Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries | fabliss

Chaumont | Beverly Hills, CA

we put chaumont bakery on our to-eat list after reading about its opening a little less than a year ago. cute back story: owned by a young french couple. everything is baked on premise.

while beverly hills is not my usual hang out, we were passing through and decided to finally dropped by!

even though we wanted to order everything, we ended up ordering:

strawberry tart
strawberry short cake

on presentation alone, these pastries are amazing!

verdict: pastries were delicious! we put these babies down in less than 2 minutes. (we have no self-control) pastry cream was a winner. not too sweet. crust was crispy (great texture) and buttery. i mean… i can go on and on…

pastries: we are fans and will definitely come back for more. side note: everyone raves about the croissants… next time we will definitely have to try them!
service: patient and nice. we took awhile deciding what to order… they didn’t mind.
parking: i’m not a huge fan of parking in beverly hills in the first place. it’s expensive and always crowded. we luckily found an open metered spot a block away. not bad.
ambience: we dug the decor (you will too). simplistic and elegant. lots of natural light. white walls. there are a number of tables but is not a large place. seating could be an issue during peak times.
overall: this place has won us over. stupidly charming. delicious pastries. we will be back soon.

Chaumont
143 S Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

By fabliss | May 19th, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Dessert, Food, Restaurants | 0 Comments

Crème Caramel LA | Van Nuys, CA

i don’t know if you know but crème caramel (aka flan) is one of my favorite desserts. naturally, i was super excited when we found out crème caramel la opened up in van nuys / sherman oaks! since our first visit, we have been back a ton of times (yep, this place won me over and is now one of my favorite dessert joints).

the shop is small with limited seating inside and a couple of table outside (just in case you can’t wait to take your dessert home). the nice thing about this place is that they provide samples of their dessert. get your wallet ready because you will be buying more than one item.

so far we have tried / loved the following:

vanilla crème caramel – their staple. freaking uh-amazing. creamy, smooth, and 100% satisfying.
mango crème caramel – the hint of mango is a nice touch.
lemon blueberry crème caramel – so great. i repeat. so great.
upside down ube pie – this is kyle’s favorite one. crumble adds a great texture. ube is wonderful.
bread pudding – solid bread pudding.

with the exception of their staple menu items (crème caramel, upside down ube ie, and bread pudding), the menu changes on the regs. they are always trying new things, which we appreciate.

like i said, they provide samples of their dessert! see the sample display below.

crème caramel is a winner. did i mention that it is not too sweet?

here’s the upside down ube pie. delicious.

if you are a flan lover, you will appreciate how silky smooth this is.

parking: street parking. you should have no issues unless it’s food truck night. there is additional parking in the back but we have never had to use it.
ambience: don’t expect anything fancy. this is a small place (so not ideal for large groups) but still cute.
service: we love the staff. everyone is so sweet and extremely eager to help.
overall: desserts are a little pricey $4-5 each… but i think they are well worth it. the plus side is that if you buy 4 (or a certain amount) you get a little discount! this place is a gem and you will be happy you were introduced.

Crème Caramel LA
14849 Burbank Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 91411
Neighborhood: Van Nuys

By fabliss | May 13th, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Food, Restaurants | 0 Comments

Nekter Juice Bar | West Hollywood, CA

ever since we got back from oahu, we have been searching LA for comparable acai bowls. surprisingly, the acai bowl craze has not really picked up in LA despite the popularity of juiceries that have popped up in the last 2-3 years.

nekter opened up in west hollywood (fairly recently). based on pictures of their acai bowls, we decided to come here early on a sunday!

we ordered:

acai banana berry bowl ($7) – acai, banana, raw vanilla cashew nut milk and berries blended and topped with hempseed granola, bananas and berries
acai tropical bowl ($7) – acai, banana, pineapple, coconut butter and raw vanilla cashew nut milk blended and topped with granola, coconut flakes, and bananas

oh em gee. #winning. the acai bowls are very refreshing. not too tart and not too sweet. presentation is great too! although it’s not island vintage coffee, it is a close second and is now are my favorite in LA.

both bowls are fabulous! the berry one is obviously on the tarte side. the tropical bowl (if you like coconut) is sweeter and creamier. it’s nice to have both so that you can have the best of both worlds.

parking: i just took metered parking right in front of the store. i think there might be free parking somewhere? i just didn’t see it.
service: friendly. when it’s packed, expect to wait a little bit. they try their best to fulfill ordered in an efficient amount of time. i had to wait 10-15 minutes.
ambience: small inside with only a table or two? there’s some outside seating.
overall: i wish there was one closer to me.. i’d come here every day (for real). ps. they are open M-F from 8am to 8pm. on the weekend, Sat-Sun their hours are 8am – 7pm.

Nekter Juice Bar
8951 Santa Monica Blvd Ste A
West Hollywood, CA 90069

By fabliss | May 4th, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Food, Restaurants | 0 Comments

Carrara Pastries | Moorpark, CA

let me introduce you to carrara pastries…an absurdly wonderful italian bakery! they have two locations: moorpark and agoura hills.

most of the desserts are in italian so we have no idea what we are eating nor do we even know how to pronounce it. regardless, get ready for your mind to be blown. our go-tos (i literally had to go to their website to get these names. you’re welcome):

cheesecake – my favorite. it’s delicious!
crostata di frutta – fruit tart
profitterole – think chocolate covered cream puff
amarena – cake & mousse in a dome
velina – cake & mousse (chocolate)
yogurt e fragole – cake and yogurt mousse layered
tiramisu
all cream puffs… you must try the frittlle, a deep-fried cream puff coated with sugar

crostata di frutta (pictured above).

tiramisu is delicious! oh! the gelato is also freaking amazing. (pretty much all things made in this bakery rock)

this is the famous cheesecake. you have never tasted anything like this. isn’t presentation impressive?

profitterole (pictured below) along with a mini cream puff (delicious).

overall: pastries are their specialty and you will not be disappointed with anything you get. presentation is amazing even the carry out boxes!
parking: both locations have ample parking.
service: everyone is uber friendly and are happy to explain what each pastry is.
ambience: clean. casual. spacious.

Carrara Pastries
476 W Los Angeles Ave
Moorpark, CA 93021

28914 Roadside Dr
Agoura Hills, CA 91301

By fabliss | April 7th, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Dessert, Food | 0 Comments

East is East | Vancouver, BC

we hung out at east is east with chelsey since this is one of her favorite places. we were stuffed after our chinese food gluten fest at the peaceful restaurant. so we came here to just have some chai tea.

cute place. earthy, comfortable decor. extensive chai menu.

i went with the almond milk chai tea. hot and soothing. kyle went with the mango smoothie… umm. it was unexpectedly delicious and refreshing. i would drink this over and over.

great place to just hang out on a lazy weekend!

East is East
4433 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5V 3R2
Canada
Neighborhood: Riley Park

By fabliss | April 7th, 2014 | Canada, Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Food, Travel | 0 Comments

Previous 1 2 3 4 Next