Today we were at Bel Cafe, located in Hotel Georgia, to check out their new winter weather offerings.
The cafe was closed for the private event and we had the run of the place, helping ourselves to a buffet of sweet pastries and cookies. We also had the ability to order sweet caffeinated beverages at the bar.
Starting with the latter, they have three different seasonal hot beverages available. The classic Peppermint Hot Chocolate is topped with whipped cream and peppermint for some festive cheer.
The Holiday Nog Latte was vegan friendly with their own nog recipe made from scratch, in house. Flavoured with plenty of cinnamon and dates soaked in rum; then mixed with oat milk, fig, and warm spice. Probably best alone, it did loose some of this expected flavour amongst all the other more flavourful sweet bites below.
My favourite of the drink options was the Hazelnut Hojicha Latte. The most memorable of this Christmas trio with a lovely nutty roasted flavour that had you coming back sip after sip.
For savoury bites the cafe has the traditional turkey and cranberry pairing, done up as a handheld in this Holiday Turkey Sandwich. Smoked turkey, brie, cranberry, arugula, and aioli on multigrain bread. The sharp cheese takes the lead, tempered by the peppery greens and sweet jam. Festive, but also a great sweet and savoury sandwich combination to have all year round. All on whole grain bread with seeds that made it hearty. Crunchy toasted, but not dry, the bread surprisingly had me reassessing how good whole grain can taste.
For something more classic and not so festive, look to their Bel Burger with caramelized onions, cheddar, lettuce, pickles, and signature burger sauce on a soft potato bun. Juicy throughout with crispy edges on the meat. We had the slider version that was soft and melty. It stuck to the roof of my mouth in a good way.
For sweets the showstoppers were their giant croissant, each stuffed full with dense cream. To be honest I prefer the flaky shell over the dense filling, so found this a little much texturally, but at least it wasn’t overly sweet. The Mont Blanc Croissant was subtle chestnut.
The Eggnog & Cinnamon Croissant had a layer of coarse sugar coating the entire pastry for an extra textured crunch. Tasty enough, however, if I didn’t read eggnog. If I had it without knowing it’s name, I could not tell you this flavour was eggnog.
Equally decadent, but more charming, in a smaller size is the Gingerbread & Biscoff Cream Puff. A highly giftable treat with its playful mini gingerbread man topping. This too was loaded with wall to wall cream. Here, the crunchy bits around the exterior of the puff balanced out an other wise all mushy cream texture. I was able to specifically make out the individual flavours of the gingerbread and biscoff, but I didn’t get much of either. I could have used more ginger, molasses and other warming flavours to have me think gingerbread. And may be some actual biscoff cookie bits within the puff for some added crunch.
For something more refreshing, look to the Pear & Almond Frangipane Tartlet with real tart lemon curd and the sweetness of fruit.
Not many people love fruitcake, but I do. And at Bel Cafe, they have updated the traditional recipe with fresh dried fruit bits that are just as moist as the cake they have been absorbed into. I thought it like biting into a cube of dried fruit. This would go well with tea.
We also got to try their Assorted Holiday Cookies with a chewy ginger molasses, a classic and buttery shortbread, and the tart and bright linzer & raspberry cookie.
We even got to decorate our own gingerbread men. Some were more skilled with a piping bag than others.
We also got a one day in advance look at their croissant crawl entry. Sadly, we did not get a chance to try it, so won’t be speaking to it much here.
In short, this was a great showcase with some great options for holiday gifting and indulging.
Bel Café Downtown
801 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7
(604) 673-7000
belcafe.com
