pâtisserie al jawda à marrakech • 6 comments • Popped into this Moroccan pâtisserie to pick up some foreign-to-us desserts. They seemed to have hundreds of pastries packed into this small place - including sweet and savoury treats with ingredients like orange-flower water, figs, and desert honey.
i ♥ macarons • 33 comments • One of our favorite things about living in Montréal is how easily accessible macarons are. We discovered the colorful pastries on one of our first trips together, to France, when a girl we met at a wedding said we couldn't leave without going to Ladurée to try a few. We fell in love. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, for our waistlines), we couldn't find them anywhere upon returning to Winnipeg. No one had heard of them despite the fact that they had been made for decades (maybe even over a century). That was 4 years ago and now, it seems, they're everywhere - popularized by the series finale of Sex and the City where Carrie gets a sad table for one. If only I had the patience to make them myself... because they are quite the expensive habit but, half the enjoyment of these are getting a variety box and trying to guess what flavor you've just eaten. -Mina
magnolia bakery • 16 comments • We were told (a lot) that you can't go to NYC without getting a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery!
doughnut plant • 24 comments • In our entire 6 year relationship we can't recall ever eating doughnuts together. We both worked in an office setting, which meant that there were an abundance of pastries in the lunchroom on a weekly basis. As tempting as those stale doughnuts are, they never really appealed to us. That's why when one of our readers suggested that we check out The Doughnut Plant, we put it toward the bottom of our list of priorities. Luckily, it happened to be located in the Lower East Side, where we were meeting friends, so we figured we'd go with an open mind because you guys have never given us a bad suggestion. We are now converts. Crammed into the tiny store was a line of about 20 people, waiting for their fix. You could tell many had been there before, judging from the look of anticipation on their faces. Waiting in the line gave us the opportunity to hear what everyone else was ordering. The blueberry seemed to be a popular choice, but we skipped it in favour of something more exotic. You could see the constant turnover of all the different flavours. You'll literally get a doughnut right out of the oven. After much debate, we settled on Mango and Crème Brûlée (which actually had a perfect crème brûlée filling) . It was quite difficult to resist buying one of each kind. The main 'culinary' difference between these doughnuts and the kind you'd get at coffee shop, is that all the glazes at Doughnut Plant are made with fresh seasonal fruit and ingredients ...and you can taste it.
rice to riches • 16 comments • We would like to preface this post with the fact that, prior to visiting New York, we hated rice pudding. We hated the texture, we hated the flavour, and we hated how it looks. So, naturally, when we came across a place that ONLY serves rice pudding, it made complete sense to go in. After dinner at Lombardi's, we made our way to the subway to make it back to our hotel, but not before noticing a building that was so brightly lit that you couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside. We peered in and realized that it was a place that one of our lovely readers had recommended. The cheeky signs lured us in. Rice to Riches is a trendy spot in NoLIta that has rice pudding in every flavor you could imagine. It was difficult to decide on a flavor. We didn't want to commit to buying two desserts so we shared one. We settled on french toast flavored pudding with strawberries on top. It was unbelievable.We would buy this by the buckets if we lived in NYC (because you actually can) and you can also get it delivered (like everything else in New York) and then we could get fat in the privacy of our own homes until we overdosed on delicious rice pudding.
water ice • 11 comments • After indulging in cheesesteaks, we obviously needed to get dessert. A short stroll away from Geno's and Pat's is John's Water Ice. Vanessa, who now lives in Sweden but is from Philadelphia, suggested that we go to John's. Actually, she basically planned our entire trip to for us! We had never even heard of water ice before we went to Philly, but they sell it on pretty much ever street corner. We ordered chocolate and cherry. I would equate the flavour to a crushed Popsicle and the consistency to a really frozen Slurpee. The guy in front of us was buying a whole quart of lemon. We would totally have some handy in our freezer at all times if we lived there. It was so refreshing. Thanks for the tip, V!
waffles • 20 comments • As if the waffle itself isn't bad enough for you, adding chocolate, whipped cream, syrupy strawberries, and powdered sugar is enough to give anyone instant diabetes. Brussels actually smelled like waffles. Yes, the city of Brussels smells of waffles. If you walk down the streets, the aroma wafts through the air from restaurants and street vendors making it difficult to deny the temptation (not that we even tried).
ferryman's • 14 comments • Our evening at the V&A Waterfront ended with a meal at Ferryman's Tavern. It lured us in with the live band that was playing outside. The restaurant is two old buildings that have been restored and it really has a warm, old-fashioned charm. Alex decided to add to the pub atmosphere by ordering some traditional fish and chips. I opted to try a more regional dish and chose a Cape Malay lamb curry that came with a poppadom and various sambals. The people of the Cape Malay community are descendants of slaves that were brought to South Africa from, what is now known as, Indonesia. This type of cuisine is infused with fragrant herbs and spices that is very reminiscent of South Indian cooking. Although we couldn't agree on the main course, Alex and I both shared the same craving for the chocolate mousse dessert.
