A dessert shop run by two young people from Hong Kong — the sweetness is always just right!

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Sweets

Living around the Qianmei West District, you’ll often spot many foreigners around — there are quite a few American-style restaurants and Japanese diners, which generally share the common trait of not being very cheap. But dessert shops are somewhat rare. The ones I usually go to in this area are at most just three: Xiaogeng, Famie, and Musha Chocolate. That day, I happened to hear about a dessert shop opened by a Hong Kong chef near SOGO, on Huamei Street, though it's tucked away in a more hidden alley. It was a hot and stuffy afternoon right after the rainy season, so I invited a friend to come check out this [Sweet Cream Dessert Shop] with me.

The shop is really small — you wouldn’t even notice it if you weren’t standing at the alley entrance, and even once you’re inside the alley, you’d have to look left and right to spot it. There’s a powder-blue European-style storefront with the shop name 【Cream&Suger】 written on it. In Chinese, it’s called 甜奶油甜点店 (Sweet Cream Dessert Shop), where “cream” is pronounced in the Cantonese way. In Hong Kong-style cha chaan tengs, the drink “cream with fresh milk” is a pretty common sight (I do tend to ramble off-topic).

The reason they chose these words is because the two young chefs in the shop came from Hong Kong to Taiwan to start their business. They have a slight accent when they speak, but actually their Mandarin is pretty good. Hearing that they were from Hong Kong, I couldn’t help but chat with them a bit. It was only during the soft opening period, so there weren’t many customers inside the shop, which gave me the chance to chat with the chefs who came out.

I suppose not many people know about it yet. Otherwise, getting a free coffee with every dessert during the soft opening would be quite appealing, and I have to say, a whole month of buy cake get coffee free feels like an awfully generous promotion. The whole space is very simple — one side has the counter, the other has seating, and like the nearby Machiya Café, there are only three tables (hmm...). Currently, everything is clean and simple without overly elaborate decorations. In the back, you can see the small dessert kitchen, but I feel it’s still a bit too plain — as if something is missing from the atmosphere.

There’s a small cake display cabinet by the counter, with roughly six types of desserts on display. One dessert that looked like a rose caught my eye right away — its large pink petals were made of white chocolate, but unfortunately, they had all been reserved by the time we arrived. A friend who came with me said she had only tasted that particular dessert last time she went to Hong Kong, so I guess I’ll have to come back another day to try it. But honestly, there were already other desserts in the case that caught my attention more, so we simply ordered three to try.

【Summer Love / 140 TWD】
This was the dessert that caught my eye on their social media page — it looks refreshing and dazzling visually. It uses locally grown Taiwanese mangoes. Without that net-like chocolate design, I think its shape might’ve felt a bit awkward, XDD.

The overall yellow-orange look comes from a blend of Irwin mangoes and Swiss cheese. The outer fruit puree carries the sweetness of sunshine and mango.

Inside, there’s the soft sweetness of cake, and the texture is very smooth and delicate. There’s also a faint hint of mango tartness at the end — it’s a perfect summer dessert that’s right on season. The little ball on top is mango flesh; it’s simple but very likable. The chef mentioned that as mango season gradually comes to an end, this dessert will probably soon be phased out.

【Mr. Earl Grey / 150 TWD】
The base is a chocolate dessert, featuring a rich 57% dark chocolate mousse paired with TWININGS Earl Grey tea. On the top, there’s an exquisite decoration that looks like a little garden — those brownish dots are actually popping candy. However, they’re coated in cocoa butter since popping candy doesn’t do well when exposed to air for too long. When the cocoa melts on your tongue, the playful popping candy starts dancing with childlike joy, adding a light touch to what would otherwise be a deeper, more serious dessert. The first impression is the intense, solid bitterness of chocolate, but once that fades, the lingering Earl Grey aroma remains at the end of the taste.

【Lime / 110 TWD】
It’s essentially a lemon tart, but the portion feels more substantial than usual. The tart shell is crispy — I love it when there’s lemon zest shaved on top, because the slight bitterness and fragrance from chewing the zest offer a nice contrast and variation to the tanginess of the custard filling.

It’s not just a straightforward sourness, though their custard filling is pretty sour too. But they also added a little creative twist with mint leaves, which did bring a small pleasant surprise to the flavor — quite tasty. Though I still prefer AGIO’s lemon tart more, just personal preference XD.

【Cappuccino / Original 100 TWD / Free during soft opening with dessert order】
For a dessert shop, the price of this coffee isn’t expensive. And I remember asking whether I wanted it strong or light when ordering, so I went with a medium-dark roast (if I recall correctly). The latte art was quite elegant and carefree. The bitterness level is exactly what I like. If I were to point out a flaw, it’s that the coffee was served a bit too hot, which is a small pity.

【Latte / Original 100 TWD / Free during soft opening with dessert order】
Same thoughts as above — their coffee is definitely worth trying. At least, it suits my taste.

【Baked Creme Brûlée / Forgot how much】
They put in some effort with the garnish — there’s a side of sorbet paired with Earl Grey biscuits, and the sorbet even has passionfruit sauce on top. So the overall flavor becomes quite rich — sweet with a touch of sour. But I’ve had better creme brûlées before, so I’d say this one is just decent.

I think maybe replacing that garnish dessert with something like a soufflé or another less common dessert could be better. After all, in Taiwan, almost every restaurant’s complimentary dessert tends to be creme brûlée, so even if it’s made really well, it’s hard to escape people’s preconceived notions — or even pricing expectations. I think there could be better ways to present it. After all, the previous few desserts were genuinely quite good!

Three people ordering these might’ve been a bit too much, but it’s a rare get-together, so indulging a little is totally worth it XD. Unfortunately, the photos for this article were taken a bit carelessly, so the colors are a bit inconsistent — just take a casual look. But one action by the chef really stuck with me. Because we were chatting while eating, we took our time with the desserts, so when the chef saw we still had a lot left, he cautiously came over to check if everything was alright — and that’s how we ended up chatting.

For them, being in a foreign place, they’re still adjusting the flavors to suit Taiwanese tastes. But the fact that they asked shows me that the shop is being run with quite a bit of care. That said, the current promotions at Sweet Cream are pretty good, and the number of desserts available is decent. You can really taste the chefs’ care and attention to detail in the making — the sweetness is always just right. Each element is well-matched. Perhaps the current plate garnish desserts could use a bit more surprising elements. But I really like this shop — though it’s just my personal taste. Sharing my simple thoughts here for everyone’s reference Up~

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◎ Shop Introduction: [Sweet Cream Dessert Shop Cream&Suger, Huamei Street │ West District]
◎ Address: No. 16, Lane 480, Huamei Street, West District, Taichung City
◎ Phone: 04-23296652
◎ Business Hours: 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM
◎ Consumption Reminder: Buy dessert, get coffee free promotion until September 30
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