Ganache Patisserie

Ganache Patisserie
1262 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC

When I was writing my “Where to Eat?” posts for Vancouver 2010, one of my suggestions was Ganache Patisserie for pastries. While I trusted Elaine’s opinion, I must also now add I have been there myself a couple of times. So, how come I didn’t write about it? Well, it just happens it is one of those felt through the cracks posts… -_-;;; So, after I wrote that post and on a day walking by the area, I decided to stop by.

Unlike my previous visits, when there was sunlight for better picture taking, this day, it was about sunset time so lightning conditions were a bit mixed. Fortunately (?), the freezer cooling case had some lightning which helped me take these pictures:

I have mentioned previously that I am not a sweets person but that does not stop me from getting some once in a while. The problem is that, given all these options, you have to make the best of that once in a while visit. So, I had a hard time deciding what to order! Did I want something really sweet or bitter? Or something similar to cake or a custard (they had crème brûlée also)? Do I want a strong chocolate flavour or do I want fruit? What about nuts? Decisions, decisions. In the end, I decided to go for…

Opéra à la noisette, dark chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream, hazelnut biscuit, praline crunch. There was no particular reason why I chose this one in particular. It was more on the lines of “OK, I will choose the first one I lay my eyes on!”. Reality is, based on my previous visits, any one would have been good. As for this one, despite the description of a biscuit and praline crunch, there wasn’t anything crunchy I could taste. There was a somewhat thick consistency but not too thick that I couldn’t easily scoop out from the spoon nor too crumbly it will shatter when you try to push that said spoon. Once in my mouth, it was similar to a piece of chocolate when it starts to melt. A balanced combination of flavours, not one overpowering the other and, of course, being the ganache the most noticeable one.

One of the topics of contention is that Thomas Haas vs. Ganache Patisserie double baked croissant comparison. So, I asked for a “croissant”. Unfortunately, what I did not know was that they also have *regular* croissants, like the one above. Argh! But, back to this one, it was quite buttery. Since I bought this one to take home, when I arrived, the paper bag had soaked some of it and was a bit oily. Not necessarily wrong… As for the taste, again, buttery would be the only way to describe it.

Also, I noticed these small bags with financier. As a cake, I think I have had better; however, since I did not actually eat them until ~36 hours after I purchased them, it is possible things might have gone sideways during those hours, so I won’t hold it against them.

Overall, Ganache Patisserie is a good option if you want pastries. They are not cheap but the final product is worth what you pay for. As for a heads up comparison against Kreation Artisan Cake and Thomas Haas, I will have to say the three of them have something to offer – the edge of Ganache Patisserie over the others is location.

Tagged under: Downtown • Pastry • Vancouver