7A Boyce’s Ave, Bristol BS8 4AA
The aesthetic of this little cake shop was what first drew me in. Stunning countertops of perfectly formed, delightfully bright squares of cake – or as they’re patented: ‘cubicakes’. The bright, plant filled seating area was just as successful at creating an ambiance of peace and indulgence.
To uphold this favourable first impression would have been impressive. Unfortunately, uphold it did not.
The tray of cubicakes that I chose consisted of five different flavours: a chocolate, chilli and strawberry; a ‘rich’ chocolate; a carrot and orange; a banana and caramel; and a rose, pistachio and raspberry. There were many points to recommend the fruiter options on our tray: the rose in the most latterly mentioned flavour was very prevalent, the banana cake was moist. Indeed, the sponge of the carrot cake was faultless, with the rum soaked raisins adding a fantastic dimension. The ratio of buttercream to cake however, I believe hindered these three; the thin layer of the former meant the balance of flavours was not always right.
Continuing with the chocolate-based ones, I found my disappointment growing. The sponge in both was quite unextraordinary. If it were not for the chocolate ganache layer in the ‘rich chocolate’ cubicake I would have thought it ironically poor. Conversely, the chilli in the intuitive ‘strawberry, chilli and chocolate’ cake was overpowering. Our accompanying cups of Earl Grey tea, whilst again beautifully presented, were also lacking.
I do not intend this to be a scathing review. I went in with high expectations and sadly, they were not met. This is not to say that it is an establishment to be avoided, the cakes and the experience were nice, there was indeed merit to be found. When there are so many excellent cake shops to rival it in Bristol however, a lack of ‘wow factor’ is most particularly noticeable.
Just a Taster 