Rick Stein's Patisserie

Sorry for the long absence, I've been distracted various things, but that's not really the point. The point is I'm sorry but I've have a run of very successful cupcakes (3 to be exact) and they should unfold in the next week or so.

The first is from Rick Stein's Patisserie in Padstow - I was in Port Isaac for my holiday :) . This cupcake (again chocolate) was priced at about £1.80/90 I believe, so a higher end cupcake, but not extortionate if it's a treat. (Bearing in mind I had a cupcake instead of lunch the other day - my perspective may be a little off, I apologise.)

Presentation: 5/5 (Heck Yeah!)

The presentation of this has actually caused some controversy among my family, as my grandmother said "Urgh! That looks horrible" when it came up in my holiday photo's - although I maintain it was because she didn't have her glasses on. I think the piping is excellent and the colour is so rich and chocolatey. However what really makes this a five for me is that when I turned around and saw them I made an audible gasp, my pulse quickened and I got butterflies in my tummy. That's what makes a five.

Frosting: 3-4/5 (impressive, but good - not great)

If I were being totally unbiased, and based this rating on general impressiveness, this frosting deserves a five too, but there was something holding me back. It was amazing, there is no doubt.

I had to use teeth to bite into the frosting alone (woaah!), it was certainly not light and mousey, airy fairy some might say. I don't know how they did it but it was the chocolateyest chocolate chocolate frosting I've ever had! However, it was very difficult to finish the entire cupcake because of the rich frosting. It was difficult to eat the frosting and cake at the same time and actually, was just quite difficult to eat.

Cake: 4/5 (pretty good)

I have a confession, I don't remember the cake much, it's been a few weeks and the frosting was so overpowering I can't quite remember. I vaguelly remember being impressed. It was little to crumbly for me, it was really too messy, I do remember at one point it breaking horizontally under the weight of the frosting. Although it was clearly of a very good quality and was certainly not neglected - once again, it wasn't bad, it was probably even very good, it just wasn't memorable.

Overall: 4/5 (Nice One Rick!)

Generally I thought this a very good cupcake. It was certainly one made to impress, although I feel it would have been better suited to eat at a table with a plate and a fork rather than my lap, a bench in Cornwall and my teeth. If I were in Padstow I would certainly buy another one, but I wouldn't go to Padstow just to buy another one. Does that distinction make sense?

Moral of the Story:

Maybe I had very high expectations as it was Rick Stein's Patisserie, I expected the best from a "celebrity" chef, supposedly, the best of the best. But I don't think a cupcake can stand on reputation alone. Mr Stein, sir, the overall experience of your cupcake was delicious but as the taste was too rich and the structure too difficult to eat, it could do better.

Am I still being too picky?