I’ve heard a lot about Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe, especially in magazines. However it wasn’t until recently when GRock’s friend started working there as a baker that I’ve succumbed to lots more praises and recommendations from GRock. The final nail in the coffin was when GRock showed me a picture of this magical looking poached plum tart that they had for the Fall season. I had to have it, so finally I made a date with Miz Brown Sugar, C-Dizzle, and Erin to visit the bakery for a sugar coma fest.
There are a ton of baked goods to choose from obviously, but they have a pretty extensive cafe menu too. We were instructed by GRock to arrive no later than 10:45am on a Friday for the best selection.
And it was a wise decision, as we saw that the store was constantly busy. We were lucky though that their signature item the Almond Croissant was still plentiful even by the time we left, as were a lot of their other goodies.
Miz Brown Sugar is vegan so all she had was a latte (every baked good has eggs in it). She was very excited about the latte art.
Since we arrived so early, I hadn’t had a chance to eat breakfast yet. Neither had C-Dizzle and she quickly hopped to it and ordered a Brioche with Duck Prosciutto, Rillette Mayo, Red Oak Lettuce, Candied Walnuts & Apple ($9.5, not pictured). I was originally just here for the sweets, but once she unwrapped her sandwich, I knew I had to get one too. So I picked the Cheese Scone with Porchetta & Smoked Cheddar ($9.5, pictured above).
C-Dizzle and I decided that we would split our sandwiches since we both wanted to try each other’s. I have to say, the cheese scone was FILLED with porchetta and the scone was dense, so it was hella filling. This was a very satisfying treat.
The brioche was equally good, albeit with less meat. However the duck prosciutto was very prominent with the gaminess of duck and I was happy to try something I’ve never tried before.
Prior to visiting we’d already decided that we were gonna order a bunch of treats to share so we could all have a bit of everything. Unfortunately, by the time we visited Beaucoup they had already retired the plum tart, and for the new fall season it was the Fig tart ($6.5). It had fresh figs on top of a thick layer of spiced fig jam and Osoyoos Larose compote, ending with Little Qualicum fromage frais cream. There were also gold flecks on top to add to the fanciness.
The fig tart was indeed beautiful to look at, and I am always a sucker for fresh figs, although I’ve since decided that there really isn’t a particular aroma or taste to figs, just a hit of sweetness. The fig tart wowed me aesthetically but taste-wise, left something to desire. The fromage frais cream tasted more of a vanilla custard than “cheesy”. And like I said, the figs aren’t particularly “figgy”. I have to say, my favorite part was the tart portion…it was thick and buttery.
Oh, to add to my dismay, the receipt still rang up as Plum Tart.
We couldn’t come here and not try their famous Almond Double Baked Croissant ($4.5). It was crispy on the outside (which shatters instantly when you try to break it) but moist and very buttery inside. There’s also some sort of sweet filling inside.
The Raspberry Pistachio Macaron Frais ($6.25) was so beautiful it was a unanimous choice. It was basically a large raspberry macaron with fresh pistachio pastry cream and raspberries sandwiched in between, topped with gold dust and fresh flower petals.
This had to be the most authentic tasting pistachio cream I’ve tasted so far in a dessert…it was nothing like the “pistachio” flavor jello pudding that is commonplace. The cookies also had the right kind of slight chewiness and the gold dust just added to the appeal. A thumbs up from us all.
The last thing was the Apple a la mode ($5.5) and it was C-Dizzle’s and my favorite. It had a roasted apple puree gelée sitting on top of a lovely vanilla custard that’s almost like the creme part of creme brûlée. Any vanilla dessert with visible vanilla beans always goes to the top of my list. I couldn’t stop raving about this dessert and I was very surprised that it became my favorite. The tart portion was the same as the one for the Fig Tart so like I said I enjoyed it very much.
We really enjoyed our visit to Beaucoup and even Miz Brown Sugar, who didn’t eat any of it, agreed that it was a very nice outing. I really hope to be back soon.
Oh, and I also brought home a Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie for Hitman and in his words, “This must be what crack tastes like…”
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