Le Charm & to Stay Charming..

OMG.

I went on a date with a nice boy one dark Thursday night. We sat down, ordered, chatted, sipped, got deeper into conversation, and then.... my heart started racing.......

The food came.

I got more excited about what was on the table than from what was behind it. oops.

LOOKIE!

Divine Orange Crème Brulée

Mouth-watering Chocolate Moëlleux served with white chocolate ganache and a hot dark chocolate heart

Is it bad etiquette to take photos of gorgeous food while on a date?

Patisserie Delanghe

Princess Cake: Layered pound cake, cream pudding, raspberry jelly, & whipped cream topped with green Marzipan. DELECTABLE. The perfect sugar grainy consistency Marzipan topping was the perfect complement to the soft, lightness bite of the cake. This is something to say YUM about.


Next time, I'm ordering the LARGE slice. INDULGENCE at its finest.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

[Trader Joe's mix]

hehe. So I decided to experiment baking in the new kitchen. Beginner's baking, of course. I got real creative, you see, and added semi-sweet chocolate chips into the pumpkin bread mix! It turned out wonderfully inviting. hahaha. Added Vanilla frosting and voilà! Decadent dessert for a flat of three and for the neighbors downstairs.

My flatmate recounted that she dreamt of my baked goods, then proceeded to buy Vanilla frozen yogurt at the Safeway downstairs to accompany the deliciousness. Success!

Yumma's Baklava

After an inspiring day at the de Young with my lovely friend, Ms. Shop A. Holick, spent admiring the Yves Saint Laurent special exhibit and the Maya Lin installments, I went home slightly hungry. Good thing I picked up a square of Baklava at Yumma's earlier on in the day.

Taste Test: Walnut-y, Flakey, Sweet! HOWEVER, I could tell it had been sitting in the yucky plastic display case for a while. There was hardly any moisture left, or maybe none to begin with! That does not a baklava make. It was not nearly as sweet and sticky compared to the ones I devoured everyday in Athens or have concocted at home. hmph.

Here. Pretty but deceiving! :)

Chou Chou!

one word: DELIGHTFUL!!! :)

Met up with my lovely friend here for brunch on a Sunday afternoon in Forest Hill. The native French owner smothered us with slobbery kisses on the cheek and lead us to a table for two. We ordered the scrumptious French Onion Soup, Parisienne omelet, and the sampler plate of tarts: Apricot, Chantilly, Nutty Chocolate, & Mandarin Orange (my favourite). I was very disappointed that they ran out of the Chocolate Pear Tart! boo. But the other tarts were still delicious... expensive but delicious.

The real highlight of the meal was the French café. It was so smooth and enjoyable. No bitterness. I'm going to go back for my Choc. Pear Tart and French Coffee.

Laiola

Let's just say.. for tapas, stick to Cha-Cha-Cha's!! Laiola definitely serves true European-style tapas, however, being an indulging greedy American, I need quantity AND quality.

Bread Pudding: warm & un-sensational.. but I still kept diving in for more... probably because I was still hungry from the un-filling tapas.

Disappointed. But at least I got to try Blood Sausage! Surprisingly tasty.See? Even the picture is ugly. Sigh.

Tart to Heart

After a day at the Academy of Sciences, feet aching, I had to step into Tart to Tart to treat myself. Being new to the city, I didn't know that this place was a chain. But it's okay, I enjoyed the company of me outside at a table for two.

A time to reflect and to people watch. I particularly enjoyed being seated next to, on the other side of the window, a man in his late 30s, dressed business casual, drinking coffee, with an iPhone bulging out of his Dockers pocket.. flipping through THREE comic books! It was surely endearing. Men will always be boys at heart.. made me smile. :)

Dehydrated, I ordered a Raspberry Italian Soda and an Almond Cream Tart. The Italian soda quenched my thirst! The tart was a bit crispy, a little dry... definitely could've used more "cream." Powdered sugar on top added a nice aesthetic touch, but otherwise nothing surprising.

Next time, I might order an éclair as I saw a prim Japanese business man order one for him and his friend as I was walking out.