KARAT || This Chocolate and Pastry Boutique in Kelowna will have You Coming Back for Seconds
Can I also get the Butter Croissant, the Japanese Roll Cake, the Rose Tart and the Mandarin Almond Cake? Oh, and…
Located just off of the main shopping street in downtown Kelowna, Bernard Ave, Karat Chocolate and Pastry Boutique was the best gem we came across. The exterior is a simple white facade, but you must step through into the space with marble walls and plush velvet seats.
We chanced upon the shop as we were shopping along Bernard Ave and looking for a spot for a coffee break, and knew we needed to come back to try as many items as possible!
By the of our five-day trip in Kelowna, we had visited 3 times to try their cakes, drinks, croissants and purchased a hefty bag of chocolate bars as souvenirs for colleagues, friends, and family. When you find something good we have got to share the love (of chocolate).
Karat serves up supersized croissants one would need to carry with both hands.
Let’s talk about their croissants. First, we were fascinated about these croissants are double the size of the ones we would see in Vancouver. At first we doubted whether the size would mean it’s not as buttery, flakey, or tasty — but we were wrong; these croissants as just as buttery and delicious as one would imagine. A morning coffee plus the Cassis Croissant pictured below would be a great start to your morning. The Cassis flavour is sweet and slightly tart with the flavour of black currants. We have just as much love for the regular butter croissants though because they make for great snacks when we were driving back to Vancouver.
This Cassis Croissant hit the spot for our breakfast. Who said you couldn’t have sugar for breakfast?
If you’re visiting during afternoon tea time, then you wouldn’t want to miss out on the scrumptious cakes. Note that the store does close at 4PM, so you don’t want to visit too late, because by about 2PM most of the cakes would be gone. These cakes are so good that we actually worked our schedule to have an earlier lunch and came here earlier to ensure we got the cakes we were eyeing.
We ended up getting the Japanese roll cake with a decadent cream center topped with a medley of berries. The roll cake is also covered with coconut flakes on the outside to give each bite more texture.
Out of the two cakes that we got, I loved the multiple layers of flavour and slight crunchiness of the Mandarin Almond Cake. It wasn’t overly sweet and the taste of mandarin oranges and hint of floral notes embodies the scent of the spring and summer season so well.
That said, I will be back to try the Maracujá Macaron. Just reading the description will make your mouth water. Passionfruit mousse, lime curd, coconut, vanilla whipped ganache, chopped shiso leaves, and, wait for it, it’s also gluten-free.
This Mandarin Almond Cake had the perfect layers of crunch, sponge, and cream.
For those who love their roll cakes, we liked how the medley of berries added a refreshing spring flavour to the cake.
Your visit to Karat Chocolate and Pastry Boutique isn’t complete until you’ve also purchased their unique chocolate creations. Think Oatmeal Cookie, PB & J, Maple and Pecan, High Tea (35% white couverture with candied earl grey tea and lemon flavour), and organic chocolate infused with Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon. That’s just a selection of the full repertoire that they offer. Evidently, three visits during the week wasn’t enough.
We will definitely be back to savour more of these indulgent chocolates. How about you?
Snacks for the road?