Harry’s Bakery is one of those cafes that simply entice you with large-size cakes on display, usually too many of them for you to be able to make a decision. The cake size and selection indicate that it’s an American-style café rather than a dainty patisserie. After thinking long and hard, evaluating between choosing my longstanding favorites and the more unusual options, I managed to make a pick on the relatively elaborate (looking) ones, a Baileys checkered cake that looked like hell of a job to do, and an arequipe chocolate fudge cake, among a myriad of cheesecakes, pies and even bread pudding.

The looks of the cakes definitely hyped up our expectations and gave us a lot of looking forward to. Unfortunately the cakes are all about looks and not tastes. You can only taste sugar. The checkered cake that’s made up of layers of chocolate cake and Baileys cream doesn’t taste like Baileys, except a kind of flavor that seems to strive to resemble Baileys. It doesn’t taste like chocolate either which betrays the dark brown colour that it’d been bestowed with.

I chose a chocolate fudge cake because I wanted to indulge in the death by chocolate sensation that’s usually offered by a rich, smooth, thick and heavy fudge cake. The arequipe chocolate fudge cake tastes like chocolate-flavor essence rather than real good quality cocoa has been used, which is disappointing considering that the country (although unbeknownst to most people) produces some of the best cocoa. Worse it’s slightly dry and overly light. More like a regular chocolate cake you’d get from a supermarket, something that you wouldn’t have much expectation of. If a cake-maker can’t make proper chocolate cakes with proper cocoa powder and offers ‘fake’ chocolate cakes, then it’s not asking to be taken seriously.

I haven’t tried their savory dishes so can’t comment on those, but definitely don’t go there for cakes. From the ones that I’ve tasted, this café definitely doesn’t deserve the attention that its brother venture’s got. Disappointingly, the café that’s meant to be by the hands of the Anthony Boudain of Colombia was a let down. That’s a pity since the restaurant Harry Sasson is deemed to be one of the best in Colombia. OneChineseInColombia still needs to prove that right.