[Barcelona] Espai Sucre

Categories barcelona
[Barcelona] Espai Sucre

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Espai Sucre

Add: Carrer de la Princesa, 53, 08003 Barcelona
Tel: +34 932 68 16 30
Hours:  [Tue-Thu] 9~11:30pm [Fri-Sat] 8:30pm~late (closed on Sun)
Website: www.espaisucre.com
Price: €35~55/set
Visited on: Jan 2013

When Espai Sucre (“Sugar Space”) opened in 2000, it claimed to be the first and only restaurant in the world to be entirely devoted to desserts. This is perhaps true, and the restaurant has even been credited by the New York Times for inspiring the subsequent dessert bar/restaurant movement in New York City. 12 years have gone by since it first opened…what does Espai Sucre look like today?

The small, minimally decorated dining room was half empty when we visited on a weekday evening. The door was (and is apparently perpetually) locked, so customers must ring the doorbell to enter – not quite sure why the setup is like this as it doesn’t seem very welcoming.

Open kitchen.

Espai Sucre offers various tasting menus ranging from €35 to €55, no a la carte. The Tasting Menu 1 (€50+10% vat) I tried includes 5 courses and petits fours, with mostly sweet but also a few savory dishes. First came a trio of amuse bouches, starting with these crisps topped with pear gelee, paprika sausage, and onions.

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[Paris] Cafe Pouchkine

Categories paris
[Paris] Cafe Pouchkine

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Cafe Pouchkine

Add: 64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris
Tel: 01 42 82 43 31
Hours: [Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat] 9:30am~8pm [Thu] 9:30am~10pm (Closed on Sun)
Website: www.cafe-pouchkine.fr
Price: [dessert] €5~8
Visited on: Nov 2012

The resplendent boutique of Cafe Pouchkine, located on the ground floor of Printemps,  is not at all overshadowed by the luxury fashion brands surrounding it. Its line-up of pastries, mostly French classics infused with a Russian flair, attracts passerby with their dramatic colors, sensual forms, and lavish use of gold leaves. Real jaw-dropping, I tell you.

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[Paris] Pierre Hermé

Categories paris
[Paris] Pierre Hermé

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Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: €4.50~7.30/individual dessert
Visited on: 2012-08

For anyone with the faintest interest in desserts, Pierre Hermé is undoubtedly a must-visit when in Paris. It’s no surprise that this was my first stop after arriving in the city. Lunch? Forget it, let’s go straight to the sweets. There are various Pierre Hermé boutiques located throughout Paris, and one of them happens to be conveniently located near my school…I have a feeling that I will be coming here a little too often.

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[Sydney] Messina

Categories sydney
[Sydney] Messina

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Messina

Add: 241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010, Sydney
Tel: (02) 8354 1223
Hours: [Sun-Thu] 12~11pm [Fri-Sat] 12~11:30pm
Website: www.gelatomessina.com
Price: 3.9 AUD/scoop, 4.9 AUD/2 scoops, 6.9 AUD/3 scoops
Visited on: 2012-04

When looking for a sweet treat in Sydney, go to Messina for a scoop or two of their house-made, all natural gelato. This is what they say: “From the meticulous roasting and endless grind of pistachios, to the baking of our own apple pies and brownies, or to the sweet smell of stewed spiced rhubarb, absolutely everything is made lovingly in-house by our little team of mad professors.” Sounds good to me!

It’s a tiny and extremely packed shop. I literally had to squirm through the crowd in order to get in front of the gelato display!

Specials of the week, all look yum.

Oolala…

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[Taipei] Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理

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Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理

Add: 2 Alley 4 Lane 74 Wenzhou Street, Taipei / 台北市大安區溫州街74巷4弄2號
Tel: (02) 2367 7862
Hours: 12~9pm (closed on Wednesday)
Price: [tea] 160 NTD [desserts] 120~150 NTD
Visited on: 2012-07

Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理, previously part of Caffe Libero in the Yongkang Street neighborhood, recently moved out to open an independent shop on Wenzhou Street. This area is really out of my usual activity zone, but after hearing such wonderful things about its lemon tart, I decided to venture out here to give it a try.

From the exterior to the interior, girly cute is the best phrase to describe Le Petit Pâtissier. Bright color blocks of fuscia yellow and green, red water jug adorned with white polka dots, wooden chairs with checkered mats…yes, it’s a sugar overload.

Even the desserts are in such adorable colors and shapes.

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[Shanghai] Vienna Cafe

Categories shanghai
[Shanghai] Vienna Cafe

Vienna Cafe

Add: 25 Shaoxing Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu / 绍兴路25号，近瑞金二路
Tel: 6445 2131
Hours: 8am-8pm
Website: www.viennashanghai.com
Price: [coffee] 25~40 RMB [cakes] 20~45 RMB
Visited: Nov 2011

Vienna Cafe is old news. This cozy little place has been around since 2004, attracting coffee drinkers with its dark wooden decor, marbled tabletops, warm lighting, and a lovely sunroom that’s perfect for lazy afternoons.


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[Taipei] Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

Add: 22 Alley 2, Lane 397, Mingshui Lu, Taipei 台北市明水路397巷2弄22號
Tel: (02) 2533 2377
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm (closed on Tuesday)
Price: [lunch] 780~980 NTD/set, [afternoon tea] 520 NTD/set, 280~450 NTD/dessert
Visited: Oct 2011

For a picture perfect afternoon tea, visit Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism. There’s room for improvement in terms of flavor, but the whimsically presented desserts are definitely photo-worthy.

Take this for an example. What is this…a potted plant?

Actually, this is a Mint Ice-Cream Pot 薄荷冰淇淋盆栽 (280 NTD), one of the most popular items at Season. It’s comprised of a layer of chocolate crumble (the soil) covering mint ice-cream and chocolate cake. The best part? There’s crackling candy in the ice-cream, which creates a series of popping sensations on the tongue. Very entertaining.

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[Hong Kong] Sift Dessert Bar

Categories hong kong
[Hong Kong] Sift Dessert Bar

Sift Dessert Bar

Add: G/F, 46 Graham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2530 4288
Hours: Tue-Thu 3-11:30pm, Fri-Sat 3-12:30pm
Website: www.siftdesserts.com
Price: 75~95 HKD/dessert

I’ve been craving Sift’s red velvet cupcakes ever since I first tasted them at Sidewalk on my previous Hong Kong trip. Upon returning to the city, I was determined to get a dozen of these fluffy delights, so I arrived at Sift’s Graham Street outlet right when it opened – just because I wanted none of the “sorry we are all sold out” business. So imagine how devastated I was when told that – “Umm, we don’t have cupcakes at this outlet. You have to go to our Wanchai location for them.”

Seriously?!

To mend my broken heart, we decided to go ahead and try Sift’s plated desserts, which are the specialties at its Graham Street outlet. After much contemplation and consultation, we placed our orders and waited to be impressed.

First came Sticky Toffee Pudding (80 HKD), a steamed date puree sponge cake lavishly drizzled with toffee sauce. A forkful of this amazingly warm, moist, fragrant cake with some accompanying banana ice-cream and caramel crunch made me very, very happy at heart. Red velvet cupcakes? Already out of mind.

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[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

Categories tokyo
[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋

Toraya 虎屋 Add*: Galleria B1F, Tokyo Midtown, D-B117, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: 03-5413-3541 Hours: 11:00am-9:00pm Website: www.toraya-group.co.jp Tokyo Midtown Galleria B1F is a foodie wonderland. Sleek and stylish shops of Sadaharu Aoki, Henri Le Roux, Jean-Paul Hévin, and Maison Kayser bewitch passerby with their alluring display of bright colors and fancy garnishes. Admist all the hustle and…Continue Reading “[Tokyo] Toraya 虎屋” →

[Shanghai] La Crêperie

Categories restaurant
[Shanghai] La Crêperie

La Crêperie

Add: 1 Taojiang Lu, near Fenyang Lu 桃江路1, 近汾阳路
Tel: 5465 9055
Hours: 11am onward
Price: 60~105 RMB/savory crêpe, 35~60 RMB/dessert crêpe
Website: www.lacreperie.com.cn
Visited: May 2011

La Crêperie is a busy little crepe shop in the French Concession. Equipped with wooden benches, waiters/waitresses in stripey uniforms, and an open kitchen that fills the space with tantalizing aroma of freshly made crepes, this place is one of the most popular brunch spots in Shanghai. Reservations highly recommended.

Though I’ve visited La Creperie quite a few times before, I haven’t had a chance to try any of their seafood crepes until this time. La Marin (108 RMB), a recommended item on the menu, is a freshly-made buckwheat crepe topped with seared scallops, garlic, parsley, cream, mixed mushrooms, sliced bacon, and white wine. It’s a bit too salty, but otherwise absolutely scrumptious. Will order again for sure.

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