Chef Michael Bump Dessert Tasting (Il Desco, Bistro AIX)

Michael Bump has been one of my favorite pastry chefs ever since his wonut graced my lips. For those of you not familiar with a wonut, it is a cross between a donut and a waffle with different toppings and flavors added to it. When Chef Bump left Orsay, he also left the wonut.  This created a hole in my heart, a hole that could only be filled by another delicious pastry creation.

Chef Bump was recently hired on with Forking Amazing restaurant group as Executive Pastry Chef overseeing all of their restaurants in town (Il Desco, Bistro AIX, and Ovinte). Recently I was invited to try some of his new dessert offerings for Il Desco and Bistro AIX, so I had very high expectations. He did not disappoint. 

Our first course was Seasonal Roasted Fruit (Cinnamon, ginger, vanilla bean shortbread, buttermilk ice cream, phyllo crisp). My favorite part of this dish was the shortbread. It was crumbly and delicious. I tried to take a bite that included all of the ingredients, and that really highlighted how well everything meshed together.

Our second course was a Chocolate Nutella Crepe (Nutella spread, chocolate mousse, chocolate caramel, hazelnut brittle). Wow, this was fantastic! The crepe was very soft and the hazelnut brittle added a nice crunchy element.

The third course was a table favorite, Tiramisu (Madeira & marsala mascarpone mousse, lady finger sponge cake, coffee anglaise). It had a nice coffee flavor that wasn’t overpowering, and mousse to sponge cake ratio was just right.

Our forth course was the one that changed my life, Beignet Feuilletee (Vietnamese cinnamon, Frangelico crème brulee, candied hazelnut, fresh raspberries).  This beignet finally filled the wonut sized hole in my heart! It was everything I wanted in a dessert and more. The beignet was already fabulous, but the crème brulee took it to the next level. I also loved the addition of the Vietnamese cinnamon. This dessert was magnificent, and I am counting down the days until I can have another one.

Our fifth and final course was the most decadent and rich of them all, Chocolate Praline Torte (Chocolate sponge cake, praline feuilletine, dark chocolate mousse, vanilla anglaise, hazelnut brittle). A lot of people had to tap out on this round, but I’m still the heavyweight (literally) champion of cleaning my dessert plates. This cake was so chocolatey and dense, and I loved every second of it.

Verdict: Loved it!

 Chef Bump is great at what he does, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to attend this tasting. Every course was extraordinary. While there were a few table favorites, I didn't hear a bad word spoken about any of the dishes all night. If you ever find yourself having dinner at one of these restaurants, do yourself a favor and save lots of room for dessert! 

Here are the new dessert menus for both restaurants:

 

Note: As a blogger I am sometimes invited out to restaurants where the meal is comped in exchange for a review. The review that follows is 100% my honest opinion. I believe that my readers deserve the honest truth regardless, and I will stay true to that statement with all of my reviews, positive or negative.