Restaurant Review: Chocorrant Pâtisserie + Café

CHOCORRANT PÂTISSERIE + CAFÉ 10328 124th Street | chocorrant.com Instagram: @chocorrant | Twitter: @Chocorrant Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

Opened in 2017 by pastry chef Kai Wong, Chocorrant is a patisserie and cafe that mainly focuses on croissants! The items in the cafe also feature a bit of an Asian twist to them which only makes the pastries more interesting and delicious. Named Favourite Bakery in the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 list, this Westmount cafe is a must-do for any croissant lover. The cafe leans modern with a clean and fresh look, lots of white tile, and dark wood. Although, I do think that over their six years they have become a little bit more boho with a lot more plants and greenery and cute string lights. Their glass case is a feast for the eyes with pastry jewels lined up in rows of every colour. Good luck picking just one thing because I sure couldn't! I visited on a Sunday afternoon and was graciously helped by the friendly staff. Orders are placed at the counter and if your desire is to dine in you can choose from seating both indoors and out front (in the warmer months) on the sidewalk under their yellow awning. There's a drink menu and I decided to start my journey there. It's a full cafe-style menu with all of the typical coffee-based options, ranging from espresso to tea to hot chocolate. There are lattes on offer in four different flavours and my selection was made easy when I noticed the Honey Rose Flavoured Latte ($5.00). I also wanted to choose a croissant from the case and there were at least eleven different ones to choose from, all lined up in neat rows. Using only the finest ingredients, each croissant is fresh, housemade, and many offer a unique twist. There are both sweet and savoury options, with delicious-sounding flavours like; Truffle Cheese, Curry Beef, Honey Pistachio, S’mores (there's marshmallow on top!), and Ube Coconut (it's purple!). And that's just a sampling from their extensive list of 18 different flavours. Each croissant consists of 73 delicate layers of dough and take three days to make. I managed to settle on the Matcha Croissant ($4.75) but I really wanted to try them all.

Japanese matcha infused white chocolate.

I appreciated the latte right away because the flavour of honey and rose was clearly apparent. I sometimes find that with flavoured lattes the flavour can sometimes get lost in the espresso. Not so in this case. I really enjoyed the sweet and floral notes in this latte and its creamy finish. They also offer tea lattes in a variety of flavours which would likely be very good as well. The croissant was expertly made with layer upon layer of buttery laminated dough. Ribbons of green dough accent this perfectly-shaped pastry with a dusting of matcha on top. Featuring dozens of flaky, airy, buttery layers, this croissant was surely one of the best examples that you can find in the city. I loved the matcha throughout. So delicious! (Pair this croissant with a matcha latte for an ideal matching combo!) There was one other croissant that I absolutely had to try and it was the Molten Salted Egg Yolk Croissant ($4.75).

Salted egg yolk custard, cornflake topping.

WOW. I love when I find opportunities to try something completely new to me and this was one of those times! The same buttery delicious croissant, except this one was served warmed up. Tearing into it, I was met with a liquid custard center that poured onto the plate like lava. Salty, sweet, decadent, plus great crunch and texture on top. This very special croissant was the highlight of the entire visit for me. I will return repeatedly to order this item specifically in the future! There are also Croissant Sandwiches available and if you want to turn your visit into more of a lunch (like I did) these are a great option for a more well-rounded meal. There is also soup on the menu which is housemade and rotates weekly. (Soup + sandwich = CLASSIC.) On my visit there were two types of sandwiches and I tried both! It was too hot for soup but it was Mushroom Tarragon, which sounded pretty good. The first sandwich was Turkey Cranberry ($9.50).

Sliced turkey, melted brie, cranberry sage chutney.

Served on their lovely butter croissant, this sandwich came out looking fresh and delicious. I liked the tasty slices of turkey, oozy-melty brie cheese, and the tart-sweet cranberries. This sandwich will remind you of a holiday meal, that's for sure! Very comforting and not too heavy. The second sandwich was the Roast Beef Melt ($10.50).

In-house roasted beef, horseradish mayo, white cheddar, mozzarella.

In all honesty, I was less excited about this sandwich (and more excited about the other one) and boy was I wrong! This roast beef melt was the favourite! Deliciously warm and melty, again served on a fresh butter croissant. The filling almost seemed like a roast beef "salad" as the tender pieces of meat were chopped fairly small and mixed with gooey cheese. The horseradish mayo added a wonderful zippy kick, a classic flavour pairing with the roasted beef. Of the two sandwiches, this is the one to order. Lastly, I couldn't ignore the entire section of the case filled with various beautifully vibrant little cakes. There were at least five to choose from but probably even more. Each one was colourful and beautifully decorated, promising interesting and unique flavours. I very nearly ordered the Raspberry Lychee Tart but at the very last second I opted for the Chocolate Caramel Rocher ($6.50) instead.

Chocolate Genoise, milk chocolate creameaux, salted chocolate caramel, hazelnut praline, dark chocolate brownie.

I'm a sucker for anything with goldleaf on top, let me just say that. I really loved the sounds of the salted caramel and hazelnut praline, but in all honesty I found that these flavours got a bit lost. The dark chocolate was pretty overpowering and seemed to dominate most of this dessert. As such, I found it a bit one-noted. If you're someone who loves chocolate on chocolate on chocolate you'll very likely love this. The bits of hazelnut did add a nice texture. I do think that I might have been happier with the Raspberry Lychee Tart (and the Earl Grey Opera sounded really good too). The good news is that I can return and keep crushing my way through the entire menu! Chocorrant has quite handily made themselves one of the top places in the city for artisan croissants. Their interpretations and unique flavours make them unlike anywhere else. My recommendation is to order a delicious latte along with a Molten Salted Egg Yolk Croissant and just take it all in - you won't regret this choice! (I will be returning to do the same.)