Remember the cupcake craze that hit the US all those years ago, right after Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon gave Magnolia Bakery the best product placement known to womankind? Suddenly, carbs were in again. (But only if they’re adorned with buttercream frosting of various pastel-sounding flavors.) My problem with Magnolia not that they charged [...]
Tag Archives | Cafés & Bakeries
Macarons from…Mister Donut?
Over the weekend, Jacob and I stayed at a friend’s lane house in Shanghai’s French Concession. It’s a live-work space that is occupied by a web company, and all the techies is get their caffeine and sugar fixes from Paul, a French bakery that opened in the city last year. (I’m sure in Paris Paul [...]
Petits Fours for a Chinese Dinner
I should have known that a packed Beijing city bus does not provide the ideal conditions for bringing home a box of petits fours. But still I was determined, because I couldn’t pass by Comptoirs de France, whose macarons I had already raved about, and not bring home anything from their tempting display cases. Our [...]
Macarons in Beijing? Mais Oui!
Paris may be thousands of miles from Beijing, but that doesn’t mean delectable French pastries are out of reach. I immediately fell for these macarons when I saw them at Comptoirs de France, a bakery opened by Philippe Ancelet, formerly of the Kempinski Hotel. Macarons, especially from Pierre Hermé or Ladurée, have a cult following, [...]
Rose Milk Tea
When working or hanging out in cafés, my usual drink of choice is either a frothy cappuccino or a nice boba tea. Lately I’ve found a new addiction: rose milk tea. A pot of the creamy, fragrant, and intoxicating tea with floating dried roses is the perfect companion for an afternoon of writing (or blogging.). [...]
