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| - Sweets Raku is a small dessert restaurant, usually only open from dinner to midnight, found in Chinatown. I heard about it by word of mouth (recommended by our babysitter, actually!) and decided to try it out while some friends were visiting from out of town.
First off, parking was a bit tricky. We were there at roughly 10pm, and the small square's parking lot was FULL. We circled around for a few minutes before spotting someone who was leaving. There is street parking as well.
Upon entering, you line up on the interior side of the entrance, where a floor to ceiling glass wall with wines elegantly displayed separates those waiting from those dining. We were in line waiting behind two other groups, but fortunately our smaller party of three got us seated ahead of one.
There are roughly 3-4 tables along the side wall, and the remaining 12 or so seats are all counter - which is probably where you want to be. But I'll digress on that later. The ambiance is very trendy; not necessarily casual, but not elegant either. The counter and most of the prep surfaces are a white marble, with white tiles along the kitchen walls. The menus are already waiting for you, open and ready to explore, even before you sit down at the table/counter. The servers are attentive and professional, and the chefs are just magical with what they do.
Now why the counter? They counter gives you a full view of the kitchen ovens and prep areas, as the chefs create these magnificent and beautiful dessert plates. We watched one chef make candy apples by heating and blowing candy into shape. Another chef was busy scooping ice cream, plating creme puffs, and so much more. The ovens that have your food are right there, so you can watch your blueberry soufflé rising right before your eyes!
Of the courses my friends and I shared:
Apple Pie: Beautifully presented. The candy apple was visually stunning and delicious, filled with two types of creme. The puffs were light and airy, and the apple filling, unfortunately, reminded me more of an applesauce than a traditional apple pie filling.
Another dessert of custard came with a white chocolate dome, which was melted and caved in via a blowtorch-heated cognac poured as soon as it was served. Sadly I forgot the name of it. The alcohol was a delightful 'kick' to the lighter, sweeter custard, and the crunchy bits hidden under the dome, along with the white chocolate, provided a diversity in textures.
Puffy: a mildly standard but wonderfully airy soufflé, with a beautiful soft blue color, with blueberries hidden beneath. The blueberries were a nice mix of sweet and tart, a good finish to the light, soft flavor of the soufflé. They inject it with a vanilla creme as it is served, and you watch the soufflé rise to accommodate the creme. There was an additional side of mango with jelly, which to me was just insanely delicious, and I could've eaten more of that as a standalone dessert.
Overall, no single dish was overly filling, as it is more an experience in visual appeal as well as flavor and texture. I am excited to return to try the other dishes on the menu. These chefs know what they are doing and their precision and attention to detail are evident in every aspect of each dish.
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