Sweet Cuisine

Everyone has heard of Milse. Now famous for the long queues outside the little shop, I can still remember the first time I stepped inside. Now taking it into their own hands, husband and wife duo Brian and Roselle Campbell have created Sweet Cuisine pop-​ups as real time crowd funding for their own dessert shop. I met them and interviewed them earlier this year and they are just the sweetest and most talented team.
Clooney had always been on my radar for special occasions but other places had always gotten in the way. When word got out that we would get to dine at the flash Belle Epoque room downstairs with the open kitchen, all my excuses seemed irrelevant.
It was the first time Sweet Cuisine had a communal dining format with a long table seating only 18 people. At the beginning, most people talked within their groups but being opposite interesting strangers, it was easy to start conversations. I went with fellow foodie and blogger Amy from My Dining Journey and we found out we were right next to amazing chefs and bakers. Convenient right? Turns out it was all planned with the thoughtful intentions of Brian and Roselle. Haha! Talk about knowing your customers well :)
First course: Granny smith apple, feijoa, Heilala vanilla and ginger.
Once I got over the initial thought that the egglets were not white chocolate, it was even harder to get over how cute they were. As a first course, I loved how light it was and almost teasing because soon everyone was scraping their eggs to get to that beautiful ginger which lay at the bottom. The combination of granny smith, vanilla and feijoa was a winner.
Second course: Pineapple, passionfruit, coconut, banana and dulcey.
It had the look of a beautiful Milse dessert but it didn’t have the dark imprint of the overshadowing HIP group. I LOVED the small moichi-​like balls on the side. Luckily the red chocolate ball was already halved. The rest of us just had to exercise our demolition skills as we tried to calmly break the case without sending shards across the table to our new friends.
Third course: Figs, quince, honey, chestnut and oats
This is where the flavours got interesting and complex. I’m not a fig person so I wasn’t sure where my tastebuds would take me. If it was a normal degustation, I would consider this the mains. It was quite filling from the oats. The conversation took a funny turn with someone tentatively asking whether we were meant to eat the skin on figs. Even as «self acclaimed foodies» we didn’t have a straight answer! Most people though, ended up eating the whole thing. Even I enjoyed it, although I couldn’t expect any less coming from the Campbell kitchen!
Fourth course: Valrhona chocolate, blackcurrant, coffee and hazelnut.
Oh my. Totally the climax of the night. Not only stunning to look at, I was so inspired by the different textures that Brian had created on the dish. From the marshmallow to the mini magnum, my thoughts were only affirmed by the «oh wow“s around the table as everyone tucked into it.
It was a pleasure watching Brian and his team at work. There was a calm aura as they lovingly put the desserts together. All the dishes were so clever and I know I left more inspired. As I came home to finish my marking, I knew I didn’t make a mistake in breaking out of my nana mode. Starting off the week sweet was an uplifting start to the week. And knowing that macarons and cookies would be my morning tea for the next day kept the smile on my face. Even if I had accidentally squashed them in my bag (sorry Roselle!).
Keep an eye out for their next pop-​up! There’s always something interesting about each one and they’re popping up at restaurants like Orphan’s Kitchen, Meredith’s and Ima Deli. And if you haven’t already seen it, here’s the interview with Brian Campbell if you didn’t catch it the last time.

What a way to spend a Monday night… Last minute seats at Brian & Roselle Campbell’s pop-​up dessert restaurant (tonight it was held at Meredith’s, next it’ll be at Sidart). Three small, elegant and perfectly presented plates, along with matching wines. All the elements of a good dessert were covered — sharp, zingy, fruity, creamy, silky, chocolatey, crunchy. Flavour combinations of strawberry, watermelon, citrus and mint. Raspberry, rhubarb, beetroot and buttermilk. Valrhona Guanaja, banana, peanut and cherry. Dessert heaven for us sweet tooths. There’s such a buzz out there about Sweet Cuisine. Foodies just can’t keep it a secret, as much as we want to! Next on my list are the sundae pop-​ups, Fridays at Fred’s in Ponsonby. Also, if you’re planning a wedding and you’re after a spectacular dessert table, you need look no further — give them a call.

What a great experience!
I went to one of the more casual pop-​ups held at Fred’s café on Franklin road and loved it! Fred’s already has a special place in my heart because they stock my favourite cakes by The Caker, so I was really excited to come there again to finally try one of the famous Brian Campbell’s creations.
Choosing my dessert was not easy by any means: the choices included sundae flavours such as salted caramel and mango, Kiwi pavlova, and chocolate & cherry, among other options such as gelato sandwiches and unique milkshakes (earl grey milkshake anyone?!) I would honestly try all of them if I could…
After at least 10 minutes of decision-​making, I settled on a giant macaron, chocolate, cherry and peanut gelato sandwich and did not regret it. The macarons were perfectly chewy and crispy, the gelato along with the chocolate sauce were dark and rich, and the peanuts went really well with the chocolate. It was obvious that great quality chocolate was used, which I really appreciate.
My only minor criticism would be that the dish lacked some sort of sour element: the sweet cherries were nice, but sour cherries would provide a lovely kick to counteract the richness of the chocolate, in my opinion.
Moreover, I felt like the dessert I chose was extremely good value: it could have easily fed two people, but as my boyfriend doesn’t like chocolate in any shape or form, I had it all to myself (not that I’m complaining about it). The giant macarons are indeed quite giant and my photo might be a little bit deceiving if you think of the macarons pictured as being normal sized — they’re not!
I also had a sneaky look at what people sitting next to us ordered and their Pavlova sundae, which would be my second choice, looked all summery and generally amazing, too.
In the future, I would love to visit more venues where the pop-​ups will be held and would recommend anyone who has a major sweet tooth to look out for them as well.

Finally, the great mind behind Milse and his partner Rosella are taking to the road in a series of pop-​ups that are paving the way for their permanent new home. And I for one am hoping it will be in Ponsonby. Dessert restaurants are common throughout Asia where younger people socialise without alcohol a lot more than in NZ. When milse opened it has been a super popular appendage to the great Ortolana and also a we respected sweet spot in its own right. Who can forget their first Milse cake or dessert pot, especially their first taste of salted caramel hot chocolate or Bombe Alaska gelato stick? Sweet Cuisine pays homage to this kaupapa by engaging diners in an experimental and flavour packed experience. On offer this week at Fred’s (one of a few pop up locations that includes Ima Deli and Sidart) were a handful of sundaes including an irresistible salted caramel and mango sundae made with gelato from Giapo. All I can say is Yum! I shall definitely be popping in to wherever this place is popping up during the next few weeks and I recommend that you do the same! Hope you can get a seat…
Ps: Made it to the three course pop-​up dessert dinner at Meredith’s last night. Only confirmed their talent and the fact that veggies and main courses are a thing of the past. See pics below.

Most of you would have heard of Milse. The amazing dessert bar and patisserie that opened up in Britomart a few years ago. Serving gelato on sticks, gateaux, chocolates, sweet tarts, plus their stand out macarons, Milse has become a bit of a phenomenon. Because really, who doesn’t love chocolate and dessert!!!
The mastermind behind creating all of Milse’s desserts is pâtissier, Brian Campbell. He has 15 years’ experience working in Michelin star restaurants in the United Kingdom and at award winning restaurants here in New Zealand, at the likes of Kermadec and The French Café.
Most recently, Brian has left Milse and has started up his own company, namely Sweet Cuisine’ A Dessert Pop Up. So far, he and his wife, Roselle Campbell have hosted a dessert night at Fred’s Espresso in Ponsonby where they teamed up with Giapo to create ice cream sandwiches, sundaes and drinks and they also had a dessert pop up at Merediths last week.
And, a few nights’ ago, I attended their second dessert pop up (however this one was special because all the desserts were made using Valrhona chocolate — the best quality chocolate in my opinion, you can buy it here) AND it was held at Sidart in Ponsonby. I have always wanted to dine at Sidart however it is quite expensive — will definitely need to save up one day! Brian and his team used the kitchens at Sidart and for about 20 minutes, my friend and I had the whole restaurant to ourselves, which was a pretty great feeling!
The dessert pop up at Sidart involved a 3 course degustation — $ 45 per person, and an optional 4^th course for $ 9, however sadly we were too full for the 4^th course! All the dishes were beautifully presented and almost too pretty to eat! To accompany the desserts, they were also serving sweet Italian dessert wine, sparkling water, teas and coffee. My friend and I decided on a glass of the ‘Prunotto Moscato d’Asti 2013′. With aromas of peach and honey, this was the perfect drink for our dessert night.
The first dessert was a white chocolate panacotta, made of Ivoire 32% Valrhona chocolate. Surrounding the panacotta were bite-​sized raspberries, blueberries and peaches, all topped off with freeze dried raspberries and fresh basil. It was a refreshing way to start the meal and the basil brought out all the flavours. I never thought to use herbs in baking, but I will definitely try it out now!
The second course was a sponge like pudding with stewed apricots, hazelnut praline and a sauce inside using Dulcey 35% Valrhona chocolate. While the apricots were delicious, my friend and I could hardly taste the Valrhona chocolate — we felt like the apricots were too overpowering. This could possibly be due to the fact that the chocolate is only 35% — it might have a very subtle flavour.
Last but not least, a to.die.for chocolate sphere, made entirely of Guanaja 70% Valrhona chocolate. Dark chocolate being one our favourite foods, my friend and I were amazed by this wonderful creation. Roselle explained the dish in great detail — two mousses, one with hints of tonka beans (vanilla bean substitute), and the other being rich and chocolatey. There was also a chocolate ‘soil’ surrounding the sphere, consisting of macadamia nuts, nougat and cacao nibs. But Roselle left out one surprise… Yes, popping candy! We were not expecting that at all, and it was truly the most exciting dish I have ever tasted. Every mouthful was full of joy and my friend and I couldn’t stop smiling!
It was a great night overall, with brilliant and creative desserts, a lovely host and a stunning venue. I cannot wait to see what is next in store for Sweet Cuisine!
Note: If you would like some more information, check out Sweet Cuisine’s website and Facebook page («Sweet Cuisine’ A Dessert Pop Up by Brian Campbell»), so you can keep up to date!