Dolce 88 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It didn't really take long for dessert lovers to take notice of Dolce 88 when the cafe was first launched back in January 2012. Executive pastry chef and New York-native Jason Licker was considered one of the best in the business and his signature cakes had every one of us craving for more. His smoked vanilla mousse cake is one of my all-time favorites.

But dessert lovers are known to have the shortest memory span on earth. Following the opening of Passion by Gérard Dubois, Nicole La Patissiere, Pierre Hermé, 2/3 dolci and C'est la B (just to name a few), Dolce 88 seems to be somewhat forgotten, at least by me.



I decided to pay them a quick visit when I was in the neigbourhood. At 6:30pm, the cafe was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. Disappointingly there were only 3-4 pieces of cakes left so variety was far and few.



My first choice was this snow white chocolate which was average at best. The white chocolate flavor was super light and at one point, I was questioning whether it was really white chocolate. 



And I expected their chestnut Mont Blanc to be better as well. The chestnut mousse could have been a little more silky smooth. 



I have heard some whispers about the departure of Jason Licker. Can anyone confirm this? Perhaps this could explain the sudden drop in quality.

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Lobby, JW Mariott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Admiralty
Tel: +852 2810-8366
Website: www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hkgdt-jw-marriott-hotel-hong-kong/