7 of 31: La Palme D'or Patisserie

I am going out of order on this one. This visit actually came after a visit to another of the 31, but that post will come later. My longtime friend Shilpa, who knew me back in my previous life, posted on facebook that she wanted to go to a particular restaurant. So we went. It was delish, as you will see later. But after, she felt a burning desire for dessert. As long as I have known her, she really hasn't been much into sweets, at least post meal (a sentiment that she echoed today). However she couldn't shake it. She needed the sweet chemistry of  a crafted dessert. And not any dessert would do. She wanted to walk, but Kakaako was limited.

We went through the area options. There wasn't much. Gelato, Pass. Cookies, not enough. Twinkies, are you kidding me? So after some back and forth, we decided to get into our cars and make the trek to Ala Moana Mall, to La Palme D'or Patisserie. 

Known for our Japanese influenced French pastries, La Palme has been around for several years
at its location at Ala Moana Shopping Center's Outside. I am sure its often missed as unless you get manicured nails and waxing done, its doubtful you would see it. The only way to get there is outside the main drag. While most of the malls residents appear on the main drag, this is one a few shops that shares the "main drag" with actual cars. Located on the second floor, Mauka Side parking lot has not hurt its reputation though.
Ask around its likely that there are more than a casual number of people that have heard of them. Aside from their desserts, they have a few Tea and coffee jello drinks that keep a steady stream of people in the know, but the focus and the lion's share of customers come for the desserts. And speaking of clients, La Palme even has had the honor of serving the Emperor of Japan on his official visit in 2009. How's that for reputation. 

Photo of the case, including the three items I purchased today. They were coincidentally  right by each other. 

 They claim on their website that their desserts are not overly sweet as to allow the full flavor of the desserts to come through. I agree. Not too sweet. Just right. This little tidbit is why I like this place so much. You can truly enjoy the flavor as intended. A friend best described it as "it plays with your sweet tooth instead of feeding it."

La Palme also does special requests and whole items for purchase. 

FRAMBOISE FROMAGE
layers of smooth light cheesecake, raspberry jam, hazelnut & almond cookie crust

My favorite dish of the trip. While the Pave Chocolate and its 70% cocoa content often is on my list, I deliberately avoided my normal items and tried new things. Of the three, this is my favorite. I would describe it as bland for what its visual impact would suggest, but that is definitely an asset. The lower sugar content allows the raspberry, almond, and cheesecake to make an appearance. Without that subtlety  this would just be a white cake.

BAKED CHEESECAKE
 rich dense cheesecake with cranberry & hazelnut cookie crust

This cheesecake was simply awesome. Its heavy as one would expect, but the softer sugar pallet allows for the cheese flavors to come through.

TROPICAL FROMAGE
lilikoi & mango mousse on top of rare cheesecake and coconut sponge

Last but not least on this trip, this bad boy kinda surprised me. With the subtle flavors coming through in the previous dish, this one was more of a shock to the system. The lilikoi and Mango leaves no doubt of its tropical lineage. If my pallet was still corrupted by my previous meal, this bad boy would definitely set it straight. I put this one in the category of "it has its place." For me at least, not an every trip consideration.

The reason why we had to take it to go

It can get busy, so do be prepared to take the deliciousness on the road. They do take care to package it right as you can see. If you notice in some of the pictures there is plastic wrapped around the individual items. This makes it easy to transport if you are getting a take out box like you see below. There is two tables in the shop to sit and enjoy. If not, ask for a fork and napkins and take it into the mall. There are lots of tables in strategic places where you can enjoy these bad boys.

STORE HOURS

Monday - Saturday        9:00am - 9:00pm

Sunday                              9:00am - 7:00pm

LOCATION

Ala Moana Center

CONTACT

Telephone: (808)941-6161