Eight delicious holiday treats
Wby Tammy Kwan
hat makes the holidays the most wonderful time of the year? Festive treats. We may be slightly biased, because Georgia Straight staffers are known to have major sweet tooths, but who doesn’t love indulging in Santa-themed pastries or colourful yule logs while listening to Michael Bublé’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? From eggnog-flavoured confections to candy-cane chocolate bark, here are eight places around town to find holiday treats that can truly bring out your seasonal cheer.
GIOVANE CAFÉ AND EATERY AND MARKET
(1038 Canada Place)
Besides its festive bûches de Noël, stollen, and cakes, guests can also find Giovane’s most popular holiday treat back in stock: the Santa Belly. Essentially sugar buns stuffed with cream, these sweets are dressed up as Saint Nick, complete with red suit and black belt. Ho, ho, ho!
BUTTER MERE PATISSERIE
(958 Main Street)
In keeping with the Father Christmas theme, this pastry shop has created a cake called Drunk With Santa, made with Guinness stout sponge, orange crèmeux, red-wine gelée, and Guinness mousse. The chefs definitely chose an appropriate name for this goodie. Other holiday-themed cakes (full-size and pillow-size) are also available.
CHEZ CHRISTOPHE
(4717 Hastings Street, Burnaby) This Burnaby Heights gem is offering a number of unique items for the holiday season that range from chocolate showpieces to festive truffles to do-it-yourself chocolate-bark kits. The hardest part will be deciding which ones to get: the carousel chocolate showpiece, a Christmas-tree chocolate lollipop, mulled-wine truffles, or the candycane bark kit. A selection of Yule logs is also offered at the shop.
PURDYS CHOCOLATIER
(various locations) Self-proclaimed to be the official chocolate of Christmas, Purdys has been filling local stockings since 1907 and rolls out new creations each year. Besides the company’s signature chocolate boxes, check out its cranberry-pistachio bar, eggnog truffles, holiday-themed foil-wrapped sweets, and various Christmas character chocolate lollipops.
LADURÉE
(1141 Robson Street and 737 Dunsmuir Street)
Find a bit of jolly Parisian flair at this popular macaron establishment, which is offering various kinds of bûches de Noël and bûchettes de Noël. Flavours include pistachio, rose-and-raspberry, milk chocolate with biscuits, and dark chocolate with Caribbeanchocolate mousse. Its snazzy Scandinavian-themed holiday boxes also make great gifts.
BEL CAFÉ
(801 West Georgia Street and 1780 West 3rd avenue) Mouthwatering beverages like eggnog lattes and spiced-pear hot chocolate can be found at Bel Café this month, but its festive sweets are just as enticing. Highlights of its seasonal collection range from vanilla shortbread cookies to Christmas cake, and from tonka-bean palmiers to cinnamon marzipan. Don’t worry about calories: they don’t count during this time of year.
THIERRY
(1059 Alberni Street)
Downtown’s Thierry has rolled out many desserts synonymous with holiday cheer. Five yule log selections are available that are so aesthetically pleasing you may have a hard time devouring them. Flavours like chestnut, coffee-andtoffee, and maple-and-pralines are featured. Other seasonal treats like hazelnut tarts, holiday chocolates, and gingerbread macarons can also be found here.
BETA5 CHOCOLATES
(413 Industrial Avenue)
Beta5’s seasonal offerings never disappoint. If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, check out its chocolate snowballs, lumps of coal, and peppermint patties. Its holiday cream puffs are always a hit, with festive flavours such as Douglas fir, eggnog, hot chocolate, and more.