Cho-Kwok-Lat (Markham) — Restaurant in Markham

I have mixed feelings for this place. I gotta say their cakes are good though not exceeding my expectations, but lacking in professionalism and customer services.

I went in last Saturday for their cakes and pastries. I’m a dessert person so I’ve been to many patisseries, yet this is the only place that don’t tape on the bottom of the cake board so cakes don’t move around and crush each other. The lady at the counter told me that I don’t have to worry about the cakes touching each others since their cakes boards are round, however just few steps out to my car already had them sticking to each others. This is not ideal for their delicate looking cakes as many customers also eat with their eyes. Also , when I asked for a bag to put in what I bought (I had two cake boxes and two pastry bags in my hands) the lady said “we don’t have a bag. We are trying to go plastic free” which was a total non sense as she was giving plastic folks to eat the cake. I mean, there are many eco friendly options out there like paper bags if they were really considering to go plastic free. (Please don’t be cheap on things like this when your tiny cakes cost btw $7-9. )

Almond chocolate danish - was good but it was lacking in buttery aroma and it looked like it was a day old as we came in around 11 am, and there were only a few of the viennoiseries available. The lady told customers that pastries are coming in an hour as they had issues with their proofer. In my opinion fresh viennoiseries and bread should be sold daily other wise offered at reduced price after a day old.

Garlic bread - which was a copied version of Korean cream cheese garlic bread. It was even pricier ($4.5 for a really small bread ) than what I tried in Korean bakeries ($3.5-$4 but bigger) but the taste was just so disappointing. There were only small dabs of cream cheese fillings in the bread, but it’s supposed to be full of fillings and garlic flavours. I don’t understand how the price is set.

Banana tart- was flavour wise good but the shell was too thick and hard to cut in to.

Ma cherie- when I read the descriptions on the menu it was really interesting. The jelly on top was unique but not enough flavours and too gummy when I tried to cut it. There were too many components in the cake and they didn’t complement each other.

Exotic coconut- was my favourite. I’m not a fan of coconut dessert but the coconut mousse was not over powering in flavour and well balanced with mango cream and other layers of the cake.

From my first visit, I saw there are rooms for improvements. There are great techniques and ideas but it feels like they are trying to save on ingredients and packaging. I might try them again if...

On my weekly pursuit of new and exciting sweets across the city, I chose Cho-Kwok-Lat this time. We are blessed in the GTA of the many Patisseries to choose from. Here is another up in the north east end of Toronto, Markham. Nested in the small village of Markham neighboring alongside other bakery, local shops, this unassuming shop was lovely. I went at a time when it was not busy so I had the choice of an array of many selections. I strictly chose what I wanted by the name, look and what seem unique. There are quite a few lovely French desserts and quite pretty. I particularly like fruit based desserts and these are quite good. Do not expect bold rich flavors, rather delicate hints, brushing and tinges of the blends of textures and fragrances of the ingredients. I usually have coffee with desserts, which are great compliments, however, maybe something more subtle, like tea would allow your tastebuds seek those flavors out. I particularly liked the Paris Brest. It is a choux based dessert with a beautiful strawberry marscapone cream. Just lovely and light. And if you like richer dessert, the Cream Brûlée pastry is decadent. The vanilla cream was rich, velvety and comforting. The Exotic Coconut was not coconut strong, so for those who don’t like coconut, don’t worry. The ruffles on the cake, alone, is exquisite. The staff was non-pressuring allowing me to take my time to look over all the goodies. They also have a shelving of pantry items like high quality ingredients such as Callebaut chocolate. Next time you’re in the area and looking for something sweet but good,...

I am at a loss of words of how good the desserts and pastries are at Cho-Kwok-Lat.

Cho-Kwok-Lat is a new local hotspot in the Markham area serving up classic desserts and pastries with great technique and intellect involved in the creations Head Chef and Owner, Chris Kwok comes up with.

I recently visit Cho-Kwok-Lat to sample Chris' magical creations after seeing my fellow food accounts rave about the amazing quality of this place. Upon entering the premise, it's nice and warm to welcome any visitor looking for a sit-down snack or for an on-the-go order. Honestly, why bother visiting Paris when you can visit this place for some of the most innovative desserts you will ever have.

Not going to lie, if I were to have one last dessert on this earth, it would have to be the Exotic Coconut - Mango Passion Fruit. It's one of the best crafted and intelligent desserts I ever had in my life. Starting with a hazelnut sponge cake, it serves as an igloo for the Mango Passionfruit Cremeux which serves as a nice sour element to balance the sweetness of the dessert with the Coconut Mousse and Praline Feuilletine. All the elements served its own individual purpose but they dance beautifully with one another in every bite.

I cannot wait for my next visit as this is not your ordinary patisserie. It's a patisserie run by Canada's World Chocolate Master who is just getting started in making his mark in the Toronto and...