The Bon Vivant Blog

We were sitting at Aamans, and started chatting with the very nice couple next to us, who we started exchanging food recommendation with, and an email or two later, M had recommended Summerbird to us for their flødeboller – ‘cream puffs’. Did you ever eat Viva Puffs (in Canada, at least) when you were a [...]

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One of the first things that you need to figure out about any city is where the good bakery is. And Copenhagen certainly has its share of good bakeries. Lagkagehuset is one of them, with about 10 locations around the city. We tried their Muesli bread – covered in pumpkin seeds, whole wheat inside, with [...]

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Post-dinner at Ditirambo, strolling around Campo de’ Fiori – nothing makes dessert better when in Italy than a couple of scoops of gelato. We’re tired, we haven’t done any research, and we basically go to the first place we find, about 50 feet away from Ditirambo. Notwithstanding the english name, the gelato is actually pretty [...]

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After a dinner at Jadis, we went for a stroll down avenue Champs-Élysées and A’s neverending love for all things sweet took us to back to Ladurée for some late-night macarons. Designed by Roxane Rodriguez, the Ladurée Bar is a very cool place to stop-in late night for a drink and some dessert. Basking in [...]

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For ages now we’ve been going on about how great the macarons are at Pierre Hermé while we haven’t been giving the other challenger, Ladurée even a chance. This is like seeing Joe Frazier go at a heavy bag and saying that he’s the best boxer in the world. It’s like seeing a Picasso and [...]

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Amazing. Not only does he produce the best pastries that I have had in North America – and better than many I have had in France, but he has replicated his business in North Vancouver and opened a Kitsilano branch. He will be busy. Saturday morning – about 11:30 (late start) – we pick up [...]

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In August, Bologna gets hot. I don’t mean some jerk saying “hot enough for ya?” hot – I mean run from shadow-to-shadow hot. It is one of the hottest places in Italy in the summer, and generally speaking the entire town (mostly) closes down for the month. It is ridiculous by mid-day – 38 degrees [...]

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Perhaps we were spoiled by some of the amazing gelato in Bologna and Florence, but we thought that this was really bad gelato. The lineup inside and the crowd enjoying the gelato outside made us think this place must be good, but the three sorbetto flavours we tried – grapefruit, strawberry, and lemon were so [...]

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This is one of the best patisseries in Spain and can hold its own around the world. In fact, it is famous for the world’s best chocolate cake, an award that pastry chef Carles Mampel won a few years ago. Try the chocolate cake or for that matter any of the other beautifully presented desserts [...]

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This place is worth seeking out when you are in the city centre – seek it out more than once if you have time. As you stroll the streets of Florence displays of gelato piled high and decorated with fruit will entice you at every corner. Ignore those poor imitations of real gelato. Seek out [...]

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