Bottega Louie- Downtown Los Angeles

Clockwise from upper right- chocolate/coffee creme brulee(or tart? cant' remember), vanilla creme brulee, Lemon meringue tart & chocolate raspberry Napoleon(?).

The dessert display at Bottega Louie always catch my attention so this time, instead of getting their infamous macarons as gifts, I got some treats for myself as well. Agh, the beautiful raspberry on top of puff pastries, creamy creme brulee and the beautiful lemon meringue tart...how could anyone resist it?

Lemon Meringue- Light, airy meringue & the tanginess from the lemon made this the best little treat in this box.

Creme brulee- This good old traditional classic dessert was nice a creamy but it lacked the crunchy(or crispy?) sugar crust on top for textural contrast. Alright, but a boring dessert.

Raspberry chocolate napoleon- Okay, not sure what was wrong with their puff pastry. The pastry was hard unlike the airy & flaky puff pastries I've had in the past. The chocolate was just there for decoration since it doesn't enhance the overall taste or texture for me. The chocolate fillings could've been tasty all by it's own only if it weren't accompanied by that unfit raspberry jam in the middle!! The raspberry jam tasted weird; acidic yes alittle but it does not harmonize the flavors of chocolate fillings in the napoleon and actually made it worst.

Chocolate creme brulee/tart- I have to admit that it was my fault that I didn't eat it on the same day instead, I saved it for the lunch next day. BAD idea! The tart did not taste fresh, had a bitter but somewhat acidic taste to it...and it looked like there were molds growing on it already?? It could've been problem with my eyes that made me think there were molds but com'n! the taste and the mold just go together. To the trash it goes.

The shell/tart base they've used as a container for the brulees/tart tasted flour-y that I could care less about.

Overall, just stick to their macarons, there are definitely rooms for improvements on the rest of the item in that glass display case...!

Montage, Beverly Hills

With high hopes and expectations, we were a little disappointed at their signature afternoon tea sets. Montage had every thing it needed for it to be a perfect afternoon for girls gathering-- the ambiance, silverwares, the china, the teapots and the service BUT the tea sandwiches & the desserts were quite disappointing. I even ordered a tuna poke to compare it to my first visit and nope, the tuna poke tasted awfully salty as if the chef drown the tuna in a bottle of soy sauce and we had to notify the waiter about it. The tuna poke at the first visit was delightful- tasty and refreshing and the second experience has none of it.
The tea sandwiches at montage is alright, but I'd rather drive down to Pasadena for more filling & tasty sandwiches @ Scarlett tea room. Desserts were nice...but nothing beyond it's look. Afterall, I'd probably hit Peninsula or Langham in Pasadena if I absolutely have to have teas at a hotel.

Japan 3/11/2011

God bless Japan and the people of Japan. Stay strong, the world is here to help.