Milse
Where? Milse (Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand) Map
When? Wednesday December 30, 2015
Who? My parents
Food Style? Dessert
Honestly this place makes me so happy. The menu changes quarterly to reflect the seasons and whatever fresh fruit is currently available, and that only serves as a bigger incentive to go there multiple times over the course of the year to see what's on offer. Limited time events at its finest. I'm back with my parents, who, despite not being big dessert fans, almost always have a good time here.
My Choice
Apple: Brown butter, prune, toffee
Full of great traditional flavours: spiced apple, brown sugar, dates and great textures and crunch that bring out the main fruit. A really nice and warming dessert that hits the soul.
Dad's Choice
Triple Chocolate: Hazelnut, grapefruit, graham cracker
Decadent and rich, chocolate is well celebrated with a variety of interesting flavour combinations and textures: soft, moist, crunchy, silky, gooey. The chocolate spaghetti was a fun addition on the plate, but in reality it was just chocolate piping. A real work of art and a lot going on here. It was my favourite of the three desserts we ordered.
Khim's Choice
Citrus: Pistachio, elderflower, mascarpone
Well balanced tart and bitter flavours, with some clear citrus notes present only in the second spoonful I had. I thought the meringue added a good amount of sweetness and texture. Quite reminiscent of Muse's Textures of Mandarin dessert that they won from Wellington on a Plate 2014.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:04am on Monday September 26, 2016 :: 0 comments :: 
Back to Milse
Where? Milse (Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand) Map
When? Wednesday December 24, 2014
Who? My parents
Food Style? Dessert
My parents had never been to Milse (they aren't particularly big dessert fans) but after hearing me rave about how elegant and light their desserts are, they decided to give it a try. They were certainly busy on Christmas Eve of 2014, but we did manage to secure a table just around 9pm. It was good to see a fresh change in their menu, incorporating some great seasonal flavours and fruits. I love when restaurants are constantly inventing new dishes and actively expanding their menu, and especially when they take advantage of what's readily available in local markets. It shows an extra layer of expertise and dedication.
My Choice
Blueberry: Caramelised White Chocolate, Sorrel and Olive Oil
When I went to Milse with Mike and Mel, we were amazed to see a gigantic ball of awesome being served on one of the plates. We discovered that it was the carrot cake dessert and we vowed to have it the next time we came to Milse, so when I came here with my parents, I immediately asked if I could get the carrot cake one with the large ball on top; the waiter replied that they've actually shifted the large ball to the blueberry dessert, so I chose that instead. No regrets at all - great summer flavours, refreshing and creamy, subtle olive oil cakey bits with a good variety of textures showcasing all the different styles of dessert. The presentation of this was stunning and most impressive.
Dad's Choice
Kalingo 66%: Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut, Kiyomi and Jasmine
Essentially the same as what Mike chose last time, and similar to how I remember it tasting - still odd with a hint of orange peel piercing the dark chocolate. The 66%, we learned, refers to the percentage of cocoa in the dark chocolate. I really loved the hazelnut finish on this, and wish it was stronger.
Khim's Choice
Bahibe 43%: Chocolate, Cherries, Macadamia and Vanilla
Another immaculately presented dish, the Bahibe had a nicer chocolate and nut flavour than the Kalingo. Again, there was a good variety of textures that gave the dish depth and complexity. Good to see the use of cherry in here, giving the dessert a great summer essence.
Posted by Jeremy at 1:43am on Friday February 6, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Milse
Where? Milse (Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand) Map
When? Saturday September 20, 2014
Who? Mel and Mike
Food Style? Dessert
I had heard a lot of great things about this fancy dessert place in Britomart, so still a little hungry from the Orphans Kitchen meal, Mel and I headed down to Britomart to see if we could get a table at Milse. Forty-five minute wait, they said - no problem, I said! We ended up rescuing my workmate Mike from the Green Party's election night party and bringing him to Britomart with us. The entire ordeal of driving from the waterfront area to K Road, finding a park, navigating through the greenies, grabbing Mike and heading back down to Britomart pretty much filled the waiting time, so when we got there, they had three seats for us. The place is quite tiny and cosy, seating at most maybe twelve people, but they are moving to a bigger place in the near future.
As we were lead down the corridor, I noticed the rows and rows of amazing pastries and colourful desserts in the takeaway cabinets, and I knew I would be in for a good time. Our seats were right up against the bar, looking directly into the kitchen and preparation area where the chefs were assembling their desserts. This was probably half the experience - seeing the meticulousness and care that goes into creating artforms like this. The three of us chose a dessert each and opted to share amongst ourselves.
My Choice
Valrhona Ivoire 35%: Lemon, Olive Oil, Thyme, Almond
The lemon and thyme sorbet was the central focus of this dish, and was accompanied by the soft white chocolate frozen foam at the top, and olive oil slices throughout. It was absolutely amazing, a perfect balancing of sweet and sour that sent shivers up my spine. The almonds and biscuit added some depth to the textures. This was my favourite of the three we ordered that night, and luckily so, because it was my choice.
Mike's Choice
Valrhona Kalingo 65%: Jasmine, Hazelnut, Caramel, Kiyomi
Wonderfully rich and totally smitten by the caramel, hazelnut and chocolate flavours prevalent in the dish, but ever so slightly confused by the jasmine and mint presence. It was nice, just very odd.
Mel's Choice
Kumquat: Kumquat, Lemon, White Chocolate, Cardamom
The objective here is to present the kumquat in several different textures and with matching accompaniments. There's kumquat cheesecake and dehydrated kumquat, with the lemon gel and lemon sorbet, the white chocolate ganache and the cardamom crumble. Brilliant citrus flavours and complex textures, but just didn't have that wow factor that the Valrhona Ivoire had.
As we ate, we watched more desserts being prepared in front of us. The one that caught our attention was the carrot cake dessert - it had a giant frozen orange ball filled with cream, and that looked the most spectacular. Definitely one to come back to so I can try everything, and also look at taking away some gifts too! Again, I ended up talk to the lady at the front counter and just really appreciated her passion for what she did and the way she talked about the food. I mentioned I was from Wellington and talked about Louis Sergeant, and that itself sparked a fresh new conversation about patisseries and delicious things. Absolutely blown away by the fantastic presentation and solidly enjoyable desserts, it's easy to see why Milse is so popular.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:48am on Sunday October 12, 2014 :: 0 comments ::