Ask someone where one can find the best chocolates and pastries in town and chances are one of the names will be Bon Bon, just off Jeddah’s Andalous St. between Byblos and Bubbles.
The dark wood interior, beige walls and aquamarine glass paneling gives the patisserie a contemporary and almost corporate feel. One even has to enter through a revolving door to access the place — but don’t let that detract you from stepping in.
An enormous white vase resting on a table greets you upon entering, covered among other things with gift boxes filled with assorted chocolates wrapped in loud multicolored foil wrappings. Three different counters are available, each filled with row upon row of various cakes and tarts.
Once inside, I was at a loss at what to try but was fortunate to have the assistance of a very helpful employee who carefully listed off the names and ingredients of each delicate creation; this made a difference, as so often one enters a cake shop to be told “this cake is chocolate,” and that’s all you hear.
But here at Bon Bon you are given a round up of almost everything that goes into the cake.
For example, the colorful Rosaline Éclair caught my attention — a vanilla cream filled éclair topped with a layer of pink almond flan covered in thin slices of fresh strawberries. It tastes as good as it sounds! With so much to choose from I ended up walking out not long after with two boxes filled to the rim with cakes, chocolates and tarts! If you’re looking for something sweet for a special occasion or event, Bon Bon is ideal. While not cheap, the cakes are some of the best I have come across; the chocolates are just as good.
If you’re a fan of chocolate, you shouldn’t be disappointed here.
Varieties here are much more interesting than the usual, and it’s good to see they aren’t suffering from the tired, old chocolate-covered-date-stuffed-with-an-almond routine. Here you can pick up much more interesting varieties: Chocolate-covered ginger, mint and green tea chocolates, chocolate mixed with hazelnut, and peach are just a few of the flavors available. I tried the peach and almond malakoff and was impressed by fresh taste of the peach in the mix. Don’t get carried away though. The chocolate is great if you don’t mind splurging — a kg of any variety will set you back a whopping SR210. But don’t despair. You can also buy a quarter of a kilo if you’re not looking for death by chocolate! As for the other cakes I tried (with the help of a few friends), I can thoroughly recommend the apple tart — great to see a fresh apple tart not covered in jellied goo in Jeddah. The strawberry cheesecake is a light, fluffy treat that is much softer than I had expected and a pleasure to eat.
As for some of the other items, the brownie was drier than I had hoped for, and the crème brûlée came off a little too soft. (Perhaps the car journey let it down.) But all was not lost. The chocolate mousse was a dream, while the raspberry tart was juicy and mouth watering — a firm favorite amongst the testers.
However it wasn’t all good. My curiosity managed to get the better of me and I ordered the passion cocktails, a small glass filled with what looks like scoops if creamy mousse (in either raspberry, passion fruit or cappuccino). You can’t always judge a book by its cover, and these unfortunately were not the exception, but the rule. They looked delicious but were gelatinous — a single dip of my spoon and the whole jar of the stuff came back up with it.
Other than the tarts and cakes, I also tried the snack bars, which were great fun. These tiny, narrow little cake bars would probably be ideal for those watching their weight. I tried the Eliser and Hawaii varieties. The Hawaii is an almond sponge cake covered in rich mango and pineapple cream, delicious and beautifully presented. The Eliser in contrast is a much lighter affair and should appeal to the child in you. Looking like a small birthday cake, it is made up of layers of pistachio, almond and strawberry sponge cake. All of the individual slices of cakes and eclairs vary in prices from about SR9 to SR12. Countless other items are available, such as breads, pastries, ice cream and larger cakes that range from SR120 to SR190.
If you’re in the area, check it out. If you’re already familiar with Bon Bon then you know what I’m talking about!
Location: Al Hamra Corniche facing Royal Guest Palace (For Map See Jeddahfood.com) Tel: 02 6697655 ext 500.
(Rashed Islam is a food critic who hosts Jeddahfood.com)
