C.C. Violin Patisserie & Cafe

While in West Van one day by myself, I had some time to kill.  I wasn't exactly hungry, so I had to find something that was more of a snack than an actual meal.  The fact that I had a dinner coming up later that night meant I had to practice restraint.  Yes, that is somewhat of a foreign concept to me, but so is proper elevator etiquette at Crystal Mall...  So as I was walking along Marine Drive, I decided to hit up C.C. Violin, which seemed like the answer, with a selection of pastries and coffee.  

I decided on trying 2 things to go with my beverage.  The first one was the classic Croissant with butter served on the side.  This modestly-sized pastry was a bit flaky on the outside while predominantly soft overall.  Inside, it wasn't exactly super-buttery, yet a the same time, it wasn't dense either.  On the croissant continuum, I would consider this somewhere in the middle - serviceable, but not memorable.  Next up, I had the Mango Cheesecake that featured a fruity surprise in the middle.  I found it to be smooth and rich.  The baked cheesecake was just sweet enough where the burst of mango was welcomed.

Seeing how CC Violin was surprisingly decent, I decided to bring Viv and our resident macaron expert (my daughter) to join me on another visit.  We ended up with a selection of Macarons including passionfruit, matcha, raspberry, gingerbread (the Angry Bird missing its beak) and a heart-shaped chocolate raspberry.  These were pretty good with a lightly crispy exterior giving way to a soft and moist chewy interior.  They weren't overly sweet while exhibiting fairly on point flavours.  Since my daughter loves mango, I got the Mango Mousse Cake as well.  There was an impactful amount of mango taste to go along with the smooth and light mousse. 

Of course I had beverages both times with the first being a mocha and the second being a Cappuccino.  I found this one to be pretty mild and smooth.  There wasn't much bitterness nor strong flavours present.  Ultimately, it did the job, much like the mocha and only served to accompany the pastries.  About those pastries, I thought that the macarons and cakes were good, but the croissant was sub-par. In the end, both visits were acceptable experiences in general.

The Good:
- Calm, relaxing environment
- Decent pastries
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Drinks are a bit weak
- Not super expensive, but not cheap either