fondant

We had a bit of time finding Castella, as it’s located off the restaurant road that runs parallel to highway 57. It’s around the back of a nondescript multi-story building – you literally have to drive the wrong way down an on ramp for a few seconds in order to leave their parking lot.

Despite the trouble we had locating the cafe and parking, it was worth the effort. After perusing a menu full of delicious looking pictures of chocolates, cakes, and bonbons, we began with the half-baked namesake. The outside was soft and airy and resembled angel food cake, and the inside was a warm, sweet, sticky pleasure.

The fondant au chocolat was a perfect little volcano cake – moist chocolate cake filled with sweet milk chocolate lava. This was my favorite.

The tea was wonderful. On the advice of the server, I ordered her favorite – a citrus ginger blend. The aroma was all spicy ginger, while the taste was sweet like tangerines. It was a great combination and went well with the bitter flavor of the drinking chocolate, which was thick and heavy in pure cocoa.

My only complaint with Castella is that it is too far off the beaten path for me to frequent very often. The quiet atmosphere, comfy seating, and tasty sweets make it a perfect place to hunker down with a novel or an ideal spot to have a romantic coffee date.