a pop up, Cacao 70 will only be open until January of next year. (Perhaps it's a test run for a more permanent location in Edmonton? Fingers crossed!)

With their ice cream concept, Cacao 70 serves vanilla soft serve cones dipped in a variety of chocolate flavours. Think fancy, gourmet version of Dairy Queen's chocolate dipped cone!

There are 11 flavours of dips to choose from, including the classic dark, milk or white chocolate. More unique flavour options include praline, peanut butter, earl grey, black sesame, chai, maple, matcha, and coffee. 

Cacao 70 does sell other things like chocolate bars and chocolate fondue pots, but I was too distracted and focused on the ice cream to take a closer look. 

When ordering, you can choose between a regular ($4.75) or large ($5.50) size. Soft serve vanilla ice cream is swirled into a waffle cone (or cup) and then carefully dipped into the melted chocolate fondue of your choice. Before handing the cone over to me, the worker said it would take about 20 seconds for the chocolate to fully harden and set.

My sister got a dark chocolate dipped cone (pictured at the start, on the right) while I went for a regular-sized black sesame dip. The ice cream melts pretty quickly so it's definitely a race against the clock when trying to take photos and devour the ice cream afterwards!

Because I was relying on my past memories of DQ chocolate dipped cones, I found the chocolate dip here to be too thick (which could be a good thing for some people!). For me, I prefer having a thin layer of chocolate that crackles when you bite into it. Because the coating was so thick, I found the texture of the chocolate to be too soft and almost chewy in a way. As for the chocolate itself, it had a slight hint of black sesame flavour, but it was very sweet (again, personal preference). I assume the black sesame, among the other unique flavours, are white chocolate-based and white chocolate will always be very sweet. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'd suggest sticking to the dark chocolate dip!

In general, I love the ice cream concept that Cacao 70 is pushing but I do think their formulation needs to be tweaked somewhat in order for me to fully love the execution.

Do give them a try though, especially since they won't be here for long! You can find Cacao 70 as well as other dessert retailers in the Community space at Kingsway Mall, located kitty-corner from H&M in the new renovated wing. Sugar coma, here I come!

Cacao 70

https://cacao70.com/en

1 Kingsway Garden Mall NW

Edmonton, AB

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | JAPAN + KOREA 2017 | OSAKA | DAY 8

On one of our last few days in Japan, we decided to take a day trip out to Osaka! After Tokyo, Osaka is considered Japan's second largest city. Comparing the city to Kyoto, which had a more traditional feel, Osaka definitely takes after Tokyo, based on its modern architecture and bustling nightlife.

Before we reserved our shinkansen tickets, we grabbed some donuts and breakfast pastries at Mister Donut located on the second floor of Kyoto station.

Think of Mister Donut as your Japanese Dunkin' Donuts. They serve coffee, muffins, pastries, and of course, donuts. It's the largest donut franchise in Japan that actually originated in the States. Their most popular item is the "Pon de Ring," a unique donut-mochi hybrid.

The Pon de Ring comes in a variety of different flavours but I just stuck with the regular glaze. Seriously one of the best donuts I've ever had! The texture is very interesting as it's both fluffy and chewy at the same time. The glaze also had just the right amount of sweetness. Wish I was able to try more! 

Attached to the Mister Donuts was a Cafe du Monde. For those out of the food circuit loop, Cafe du Monde is a renowned coffee shop from New Orleans known for its beignets and cafe au lait. I thought it was interesting that they had a location all the way out in Japan, but apparently it's the only country with franchises outside of the city of New Orleans itself.

Sadly they didn't serve beignets -- only coffee and drinks -- so LT got an iced coffee while my mom got an iced matcha latte. 

Once we got our tickets from the JR office, we headed out to the platform to wait for the shinkansen. From Kyoto station to Shin-Osaka station, the entire trip takes less than 30 minutes! It seriously takes me 30 minutes to drive from north to south Edmonton so imagine being in a completely different city in that time!

When we arrived in Osaka, we transferred trains and headed to our first sight of the day -- Osaka Castle, arguably Osaka's most famous tourist attraction. The original castle was built in 1583 but today's castle is a complete reconstruction of it, as it had been attacked and destroyed several times throughout history.

You can enter the castle which houses a museum for ¥600 but we were content with just walking around the castle grounds and admiring its exterior.

Since we were getting a pit peckish, we decided to check out some of the food trucks situated on the castle grounds. A french fry truck caught my eye first simply because they were the longest french fries I've ever seen! Before you think they grow humongous potatoes in Japan, they're actually mashed potatoes extruded into long strands before being deep fried. You had a choice of different seasonings and sauces (including chocolate!) but we just stuck with the classic ketchup. 

We also got a beef skewer from another food truck for ¥800. I have no idea what type or cut of beef it was but the beef was seriously amazing. Tender beyond belief and melt-in-your-mouth. We quickly ordered two more.

We also capped off our street food snack with some orange kakigori, which tasted more like a snowcone due to the crunchy ice. Super refreshing in the heat.

Once we were finished at the castle, we headed out to Dotonbori, another famous Osaka attraction. Dotonbori is an entertainment district filled with neon lights, a ton of shopping, and hundreds of restaurants and street food stands.

Before we reached the main Dotonbori area, we found Rikuro Ojisan, a famous bakery known for its fluffy Japanese cheesecake. Luck was on our side as there was literally nobody in line and they were just hauling out a fresh tray. I purchased a whole cake for only ¥675 and they packaged it piping hot. When we left, a line had formed behind me at least ten people deep.

We ate the cheesecake later that night. Japanese cheesecakes are unlike traditional North American cheesecakes. They're more of a sponge cake if anything. Uncle Rikuro's cheesecake had an amazing texture. Super soft and fluffy, almost cloud-like, with a bottom studded with raisins. Although the texture was great, I didn't find the taste anything too special. Although it might've tasted better hot, I found it a bit bland.  

Another must-see in Dotonbori is the Glico running man! This sign is an iconic symbol of Dotonbori, and here you'll find many tourists imitating the pose for pictures.

Dotonbori canal. They have boat tours that go along the river every hour or so. I think it'd be an amazing sight to see in the evening when all the signs and lights are lit up.

The ferris wheel you see in the background is part of the Don Quijote store there, although it's no longer in function.  

One of the things I loved about Dotonbori was the extravagant 3D signs. So easy to see and check out what a restaurant serves. Craving gyoza? Come here!

Takoyaki and sushi. I'm seriously regretting that we didn't save enough stomach space to eat takoyaki while in Osaka! Something to look forward to next time I guess.

You'll find a lot of souvenir shops in Dotonbori. Understandable since it's filled with tourists. Takoyaki branded everything and the PPAP man! *I have a pen, I have an apple. Uh, apple pen.* If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just search it on Youtube. Japanese humour is something else.

Pretty realistic food model keychains.

For an early dinner (does 3:00 count?), we decided on having okonomiyaki. There's a ton of famous okonomiyaki restaurants on the strip but we settled on one called Chibo. Unlike some other restaurants, they don't make the okonomiyaki in front of you but they do serve it on a flat griddle so that the food stays nice and hot. We ordered a yakisoba with pork, squid, and shrimp and added on a fried egg.

We also ordered two okonomiyaki's for the table, with pork, squid, and shrimp as well. The okonomiyaki comes pre-sauced, but the server does a cool tableside show by squirting the mayonaisse super fast. Additional toppings such as bonito flakes and seaweed are self-serve at the table. I've made okonomiyaki at home before but this was 100x better. To me, okonomiyaki is almost like a thicker, pancake version of takoyaki. And you know how I feel about takoyaki...

This type of okonomiyaki is Osaka-style, meaning that it's more of a pancake with all of the ingredients mixed into a single batter. Another version is the Hiroshima style, where ingredients are layered on top of each other. I don't know many restaurants in Edmonton that serve okonomiyaki (only Seorak comes to mind) but I wish more did!

The only thing that brought down our experience a bit was the table who came in beside us and started smoking. It's a bit of a culture shock to me that people are still allowed to smoke indoors.

After we finished eating, we continued to stroll down Shinsaibashi shopping arcade. We were getting pretty tired though so we decided to head back home to Kyoto after it got dark. This is Kyoto Tower, located right across from Kyoto station.

Since we ate in the late afternoon, we were getting a bit hungry when we finally got back to the apartment. Unfortunately a lot of restaurants in Kyoto close pretty early unlike Tokyo or Osaka. Our mission was to walk to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant before they closed but we got lost along the way. When we finally found the restaurant, they were just flipping over the closed sign. Sad times. Oh well, 24h convenience stores to the rescue! Tuna mayo onigiri ♥.

- CT

REVIEW | SUGAR & SPICED | EDMONTON

Birthdays are simply not birthdays without cake. As a kid, my birthday cake alternated between a DQ ice cream cake or one from the Chinese bakery (you know, the ones layered with copious amounts of whipped cream and fruit cocktail).

While I do have a soft spot for both, I have to say, this year definitely *took the cake*.

My dream birthday cake was made by none other than the talented Amy Nachtigall of Sugared and Spiced Baked Goods. And if you haven't heard of Sugared and Spiced before, where have you been?

I've been following Amy's Instagram for quite a while, so I was able to follow the journey of her brand grow from small home business to her own brick and mortar bakery located on Whyte Ave. One look at her feed and you can tell right away that these aren't your ordinary baked goods. They're simply epic. 

While sharing her beautiful creations on Instagram, Amy was able to gain a considerable following. Pretty soon, demand for her cakes grew, and she too, outgrew the kitchen space she was working out of. When Amy and her husband decided it was time to open up their own bakeshop, they turned to their followers for help. They opened a boostR campaign, a rewards-based crowdfunding platform that would allow them to raise enough capital to at least get the ball rolling.

Not only did they surpass their original goal of $20,000, they almost tripled it. And thus, Sugared and Spiced Baked Goods was born, opening up to the public mid-September.  

Since I was one of the many excited cake-lovers to donate to the boostR campaign, my reward was an epic 8" cake that I decided to claim on my birthday. (If I don't treat myself, who will?)

Ordering the cake was pretty easy, with correspondence done over email. Two weeks notice (at least!) is the rule, but more notice is always appreciated, especially if it's close to holidays or other special occasions. Make sure to book early to ensure availability!

In my email with Amy, all I had to do was specify flavour and colours, as well as any other special requests I had. A few days before, I received another email reminding me that the cake would be ready on the pick-up date that we had agreed on before.

Unfortunately, I was working on my birthday so my sister visited the bakeshop in my place to pick up the cake for me. According to her, the location of the bakery was a bit confusing to find at first, as the storefront is in an alley, and not directly on Whyte Ave.

When I got home from work, this baby was waiting for me. It was love at first sight.

I had mentioned wanting a pastel pink cake with pastel blue accents and Amy was able to capture the color scheme perfectly. The cake had pink drip, pink macarons (which had a delicious salted caramel filling), meringues (both baked and torched), pink and gold pearl sprinkles, and piped buttercream. It actually hurt me to cut into it.

Not only do the cakes look like a dream, they're delicious as well! If you couldn't tell by the cross-section, I went for my favourite flavour -- carrot! The cake layers were dense and rich, surrounded by thick buttercream. Definitely a treat-yo'-self! kind of cake. Even after cutting slices to give away to friends and family, there was so much cake left. It can feed an actual army.  

Some people may think the cakes run a little pricey, but this isn't your average cake that you pick up at the supermarket. Considering the work and attention to detail that Amy puts into each of her creations, the price tag is definitely worth it.

I wish I was there to see the bakery in-person because the space looks absolutely stunning in pictures. Reclaimed brick walls, rose gold accents, and a beautiful tiled floor (that people evidently like to take pictures of their shoes with).

Besides special pre-order cakes, Sugared and Spiced also sells a variety of baked goods in their storefront. The bakery lineup changes from time to time, but you'll usually find a variety of tarts, brownies, scones, cookies, macarons, and the like. Stay tuned to their socials to get a better idea of what they're serving up that day, as well as their opening hours which are still being finalized.

Thanks Amy and the team at Sugared and Spiced for making this birthday one to remember!

Sugared & Spiced Baked Goods

https://sugaredandspiced.ca/

Rear - 10334 82 Avenue

Edmonton, AB
(780) 244-2253

- CT