Eminem is about the last thing we want to listen to when we’re trying to enjoy a slice of cake. The folks at Black n White apparently do not feel the same way – something we realised after sitting through 20 minutes worth of Marshall Mathers hits (‘right before I’m about to drown/she resuscitates me/She fuckin’ hates me’). Sadly, there are still bigger problems here aside from the music, the main one being that the desserts just aren’t very good.
Opened by VERO’s former executive chef Jeffery Koo, Black n White’s menu includes layered cakes, crêpes, homemade gelati and a handful of froyo creations. They’re all beautifully constructed; the poetically named Mini Starry Night ($40), for example, includes a shallow pool of berry coulis, a scant few raspberries and compressed watermelon cubes, a thin chocolate cake, lime macaron shell, a few more berries and finally, a dark chocolate crown on top. Unfortunately, there is nothing to hold it all together and the result feels like an arbitrary medley of ingredients tossed together into a single dessert cup. The signature dark chocolate cake ($40) is equally unsatisfying, but for entirely opposite reasons. It lacks depth with the layers of chocolate mousse and chocolate being much too similar in both richness and texture. Even the heap of crushed chocolate on top fails to add an extra dimension. It’s not a bad dessert, just an incredibly boring one.
And then we get to the froyo, which is velvety smooth and, in the case of the kaffir lime rendition ($48), swirled with mango pâtes de fruits and fruit syrup before being studded with bitter cocoa nibs and an orb of spun sugar. Presentation is the key here and the dessert arrives with a thin disc of white chocolate wedged near the base of the cup, propping up the yoghurt so that it appears to be suspended in mid-air. You might ‘ooh’ over the gimmicky, illusory effect for a few seconds before you realise you’ve been ripped off of about two inches worth of froyo. Throw in the sorely lacking service (don’t expect the staff to clear your finished plates or volunteer any form of assistance) and obscure location, and you’ll see why we’re not singing sweet praises. Dorothy So
88-102 Ivy St, Tai Kok Tsui, 2789 1330. Mon-Sat 11am-11pm. Dessert for two: around $150.