We went to Henri Charpentier some time back on National Day. It's my very first visit to Dempsey Hill so I was pretty excited to go. With the craze over Pokemons rampant at that point of time, it felt like a fun social activity we can mix with food.
To kick off our dessert indulgences, I ordered the Dome ($29), It's basically a chocolate ball which encloses a chocolate parfait biscuit of fraise d'amande. It's one of the key highlights of Henri Charpentier, a must try in my opinion. There's even a live performance right next to your table on how they set the chocolate ball alight with flame to prepare the dish for you. Quite a wonderful treat to the eyes. The dessert itself was rich in taste, chocolate not overtly sweet to the point you can't finish and the melted strawberry and almond within the dome was just right.
Aside from the elaborate display of the Dome, we also tried one Financier ($2.90/piece) apiece and a Mont Blanc ($9). Both were a pleasure to eat. The Financier was buttery, light and fluffy. It's delicious and I felt I could eat more for a meal. The Mont Blanc was perfectly executed, you can see that the dessert was prepared well and the rum chestnut cream was distinct in taste yet not too overwhelming till you feel 'jelat'.
Henri Charpentier is indeed a pampering experience perfect for a girls day out. The ambiance was one of the contributing reasons I decided to bring Vain Pot here for a pampering afternoon. We both deserved a treat after working hard all week. My only gripe was the service which when you finally get the waiters, it was great. Otherwise it seemed like they were a little under-staffed. I do recommend Henri Charpentier for anyone who wants a pampering afternoon with live dessert performances and to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Henri Charpentier
9A Dempsey Road
(I like this place even more after I discovered that Dempsey has free parking)