I consider Circus cafe another of my 'go-to' places for times when I can't decide where else to go, what else to have, or when my friends and I can't decide where we want to meet for a catch up. I'm not saying that I'd only go to this cafe as a last resort or anything, just that I know that this cafe is never a let down and would always have a dessert suitable to everyones tastes and preferences.
Before I start going on about the desserts I had at Circus Cafe, I'd like to briefly give the cafe a small intro, just so people get an idea on what to expect before going there.
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| Circus Circus Cafe Outside and Inside |
Most importantly, the cafe offers a FULL MENU that caters from lunch to dinner, and desserts.
Okay, introduction complete. Now onto the treats! (Although PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, some desserts mentioned in this post may no longer be available anymore).
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| Tiramisu |
The Tiramisu made at Circus Cafe was very balanced in terms of taste, texture, and overall proportion.
As you can see in the photo, the layers of the dessert is very even, and I shall do my best to describe each layer as detailed as possible.
In the past, I have had Tiramisu from other places where the makers must have taken the LITERAL of the term 'sponge' and fully soaked the ladyfingers in the espresso coffee mixture, resulting in a soggy and wet cup of coffee and cream mush!
It's understandable that in busy times, not everything can be made when ordered, but at the very least, if places plan to make everything ready to be served, chefs should think and come up with ways to maintain the dessert's texture and shape for the duration that it sits in the cabinet or kitchen, to be almost the same as if it was made when ordered.
With all that being said, the Tiramisu made at Circus Cafe is one that deserves compliments.
I'll start off by talking about the ladyfinger sponge cake layer first.
From the photo, you can see about three layers of ladyfingers. All had a great cake texture and was moderately soft. The ladyfingers had a lighter espresso coffee taste but was not drenched and soaked with the liquid mixture. I have a feeling that the makers CAREFULLY brushed and dabbed the coffee mixture onto the ladyfingers rather than quickly soaking them it. Because of this, it gave the ladyfingers the right amount of moisture so you wouldn't end up having that mouthful of dry cake feeling or a puddle of coffee mush.
The second is the Mascarpone layer.
Circus Cafe's online menu states that their Tiramisu is layered with a SWEET MASCARPONE MOUSSE, and if you had read my previous [Dessert Theory]: Mousse post, you can get an idea of what the texture of this layer would be like.
We all know that creme cheese can be thought of as quite thick sometimes, although mascarpone creme cheese is lighter, it can still feel quite heavy to some people, especially to those from places where the use of heavy creams is not a common ingredient to their cooking and tastes.
The mascarpone mousse in this Tiramisu doesn't exactly have the foam texture that usual mousse does, but it is indeed much lighter than usual mascarpone and ordinary cream. It is lightly sweetened so it doesn't overpower the hint of bitterness of the espresso flavour of the ladyfingers, and is just creamy enough to moisten the ladyfinger sponge texture in every spoonful.
This Tiramisu overall is creamy, but leans more towards the lighter type of creaminess. It's not very sweet, and has a subtle espresso flavour. I think this would really suit those who would want a change and try something different instead of ordinary chocolate cake, but prefer just a little more in flavour and texture.
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| Banoffie Pie |
Unfortunately, to my taste, this item isn't something that I would choose again. That is not to say there is something wrong with it, just that with my experience and tasting of other banoffie pie/tart treats from other places, the one from Circus Cafe became a slight disappointment, and here's why...
I'm absolutely no expert or food critic but as a customer, who wouldn't want the best of everything? Afterall, we take time and money in exchange for good treats so I think it is fair to want things to be made better.
I'll start off talking about the things I DISLIKED about this
The crust of the banoffie pie was really thick, as you can see in the photo, and quite heavy in butter content. Every mouthful was powdery and easily dissovled, leaving an oily feeling in your mouth afterwards. The thick layer of heavy cream on top just adds more cream and oil.
Another thing I did not like about this pie was that it had no precise layer between the banana and the toffee layer. I'm a lover of toffee, and caramel flavours but because I like to have things in specific layers, this pie didn't have that component for the toffee part but instead the toffee was mixed in with the banana, sadly I wasn't able to taste anything that was toffee from it. You can see a small amount of toffee near the very bottom of the pie but from memory, that toffee wasn't quite watery.
To me, there are always two sides to everything, a coin has heads and tails, so I feel like there is always a good and a bad side to everything. I like to be fair in all ways possible so I should at least mention something GOOD about this treat.
The good thing about this banoffie pie was a) the SIZE and b) it is JAM PACKED with bananas!
The banoffie pie was not too sweet either, just heavy in cream and butter content. If you're looking for something that is bigger in portion, not sweet, and would fill you up, then this would be the one to get!
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| Kahlua Mousse Pot |
The flavour of the mousse had a dark chocolate taste with a light hint of bitterness. I would say this mousse is considered sweet. It was the DENSE type of mousse, topped with a little cream, and delicately thin handmade striped chocolate rolls, and a mint leaf for decoration.
In terms of size, the porcelain pot looks and is quite small both in the photo and in real life, but somehow after you've finished indulging, you realise that the portion is actually enough.
[PLEASE NOTE: The following items below may either be NO LONGER AVAILABLE or SEASONAL]
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| Boysenberry Creme Brulee |
Even though no longer available at the cafe, I thought it would still be good to just do write a brief section about it JUST INCASE one day the cafe decides to bring it back.
When it comes to baked desserts and other sweet treats, I don't tend to favour much of the ones that contain fruits. The reason why I tried this creme brulee was purely because it was creme brulee. It was one of those items that you just have to try to know not to get it next time.
This creme brulee contained bits of boysenberry baked inside the custard. I remember the custard wasn't firm but instead was more of a smooth cream texture. It was served with a side of sweet berry coulis that was not to strong in citrus flavour. The biscotti was orange zest flavoured which is ALWAYS a good complement to creme brulees.
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| Mango Creme Brulee |
The reason being firstly, the texture of the one I had was extremely runny, almost like liquid! It was almost no different to just eating one of those pre-made custards that you can buy at the supermarket.
Secondly, although containing mango which is always delicious with anything or on it's own, the mango pieces in this brulee was of disappointment. Somehow when I ate the mango bits, they tasted like the canned kind with that hint of metal taste. The use of canned mango is ONLY MY ASSUMPTION and I could very well be wrong. With a high quality cafe that is Circus Cafe, I only imagine the chefs using fresh ingredients.
Besides desserts, Circus Cafe offers a wide variety of lunch and dinner items. They also have a range of other treats such as slices and brownies, along with a long menu of both hot and cold beverages.
The price of the items mentioned in this post ranged from around $10 each.
You can find Circus Circus Cafe on:
447 Mt Eden Road
Auckland 1024
Phone: (09) 623 3833
Website: www.circuscircus.co.nz
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/circusmteden
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 6am to 11pm
I've been a bit demotivated to blog lately but I have a few posts already written and just need to click the 'Publish' button.
'till next time!
The 'Sweet Tooth' Fairy xo
