The Chocolate Chronicles, part 1

Xinxin and I are both foodies and every time we hang out together, our conversation always finds a way of shifting to food.

"Have you tried such-and-such restaurant yet," she'll ask.

"No, I haven't. I've heard of it, though."

"Oh, well we HAVE to go! Add it to the list."

"Consider it added. Oh hey, that reminds me ... have you tried such-and-such cafe?"

I'm not even kidding, this is how 99.9% of our conversations unfold. The list (and yes, we really do refer to it as "the list") is a continuously growing collection of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, delis, grocery stores and sushi bars that we have promised to explore together. One of the places on the list was Thomas Haas Patisserie. Xinxin is a big Thomas Haas fan, and when she heard that I'd never been it was one of the first things she added to our "must try" list. Then Lynda showed up at Grace's birthday party with a Thomas Haas crispy chocolate raspberry cake and goodness gracious it was "shut your pie hole" delicious! What really sealed the deal, though, was the ridiculous craving I've been having lately for French macarons. When I did a little research online and found out that Thomas Haas apparently has the best macarons in the city, I knew we had to cross this place off the list pronto. So a chocolate date was set, and this afternoon Xinxin and I braved the damp rainy weather outside to get lattes and dessert here:

Thomas Haas grew up and began his career as a culinary genius in Europe. He came to North America in 1995 and has worked as the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Vancouver Hotel and, later, as executive pastry chef at Daniel restaurant in NYC. He's appeared on Martha Stewart several times and was voted one of the top ten chefs in America by both Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines, so you know he's the real deal. Needless to say, with credentials like that, I had some big expectations for his patisserie.

Truth be told, it doesn't look like much from the outside. In fact, I've passed by here a bazillion times during my strolls down Broadway Street and I had no idea it was even there until I googled it to find out the address. But trust me ... once you step inside, it's love at first sight. Chocolates, truffles, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, macaroons, croissants, danishes, breads and scones all neatly showcased in clear glass shelves, each one calling out to me. I eventually chose a champagne truffle and Xinxin ordered almond mascarpone. And, of course, we ordered six French macarons in pistachio, chocolate and raspberry flavors.

The champagne truffle was delish, but the French macarons are what really stole my heart:

I'm not gonna lie - this place is just a tad bit crazy expensive. The $7 truffle didn't really surprise me as that seems to be the going rate for gourmet desserts here in Vancouver, but six macarons cost a whopping $9.99 .... and in case you can't tell by the photo, they are teeny tiny! Gosh.

Overall impression - Thomas Haas is definitely home to some absolutely fantastic goodies and I'll be back for more French macarons when I need an indulgent pick-me-up, but with such a lofty price tag I doubt this patisserie will become one of my frequent favorites. And that's probably a good thing, because I could seriously eat those macarons every day, all day, for the rest of my life.

Love + chocolate, Stephanie

xox