Tame Your Sweet Tooth at the 200-Year-Old Cafeteria Cova

First opened in Teatro alla Scala near Milan in 1817 by former-soldier Antonio Cova, Cova is known for its delicate handmade cakes and confectioneries. In 2013, the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate LVMH acquired the business and at the end of last year, 23 years after its first branch opened in Asia, Cova opened its first café in Beijing's Financial Street Shopping Mall (its fourth café in mainland China, the other branches being in Shanghai).

Stepping into the café, we felt that we had traveled back in time to Europe decades ago, and we weren't the only ones: “It made me feel like I was back in UK, and made me kind of homesick,” divulged Lydia Su, director of sales and marketing at Cova.

Facing so many options as to what to eat, we considered a compromise and ordered the afternoon tea (RMB 268 plus 10 percent service charge) so as to try as many of the café's fine varieties as possible. The afternoon tea set includes Cova's signature pastries, classic Italian cakes and sweets and Italian handmade chocolates, as well as a cup of tea or Cova coffee.

The miniature sandwiches and canapés don't leave anything to be desired and cover a range of flavors, including ham and cheese with mustard mayonnaise on white bread; smoked salmon and goat soft cheese; prawn, avocado, and mayonnaise; and Cova's signature warm toast with stringy mozzarella, tomato, and anchovies. A mini fruit cup with wild berries and fresh cream is on hand to help cleanse the palette, before you dive into the desserts: baby tiramisu, sacher chocolate morceaux, and mini cream pastries.

The baby tiramisu was delicious, with mascarpone cream and lady fingers drenched with Cova espresso coffee. Most importantly, it was sweet, but not on the crazy side of sweetness – it satisfied and comforted immediately. I am sure that if the bosses on Financial Street supply this cake to their employees, they'll encounter few complaints from the grumpy bankers for the remainder of the financial year.

From the choices classic espresso, marocchino, cappucchino, latte macchiato, we picked Cova's specialty Covaccino, an Americano combined chocolate, brown sugar, whipped cream, and grounded pistachios. Needless to say, it was amazing. The bitterness and toasted aromas from the seven different coffee beans mixed well with the sugary and smooth chocolate, and the cold whipped cream and sprinkling of pistachio. In case that wasn't enough, there's a piece of milk chocolate hiding aside to put the finishing touches on that chocolate-induced grin on your face.

Cova's Mango Cream Dome was singer and actor Leslie Cheung’s favorite dessert (RMB 85 a slice), and on every April 1 (the day he committed suicide in Hong Kong in 2003), his fans often go to eat this cake at Cova so as to commemorate his life. The cake is compiled of three layers of chiffon sponge, fresh mango and cream, and is so popular that it is almost always out of stock. Before I left Cova I made a mental note to head back and try it someday but have a feeling I might be heading back before April rolls around.

Cova Pastry Shop
Financial Street Mall L1-06, 2 Jinchengfang Lu (5368 5356)
西城区金城坊路2号金融街购物中心L1-06

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang, Cova