There is a specific kind of Canterbury cold that arrives in June and does not leave until September — the sort where the frost stays on the grass all day and the nor'wester never turns up to rescue you. It is the best possible weather for eating dessert somewhere warm.
Our made-to-order dessert menu exists for exactly this. Everything on it is assembled fresh when you order, which is the whole point — temperature contrast does not survive a display cabinet.
The s'more cookie
Our S'more Cookie is the one to order if you only order one. A warm double chocolate cookie, a generous layer of house-made marshmallow, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and hot chocolate sauce poured over the lot at the last moment so the ice cream and marshmallow melt into each other.
It is engineered around the ninety seconds after it reaches the table, which is why it does not travel.
The lava cake
Fondant au chocolat is a carefully timed thing rather than a cake you can hold in reserve — pull it a minute early and it collapses, a minute late and you have a chocolate cupcake. Ours is baked to order, which is the only honest way to do it.
The one for two people
Our Signature Chocolate Fondue is warm Belgian chocolate with a spread to dip into it: house-made marshmallow torched to golden, a flaky mini croissant, miniature cookies and brownie bites, and fresh fruit for contrast. It is the most sociable thing on the menu and the hardest to stop eating.
If chocolate is the whole reason you came, the Matilda is assembled fresh to order too — there is a whole story behind that one.
What to drink with it
A dark Belgian hot chocolate, in New York or Paris style, is the obvious pairing. An espresso cuts through the sugar better. A pot of organic Zealong tea is the quiet option. Everything is in our drinks list.
The menu rotates
Made-to-order desserts change with the season and with what is worth using — poached pears and baked Alaska come and go, crème brûlée flavours shift. It is worth checking the current list rather than arriving with your heart set on something.
If you would rather be at home
Fair enough in June. Our celebration cakes and cake slices travel, and a tea cake or loaf is the right thing to have sitting on the bench through a cold week.
Where to find us
Made-to-order desserts are served at our patisserie inside The Welder on Welles Street, Tuesday to Saturday. No booking needed for dessert — just come in. The full menu is here.
