Passion by Gerard Dubois: Feel the Passion

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 Passion by Gerard Dubois
Shop 1, G/F, 74-80 Johnston Road, Wan Chai/2529-1311
French/Desserts Recommended dishes: Passion Fruit Mont Blanc, Milles Feuilles, Salmon & Herbs Quiche
7/10 plates emptied!

[Written by Carly]

What can I say about this place – one word: mind-soothing. And why is that? My first time visiting this corner shop of Passion was after a day of tiring work, system crashed, non-stop  blabbering client meetings. Dragging a worn-down body down on the road of Wanchai, skimming through the streets, and aimed to grab a quick bite before dance class, turned around the corner and this little bright shimmering store stood in front of me, I ended up not wanting to leave this blissful place as the evening vibe with a sweet kick of desserts just completed my day.


 
Salad first off for you to feel less guilty about the desserts later on. Daily specials include 8 different options for you to choose for your green portions. Mandarin Beetroot Salad, California Shell Salad, Apple Celery Salad, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Tomatoes and Mozzarella,  Fruity Turkey Salad, Bounty of Eden. I will have to say my all-time-favorites are California Shell Salad, Apple Celery Salad, and Fruity Turkey Salad.

   
California Shell Salad
The salad dressing of California Shell Salad is creamy and rich in flavor which seemingly has a base of thousand island dressing to it – the shell pasta are filled with the rich dressing mixed with the herb scent. 



Apply Celery Salad
A lighter choice with chunky fresh red and green apples and streaks of celery, loved the natural taste to it without too much dressing or cream sauce.

Fruity Turkey Salad
Liked how the turkey salad is mixed with dried cranberries, walnuts, and healthier choice of meat – turkey. Turkey contains less fat than other meats like chicken, beef or poultry. Some would think that these salads are often too oily with too much salad dressing. Well, I would say – if you are going for an extreme diet, this is the last place you want to step foot in, even the salad tastes too delicious to be healthy! 


Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad
Not bad, slightly oily on the pesto oil yet the cheese was surprisingly decent for a non-cheese fan as it didn’t have the strong scent and was chewy for its texture. 

The rest of the salads are not bad for Bounty of Eden was slightly oily for all the boiled veggies, Mandarin Beetroot Salad was a bit too citrusy, and the Couscous salad a bit too much of the curry-taste spices in it and I am definitely not a fan of chicken peas *ha*

Quiches.
In other context, it is basically baked egg custard with various combinations of meat, seafood, or veggies in open-faced crust. A classic French cuisine served in savory hot or cold dish, Passion nailed this dish with a delightful note. You definitely do not find them all around in Hong Kong.  

Mushroom & Parmesan Quiche
Mini shiitake mushrooms were used instead of the regular white button mushrooms, guess this was to prevent the quiche from turning soggy as white mushrooms will certainly do so more than shiitake. The crust was most fluffy and flaky out of all quiches. 

  
Quiche LorraineOne of the classic ones as it includes bits of bacon, onions, and custard in it. This was my favourite savory quiche of the day. Not just that it is down to earth with its modest flavor,  the custard is smooth and light as a snack on the side as a meal, bits of onions were critical to balance out the classic quiche.

Salmon & Herbs Quiche
Compared to other quiches, the Salmon one was not bad as well. The Salmon flavor stood out more than bacon and really liked the savory combination of fish and eggs. The herbs highlighted this dish to make it purely enjoyable.

Okay. Finally, dessert time that I am sure all of you must be longing for.

Milles Feuilles
I am totally in love with Passion’s own modification to Milles Feuilles, another French pastry worth trying. The pastry is flaky with a baked crunch to it. The combination of vanilla cream and dulce de leche (cooked in milk, sugar, and toffee) complements each other. Vanilla cream not too sweet while the toffee one hits you as a side kick for its milky sweet taste. Classic napoleon pastry well-done!

Passion Fruit Mont Blanc
Summer special – try this before it is gone. As a chestnut fan, I was absolutely satisfied with the creaminess and smooth texture of the chestnut mousse. I initially hesitated whether passion fruit is going to go well with chestnut yet I danced a little when I tried this (okay, not literally ha*) It also surprised me a little with milk chocolate filling at the bottom, really liked how Gerard chose different fruit and sweets for its pastry – just cannot settle for the regular Mont Blanc anymore.
                                             

La Boule Chocolat|Pistache
Chocolate bomb! Was not as sweet as I imagined – for a dark chocolate fan, this is the dessert to go for.
Loved how there is cream in the filling so that it doesn’t get overly sweet and the crunchy bottom part which is dipped in rich dark chocolate sauce.

Tarte au Citron
Something was missing in this tart – I was looking for more acidity and smoothness from the lemon custard. This was not bad but definitely not the best in town. I’ve always thought that by trying one place’s lemon tart, you will be able to tell whether the chefs are good at handling custard cooking (basic technique for desserts!)
                          

Trilogy – Raspberry Ganache
Liked the raspberry and dark chocolate ganache (chocolate and cream cooked into a sauce/glaze/icing, in this case is used as a filling),the slight acidity balanced out the sweetness. The only thing to complain is about the pastry crust which could be more crunchy.
              
                               
     
On a side note, I do not know why the SCONES are gone now but I had them once and it was absolutely TERRIFIC – loved the buttery, moist regular scones they offer but will have to catch them with luck!
                       

Passion by Gerard Dubois has officially become my hideout place for lunch or evening chillout, whenever you are up for “healthy” salad and mouth-drooling desserts, you will now know where to go.