Pourquoi Pas Patisserie — Restaurant in Coquitlam

I was told by a friend that there is a new Patisserie in Coquitlam, BC - Pourquoi Pas Patisserie. Ordered a Classic Butter Croissant, a Mango Coconut Cake, a Canelé, and an Iced Cream Earl Grey. I ate the Mango Coconut Cake first. Many places will use too much sugar in a mousse cake. But not here – the sugar from the mango and the coconut have a delicate balance with the mango acidity. It was refreshing that I could eat the whole cake in one sitting without the need to cleanse my palate. Well done on the sugar control/balance. This will give me great expectation on your strawberry offerings. Next up Classic Butter Croissant. From the start, the croissant was not in the ‘perfect’ croissant shape. Now, this gave me great expectation as the temperature could be off by 8 C and the croissant would be deflated on one side. This shape also told me – the croissant was not made in a cookie cutter fashion within an industrial assembly line. Baking is a science but it also is a delicate balance with heat and time. I was eager to tear the croissant apart to reveal its inner structure. The croissant immediately exploded in my hands when I was pulling it apart. Flaky pieces were flying as far as 1 foot away – needed to do some clean-up afterwards. Soft inner layers were revealed and the butter aroma was released. It passed the ‘explosion test’, and the aroma test. Here come the taste test – rich mouth feel from the butter and very soft inner texture. I like this style of croissant as I am not a fan of the super crispy crust. This was a very good butter croissant. Lastly – the Canelé. I have only had one great Canelé in Vancouver. This Canelé from Pourquoi Pas is also very good. Crispy outer crust, soft inner texture but not overly sweet (do not misunderstand – Canelé is full of sugar). This one from Pourquoi was not super sweet like some I had. Very nice. I shall return to sample more of...

I was pretty excited to finally get cakes from here, since it's my 3rd attempt (they're usually sold out of cakes)! I love their clean quaint storefront, with it's warmly lit interior and glass showcases of their pastries. Staff are friendly and not pushy at all, I took my time reading through all the descriptions before deciding what pieces to get. I got their Mont Blanc, hazelnut roasted banana choux, and a matcha black sesame cake slice ($7.85 each). Beautifully crafted cakes and aesthetically pleasing, the attention to detail is evident here.

Our favorite was the matcha black sesame, as it had rich sesame flavor which paired well with the slightly bitter matcha. The cookie bottom added a nice texture and was delicious as well.

The Mont Blanc had wonderful nutty flavors and overall well rounded. However, the chestnut on top was super hard and dry, it was difficult to chew. The chestnut cream also looked a bit dry, as if it had been sitting out for quite some time (I bought these around 2pm). Again, the cookie bottom was flakey and paired well with the cake.

I was a quite disappointed with the choux because the flavors were a bit odd and the choux was soft (I expected a little crunch/flakiness). The hazelnut mousse was smooth, rich, and amazing--like having a Ferrero Rocher in mousse form. However, the candied banana was mushy and the slightly sour taste didn't pair well with the rest of the pastry.

I hope to try the other pastries next time, maybe today was just a down day for them, since I see so many raving reviews and they sell...

For my current experience, I am giving this three stars, but I am happy to revisit later to check this place out again.

Likely due to the social media coverage, despite this place only had a soft opening in the holidays, they have been really busy and if you arrive late, likely there will not be much choices. This is rather understandable and the three stars is not due to that. During my visits (multiple times as I need to return again as there was nothing that interested me, so they told me another thirty minutes there should be some fresh croissants), I managed to pick up two butter croissants. The size is a tad on the small side, but it does look flaky. Unfortunately it was too late that day so I had to eat it next morning, but it smelled very good. Next morning I warmed up the croissants so it was toasty and warm. The croissant is a little on the greasy side, but it's not overly so. The first few bites were quite good, similar to the other more popular croissant places, but when I was one third in, I understand why the size is a bit small because the inside was not developed. Sadly, it's still doughy and smelled like flour.

I am happy to return to try again in a few months when they sort out these production issues and less busy. But for now, I am giving this place a three star for its quality, if one manages to pick up anything upon...