Brownie pain chocolate croissant. Purple monster ube muffins. Jack-O-Donut.
These are just a few of the seasonal desserts customers can find at Chee Hoo Patisserie, located in the main lobby of Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort. The bakery/cafe has transformed into “Chee Boo Patisserie” for the month of October, and is featuring a variety of themed treats until the end of the month.
“For Halloween, I was inspired by the colors,” explains executive pastry chef Urielle Mounin. “Halloween is a lot of orange, a lot of dark colors, and a lot of red.”
While the bakery usually features croissants, pain au chocolate and chocolate muffins, its Halloween menu takes pastries to the next level. For instance, the spider web croissant ($10.50) — a red pastry with a black “web” design — features a vanilla cream and fresh fruit filling. The pumpkin croissant ($10.50) features white chocolate, cream and a pumpkin seed garnish; the bloody red fruit croissant ($10.50) is filled with raspberry confit.
Mounin notes that the Jack-O-Donut, spider web croissants and devil red fruit pain chocolate croissants have been especially popular.
“The pumpkin crookie ($10.50) has a pumpkin cheesecake filling,” she explains. “The idea for the devil red fruit pain chocolate croissant was to have a pain au chocolate, so we kept the chocolate inside, but we also put red fruit (strawberry and raspberry) inside. The top (of the croissant) is red, and the inside is black.”
Seasonal drinks include the pumpkin spiced iced tea float ($9-$11), pumpkin cream cold brew ($7-$8), and witches pumpkin whip ($9-$10).
“All the pumpkin cream is made with pumpkin spice, ginger, cinnamon and a lot of vanilla,” Mounin says.
Beyond its seasonal dessert line-up, the bakery has recently gained traction because of its unique trompe-l’oeil pastries ($12-$14), which are available all year long. The bakery started serving these pastries about six months ago, according to Mounin.
“In France, we call the desserts ‘trompe-l’oeil,’” she says. “It’s something that looks like something, but it’s not what it looks like. It’s been popular in France for a long, long time.”
Chee Hoo Patisserie’s trompe-l’oeil pastries look like fruits, but reveal a layered cake or mousse on the inside.
“The shell is made with chocolate, and all the filling inside is made with fresh fruit,” Mounin says. “Usually, we have a light mousse cream. The strawberry has a lot of fresh strawberry inside; the pumpkin has a pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin mousse.”
Mounin notes that the trompe-l’oeil pastry selection usually has one rotating flavor — in this case, pumpkin — that changes each month.
The bakery started with about four or five fruits, but has expanded its selection, due to the desserts’ popularity, according to Mounin.
“When people eat it, we want them to feel like they’re really eating the fruit,” she explains.
So far, the strawberry ($14) — vanilla cream, compote de fraise, biscuit and crunchy chocolate shell — and mango have been local favorites. The mango dessert comprises mango mousse and mango within a crunchy chocolate shell. Other flavors include coconut ($12) — filled with coconut mousse and mango, pineapple and lilikoʻi brunoise in a dark chocolate shell — raspberry ($12), mandarin ($12) and blueberry ($12).
Mounin encourages customers to try the peanut ($12), coffee ($12) and pistachio ($14) flavors. Pistachio is filled with a pistachio cream and pistachio praline in a crunchy white chocolate shell. Coffee — shaped like a coffee bean — comprises coffee cream, praline coffee, and soft caramel in a crunchy chocolate shell. Meanwhile, peanut features peanut mousse, praline peanut and soft caramel.
“The pistachio has a soft pistachio cream inside,” Mounin says. “It’s a treat; it really looks like what it’s supposed to be.”
She notes that the desserts can be stored for up to five days in the refrigerator, since the fillings are usually made of cream and fresh fruit.
“The chocolate (shell) is protecting what’s inside,” she says.
“Everything is homemade here, and it’s a lot of work,” she adds. “It’s a long process (to make the desserts); it takes a lot of time, and we really try to use good-quality, local products. Everything is made fresh; everything is made in house.”
Chee Hoo Patisserie is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
CONTACT
Chee Hoo Patisserie
Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort
2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu
808-949-4321
Instagram: @hiltonhawaiianvillage
Open daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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