Coeur des bois ($38) - This was the first cake I chose without hesitation. It stood out from the rest because it was bright red, it was heart shaped, and I love raspberries! The Coeur de bois is a vanilla bavarois with a raspberry jelly and a light sponge cake layer on the bottom. The bavarois was light with an airy texture, which contrasted nicely with the tart jelly in the middle. The thin sponge was a bit too wet, which made the texture kind of grainy.
Tranche Maccha ($40) - I love green tea and chocolate, so I decided to get this one too. It's a chocolate sponge cake layered with green tea mousse and chocolate mousse, decorated with chocolate pearls and a chocolate ribbon. This cake was okay - I didn't like the fact that again, the sponge was soggy. It was soaked in an orange liquor, which didn't work so well with the green tea and chocolate. There could be a better balance between the chocolate and the green tea - while I do love some strong dark chocolate, it made tasting the green tea difficult.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. There was a huge hype about this patisserie, and the cakes do look like art on a plate. Sadly, it just didn't taste as good as it looked, or as good as it costs. Probably won't be a next time.
Chez Shibata, Shop No.2003, 2/F Elements, 1 Austin Rd. West, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2169-8921
