Continuing with the concha taste test: Matisse

The last time I wrote about my concha taste test, some of you recommended Matisse as a good next stop. I hadn’t known, but the Condesa cafe is reknowned for its conchas — they’re highlighted pretty much anytime anyone writes about Matisse, on TripAdvisor, Chilango, Twitter and Four Square.

Last month I was finally able to go for breakfast. Matisse is a charming, cozy spot set in an art deco building on Amsterdam. Tables lie scattered about the house, tucked into nooks and small rooms. We dined on the patio next to several men in business suits.

The waiter delivered the sweet bread on a simple white platter. The vanilla concha embarrassed all the other pieces with its girth, which is exactly how I like them. (You show that puny oreja, concha!)

When I picked the concha up, though, it was heavy. Like fruit-cake heavy. Took a bite and it tasted almost as dense as it felt — chewy, doughy. And it shouted of butter. I love butter, but I wanted something light and fluffy. This was the concha equivalent of a guajolota.

I was planning to eat a real breakfast at Matisse, so I couldn’t fill up on the concha roll. So I only ate half. And then I enjoyed my eggs with nopal and orange juice.

Here’s my rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, the latter being the best):

Appearance: 3
While big and plump, the roll didn’t have a defined sugared crust. It looked like one smooth cap, instead of having pretty stripes, or even lumpy spots.

Taste: 3
As I mentioned, too dense.

Overall: 3
I loved Matisse’s ambience, and I’d definitely go back for breakfast. Just not specifically for the conchas. To all the Matisse-lovers, I’m sorry I don’t agree with you. I am willing to go back and try again… but later, after Rosca de Reyes season is over.

Here’s a quick wrap-up of the concha taste test so far:

Leaders: Bondy, DaSilva and Cafe El Popular.

Other conchas tried: Maque, Sak’s, Snob Bistro, Pastelería Gran Via, Panadería Elizondo, Casa de Pan, Sanborn’s, bike-riding pandulce guy, various other street conchas.

Next on the list: Panadería at Centro Comercial Las Lilas, a recommendation from a woman I met recently. She was kind enough to tell her friends about my quest and they told her: “Before, the best conchas were at Bondy. Now they’re at this place.” You can see why I might be excited by this news.

I’ll also be trying out Pastelería Suiza in Condesa, which I hear has amazing conchas. I tried to go there once but missed my window — the conchas weren’t coming out of the oven for another hour. I’ll also be trying all of the leaders again, just for calibration purposes.