Leslie Kay Ho via Zaarly

Zaarly is a company that has pivoted many times.  Currently, they help connect handymen and housecleaners with customers.  But before that, they provided a fairly generic online storefront for entrepreneurs, including artists, jewelers, and, my interests: gourmet food providers and bakeries.

Before the pivot away from offering food stuffs, I was able to try out several vendors, one of which was Leslie Kay Ho Bakery.  You know me, I love all baked goods and desserts, but these sounded extra creative, and I was really excited to try them.  Unfortunately, I didn't actually like any that I tried, and further unfortunately, I don't think this vendor is in business any longer, as I can't find any recent information on her storefront.

Coconut Mochi Cake with Red Bean Filling. 2 for $7.

This sounded great! I love mochi, and the baker told me this was her best seller.  It didn't look like anything I'd ever had called "mochi" before, but I figured I'd give this a shot, and purchased a 2-pack, highly anticipating liking it.

And ... I really didn't like it.  I didn't really get any mochi-like flavor, I didn't detect any rice-y taste.  The cake layers didn't have a firm, glutinous texture that I associate with mochi either.  What was the mochi aspect of this?

The red bean filling was fine.

But overall, it was just kinda soggy, and not quite as advertised.  2 for $7 also seemed a bit pricey.  Would not get again.

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Sweet Potato Haupia Pie with Macadamia Crust.

"Our unique pie is made with Japanese purple sweet potatoes, which create a incredibly smooth and tasty filling. The crust is made with macadamia nuts, adding the perfect crumbly texture to balance the filling. The pie is topped with haupia, a traditional hawaiian dessert made with coconut milk. " 

This sounded amazing!  All components I really like (purple sweet potatoes, macadamias, crumble, haupia ...).  But, it somehow didn't have much flavor.  I really wanted to taste the purple potato, and didn't.  I really wanted to taste the macadamia, and didn't.  Disappointing.