At first glance, Daniel Wong is not your typical bakery owner. First glances, however, can be – and often are – deceiving. The child of two bakers, Wong worked as an automotive painter for almost a decade. His dissatisfaction with his work – and his pronounced love of sweets – led him to culinary school, which in turn led him to open Crackle Crème (pronounced Crack-Le-Crème) in the burgeoning Union Street district of Chinatown a few short months ago.
The rest isn’t history, but a sweet start.
This little bakery-café is an unassuming spot, located right next to Harvest Community Foods, and down a few doors from The Parker and The Union. Concrete floors and walls, a few prints, a small open kitchen and a counter with a waffle iron are pretty much it for décor. And it works. The minimalist aesthetic is perfectly in keeping with the menu, which focuses (for now) on crème brulée and Belgian liège waffles.
Doesn’t sound like much, but Wong is passionate about what he does, and it shows. The waffles are on the sweeter side, but don’t grate on the teeth. Instead of cane sugar, Wong uses a special imported Belgian beet sugar that isn’t normally available here (he special orders it).
The irons are kept burning hot, meaning the waffles he creates on demand are slightly crispy and golden on the outside, but chewy and moist on the inside. It creates a light, sweet and fresh taste that balances perfectly with the sauces he creates daily.
The rhubarb and rosewater compote is tangy, tart and pleasantly sour. Pairing forkfuls with every bite was a wonderful experience. A dark chocolate-earl grey sauce was bittersweet and aromatic, happily strong on the tea flavour. If you don’t like Earl Grey in your chocolate, don’t order this, as it’s front and centre here.
The crème brulées are the stars of the show. Permanent flavours include Madagascar vanilla, Earl Grey, salted caramel, and black sesame. Then there are the daily selections that have included spiced pumpkin, honey lavender, mango-passionfruit, Ferrero Rocher, taro, and matcha.
There’s also a vegan chocolate version. I’d recommend the flight of three for $7.50, which changes daily. Or just order however many you want for $5. Each is bruléed on the spot and the resulting crackle is perfect every time I’ve had it. A baked cheesecake version one day was standout. Cheesecake doesn’t brulée well, so Wong adds a bit of crème as a top layer to facilitate a proper hardtop.
Wong also makes his own ice cream, which comes in handy when you order a float (yup, those are on the menu too, although a coffee might be a better choice to balance out all the sugar).
Crackle Crème might be small, but it’s creating mighty fine sweets, and Wong doesn’t seem like the type to sit still, so menu expansion doesn’t seem unlikely. In the meanwhile, I think there’s a crème calling my name.
Food: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★★
Value: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
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