Cho-Kwok-Lat isn't your average Toronto dessert shop. Owned by a master chocolatier and pastry chef, it's a spot where precision and whimsy collide in a captivating display of gorgeous eats.

Born into a culinary family in Hong Kong, Chris Kwok took his inherited passion for food and ran with it — first to Canada, then to the global culinary stage, and finally, to his eponymous store, the second location of which opened in March.

Unlike his father and grandfather, though, Kwok followed his sweet tooth down a different path rather than pursue a career as a chef.

"I love chocolate," he explains. "When I was a kid, I saw chocolate, it was like jewellery. I started in chocolate first. Then, I realized most chocolatiers are also pastry chefs. That's why I went to learn pastry."

His 25 years of studying and working in the industry have culminated in two contemporary cafés where Kwok flaunts his know-how in a line of house-brand goodies and jams, precious petite pastries and elaborate entremets.

"I love going to Europe to get inspiration, to visit new places," he says. "That's why I wanted my own shop. Chefs can come to Canada and say, 'Oh, look at this shop. This shop is very inspiring.'"

In a lineup created using classic methods, Kwok highlights seasonal ingredients in new ways. "We use very, very high-quality chocolate and ingredients," he offers. "The innovation is about the flavour and how to make things better."

Inspired by customers, travel and the ever-evolving pastry realm, Kwok's sweet and savoury treats showcase their creator's nuanced attention to detail and flavour.

Inlaid with tart tomatoes and bocconcini, the Tomato and Caprese Danish ($6.50) has a drizzle of pesto and balsamic glaze to thank for its zippy impact.

One of the sweeter menu options, the Mocha Pillow ($6.50) is plump with robust espresso cream and chocolate batons. That its cocoa-infused outer shell crumbles like the battered deck of a frigate in a tempest owes to the team's painstaking technique of criss-crossing alternating strips of laminated dough before cutting and shaping each pastry.

Astoundingly gluten-free, Spiced Apple Pumpkin Flan ($8.75) finds sautéed apples and gently spiced pumpkin baked into a buttery shortcrust shell.

Desserts that beckon from the fancier side of the showcase, William Noir ($10.50) and Pistachio Rhubarb Tart ($10.50) are layered knockouts that almost seem out of place on Wellesley Street.

Strictly for chocolate stans, the first finds Kwok's favourite chocolate—Cacao Barry Tanzanie 75 per cent Dark Couverture—turned into a silken mousse, then combined with roasted praline financier, pear compote, salted caramel and coffee crunch. Chosen for its citrus notes, the chocolate, says Kwok, is an ideal match to fruit-filled desserts.

Deeply roasted pistachios, meanwhile, factor into three components—a whipped ganache, mousse and praline— in the latter. Stopped short of cloying by poached Ontario rhubarb compote, the dessert is intense and rich, novel in a way you may love, or not.

Designed to pair with every bite, drinks flash the same finesse as Kwok's edible works. There are standard hot and cold options, but it's in sampling the signatures and specials where you'll have more fun.

Made with Brazilian beans chosen specifically for their tasting notes—"The citrus pairs very well with our pastries," reveals Kwok—espresso-based drinks are a natural go-to. Combined with house pistachio paste and salted condensed milk foam, in a Pistachio Latte ($7.50), the coffee's roasted nut and brown sugar notes come to the fore.

In an Osmanthus Rice Latte ($9.50), made with osmanthus tea, espresso, steamed milk and fermented rice, they take a backseat to a rush of floral, fruity, and unquestionably ricey aromas. 

For tea drinkers, a Maple Spice Chai Latte ($6.90) offers toasty autumnal comfort with a warming core of baking spices.

Built on a foundation of boundless passion, Cho-Kwok-Lat's menu is constantly changing, a fact that keeps things interesting for first-time visitors and the faithful.

"We see the trend. We follow the trend. We create the trend," guarantees Kwok. "Passion is very important for this industry. If you don't have it, you would quit the job. The passion helps you to keep going, keep learning."

Cho-Kwok-Lat is located at 79 Wellesley Street East.