Block 1912

Happy Tuesday! So I'm aware that it's been more than a week since I last posted... I guess you could say I was on a blogging roll at the start of May. Blogging was postponed mostly because CJ returned from vacation so naturally, I wanted to spend time with him. He is my number one distraction after all.

Now let's get this blog post started. If you frequent Whyte Ave like I do, I'm sure you've passed by Block 1912, a European cafe located beside the intersection of 104 Street and 82 Ave. I'll admit the outside appearance is a little unassuming, but stepping inside you'll find yourself in a big space looking at tons of comfy couches and chairs that extend all the way from the entrance to the very far end of the cafe.

Sorry, not the best photos of the interior.

Block 1912 offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options in addition to coffee and drinks. I've heard a lot of good things about the soups, lasagnas, and casseroles they serve too. But the real stand out for me? Their pastries. They have a huge display of pastries with a lot of selection, so there's something for everyone. The beauty of the food at Block 1912 is that it is all made from scratch in house. 

Our spread of desserts and hot drinks.

I guess one of the biggest downsides (for me) of Block 1912 is the lack of natural lighting available. There is really only one window near the entrance with few seating nearby. If you're lucky enough to snag one of those window seats, do it! You'll get better quality photos that aren't grainy like mine. 

White Hot Chocolate.

CJ ordered a White Hot Chocolate ($3.50), which he actually enjoys more than a regular hot chocolate. This one, however, tasted oddly like cotton candy. It was just okay in my opinion.

Vanilla Milk Steamer.

I ordered a Vanilla Milk Steamer ($3.50), which is my favourite option if I don't feel like drinking hot chocolate. This drink was light and frothy, although I wish the vanilla flavour in mine was more prominent. 

Chocolate Marquise.

CJ also got their Chocolate Marquise (~$6) which is a moist, rich chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate glaze, and decorated with chocolate shavings and hints of gold. Basically a chocolate lovers dream dessert. This cake was quite rich, although the chocolate mousse provided a nice creaminess with each bite. Also, those golden flakes on top are such a beautiful touch! 

Cappuccino Cake.

I was a little torn deciding which pastry I wanted, but I ultimately went for their Cappuccino Cake (~$6). This is a coffee sponge cake with espresso buttercream and white chocolate mousse. The buttercream was light and sweet and paired perfectly with the moist cake. I also enjoyed how the coffee flavour wasn't too strong so my friends (who aren't coffee lovers or drinkers) could try some too. 

Pistachio Cake.

Jeline and Yusra both chose the Pistachio Cake ($6), which was smaller in size compared to the cakes CJ and I chose. This dessert is a vanilla sponge cake with pistachio mousse, coated in white chocolate and pistachio. Jeline and Yusra described it as light, creamy, nutty, and not overly sweet. Sounds delicious if you ask me. 

Lastly, Jeline ordered a London Fog ($4.75). Surprisingly, I don't have a picture of just the drink itself. She said the drink had a good, strong flavour that wasn't too sweet. 

I highly recommend checking out Block 1912 if you're in need of a coffee and dessert break. If sweets aren't really your thing, they also offer salads, hot meals, sandwiches, and tapas as well. The atmosphere is really cozy and relaxing so it's a great spot for studying, catching up with friends, or reading a good book. They are open until 12 AM from Monday to Saturday and until 11 PM on Sunday which is perfect for any night owls. 

P.S. I heard one of their tables has a drawer containing napkin notes and letters! How cool is that? If I ever find myself at that table, I would love to add my own napkin note to the collection. Also makes for a great read and conversation with friends! 

Contessa French Macarons

Over the past few years, macarons have become increasingly popular. I'm sure we've all noticed - this French dessert (although with Italian origins) has suddenly appeared everywhere on social media. From a simple close-up shot of the colourful meringue-based shell with equally colourful ganache, jam, or buttercream filling, to acting as an eye catching focal point in more artistic shots, the macaron has become one of the trendiest desserts to both photograph and consume.

The first time I ever tried macarons was on Valentine's Day last year at Duchess Bake Shop. I was really excited and picked out tons of macarons without even thinking about the cost lol! Since that time, I've tried macarons from a few other local businesses in Edmonton, such as Milk and Cookies Bakeshop back in April. The most recent macaron food adventure I've had? Contessa French Macarons!

Contessa French Macarons.

My first time hearing about Contessa French Macarons was through Instagram, which is pretty much my go to social media tool for learning about YEG food businesses. Later on, I liked their Facebook page so I could see more photos of their macarons. Just last week, a giveaway for a dozen French macarons was announced for almost reaching 200 Facebook followers, so I knew I had to enter. Two days after I entered, I was notified saying I was the winner of the giveaway! I couldn't believe it at first... I've entered lots of giveaways in the past but this was my first time winning something! 

Yum!

When I went to pick up my macarons, I was greeted by a lovely lady named Angelina Contini. She makes these macarons from scratch in her own home. I've heard that macarons are quite difficult to make, yet the ones I received looked so perfect! Such a beautiful line up of spring colours too. I also really liked the craft box the macarons were packaged in, as well as the stamped brand and "Handmade with Love" - very cute touches!

My attempt at a fancy macaron display.

Angelina messaged me with a list of flavours that were currently available. There were so many options, and I had such a hard time choosing! I ended up going with salted caramel, cookies n cream, matcha, mango, raspberry cheesecake, and banana cream from the list. 

Banana Cream.

The first macaron I tried was the Banana Cream. The filling was a perfect creamy banana with just a hint of sweetness. This one was nice because I don't really hear about banana flavoured macarons too often. 

Matcha.

Next up was the light green coloured Matcha macaron. Although Angelina mentioned that she was still working on this flavour, I would say it was spot on! I really liked the amount of green tea flavour (and filling!) in this one.

Mango.

I knew I needed to try Mango when I read it from the list of available flavours. Mangos (especially dried mangos) are one of my favourite fruits to snack on. I found the mango to be subtle, and as a lover of mangos, I would have liked it even more if the flavour was more prominent. Also, how gorgeous is that pastel orange shell?

Raspberry Cheesecake.

I was debating between raspberry or blueberry cheesecake, but ended up going with the Raspberry Cheesecake. This macaron has golden crumbs around it that is reminiscent of the graham crust on the bottom of traditional cheesecakes. For some reason I imagined the filling to be a raspberry buttercream, so I was pleasantly surprised to find raspberry jam in the centre. Just like taking a bite into an actual raspberry cheesecake! 

Salted Caramel.

I commented Salted Caramel as the flavour I would like to see soon when I entered the Facebook giveaway, so I guess it's all thanks to this macaron that I won! Salted caramel really is one of my favourite flavours though. This macaron was all about letting that salted caramel shine through, making for a perfect bite! 

Vanilla Latte (left) and Cookies n Cream (right).

Although I had originally asked for Cookies n Cream, I also got a Vanilla Latte macaron in my box too. What a nice surprise! I had imagined the shell for cookies n cream to be black and white (kind of like a Hersheys Cookies n Cream candy bar lol...), but it was a cool, light grey colour. The filling also appeared to be finely crushed cookie pieces so this macaron was a bit more chewy compared to the rest - but still very tasty! On the other hand, the vanilla latte totally looked and smelled like an actual vanilla latte drink! Great for coffee lovers. This was an enjoyable flavour too. 

Top down view.

I absolutely loved my first box of Contessa French Macarons! The colours of the macarons were gorgeous and all the flavours were amazing. The shell was perfectly crispy with a soft and chewy interior. Each macaron was not overwhelmingly sweet either (I don't like macarons that are too sweet!).

To order a box of Contessa French Macarons, you can send an email to Angelina at contessamacarons@gmail.com. I talked to her via Facebook message though, so that's another option. Each box contains 12 macarons at a cost of $20. Flavours change every now and then, so you can ask about which ones are available. When it's ready, the macarons can be picked up at her home!

My name!!

Before I forget: It's my name stamped on the side of the box! I loved how my box was personalized. It's the small touches like that that can really brighten up a day. Thank you Angelina for the giveaway and for creating these small bites of heaven! I'm looking forward to ordering a box (or maybe boxes...) sometime in the future. Be sure to follow her on Instagram (@angelinacontini) too!