Sift Dessert Bar

Update Review,  October 2019 Visit

I was quite excited when I happened upon a box of goodies from Sift Dessert Bar in my office.  Free for the taking.

Box of Cruffles.

I expected to find cupcakes, but found Cruffles instead.  It turns out, I've had cruffles before.  I just didn't remember it at all, which surprises me reading my previous review from 2016, as I really did like them before.

Cruffles come in 6 varieties, half of which are coated in dark chocolate, the other half in white.  I tried one of each this time.

Pink Champagne.

"Raspberry Cake, Champagne Buttercream, Dipped in White Chocolate."

I didn't know what kind this was when I picked it up, but it turned out to be Pink Champagne, the same flavor as the very first cruffle I had years ago.

I loved it then, and I loved it now too.  It was nicely enrobed in sweet white chocolate, very sweet, but creamy, and totally what I was in the mood for.  I don't think the pink sprinkles on top were really tastable, but they gave it more visual appeal.

Pink Champagne: Inside.

Inside the sweet creamy shell was the raspberry cake + pink buttercream mix, just like a cake pop.  Dense, sweet, and it really did have both a fruity and a sparkly nature to it.

I loved the textures of the shell and filling, and really appreciated the flavors.  I'll gladly have more of these!

Sky is Falling.

"Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Frosting, Dipped in Dark Chocolate."

Another one that I selected without knowing which it was, but this turned out to be the one I'd have picked anyway, of the dark chocolate dipped options, as it promised white chocolate mousse.


The dark chocolate shell was my favorite part, drizzled attractively in white chocolate too.  Good thickness, snappy.

Sky is Falling: Inside.

I never found that promised mousse however.  I guess it was blended in?

And the base of the cruffle was just kinda "eh" too ... chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, but neither that intense, even though it was quite dark.  Kinda gummy, and just not great.

I expected more flavor, and I really wanted that mousse.  I wouldn't get this again.

Update Review, May 2016

A while ago, I reviewed some fairly mediocre cupcakes from Sift Dessert Bar.  I was not impressed.  I didn't seek Sift back out, but, I was at an event recently that was catered by Sift.  I avoided the cupcakes given my past experience, but was pleasantly surprised by everything else.

Sometimes, giving a place a second chance is a good thing!  I'll gladly try more of their creations now.

Cupcakes, Whoopie Cookies, Macaroons.

The array of choices at this event was impressive.  Cupcakes in an array of flavors.  Macaroons in every flavor Sift makes.  Whoopie cookies.  Rice crispy treats.  Even a few cruffles hidden amongst the macaroons.

Since I remembered not liking the cupcakes much before, I skipped right past them, and moved on to the other goodies.  I also skipped the macaroons, because, well, I never generally care for macaroons, although, I'll admit, some of the macaroon flavors did sound interesting, like churro, margarita with salt, and  piña colada.

Rainbow Sugar Whoopie Cookie. $3.

"2 Rainbow Sugar cookies filled with vanilla buttercream frosting "

The first item I grabbed was a cookie sandwich, dubbed a whoopie cookie, basically a play on a whoopie pie, but made with regular cookies rather than standard fluffy cake-like whoopie pie cookies, and filled with regular frosting.  I grew up with whoopie pies, so, I was a bit skeptical of a "whoopie cookie".

I also realize this is a bit of an add move in general, since I don't generally like cookies all that much, but, it caught my eye.  Perhaps because it was so colorful, you couldn't help but notice the rainbow sprinkles.  But really, I wanted it because it was stuffed with frosting.  My general aversion to cookies isn't that I don't like cookies themselves, it is just that they are so boring that way.  Why would I ever want just a cookie?  But I also don't generally like cake.  Its dry and boring.  The only reason I eat cake is for the frosting.  I could easily do without the cake part.

Enter the cookie sandwich.  Do away with the dry boring cake and still get the frosting.  Jazz up a cookie significantly.  This has potential.

Sift makes 3 varieties of cookie sandwiches: classic chocolate chip, rainbow sugar, and salted caramel white chocolate chip.  The later sounded the best to me, but, when I approached the display, they only had chocolate chip and rainbow sugar cookie sandwiches out.  Of course, just a few minutes later, the ones I wanted came out, but I had already taken this one and felt rude going for another.

Rainbow Sugar Whoopie Cookie: Inside.

So, how was it?  Well, it was about what I expected.  A decent sugar cookie, not too hard, not too soft, and sweet.  The rainbow balls were a fun touch for color and crunch.  The filling was just plain white frosting, also sweet.  Sweet on sweet, which I guess is to be expected.  The frosting made the cookie more exciting, and the cookie served as a vessel for the frosting.  But, still not that amazing.

The salted caramel white chocolate chip whoopie cookie uses salted caramel buttercream, which certainly sounds more flavorful.  And the chocolate chip one uses cream cheese frosting.  Had I realized the frostings inside were different, I certainly would have gone for a different one.

Overall, I'm glad I tried it, and I certainly liked it more than I would have liked a plain cookie or a piece of cake.  But, not really my dessert of choice.

Cookies are $1.25 each, and whoopie cookies are $3, basically, $0.50 for frosting.

Pink Champagne Cruffle.

"Cake and frosting blended together.  Hand dipped in chocolate."

I also managed to grab a cruffle, one of very few, mixed in with the macaroons.

It took me a little while to figure out what a "cruffle" was.  The answer?  Cupcake + truffle = cruffle.   Cruffles are basically cake pops, without the stem.  Sift makes them in the same varieties as the cupcakes.

I had no idea what flavors I was getting, but this one turned out to be the cruffle version of their Pink Champagne cupcake.

Limonatta and Pink Champagne Cruffles: Inside.

Pink Champagne (right):
"Moist raspberry cake with a delicious champagne frosting."

It was ... pretty awesome.  The raspberry flavor was sweet and flavorful, really quite delicious.  I loved the texture of the inside, dense from the frosting blended with the cake.  While I don't really like cake, um, I do like cake pops, or, in this case, cruffles.

The white chocolate shell was sweet and the perfect thickness.  It had a nice snap to it.

Overall, the cruffle form factor was great, and honestly, makes more sense than a cake pop anyway.  Everyone knows its more fun to eat with your fingers!

Limonatta (left):
"Lemon cake, lemon curd filling topped with Meyer lemon buttercream"

When I circled back through a while later, I saw a few more cruffles set out.  Given how delicious the first one was, I grabbed another, again, not knowing what it was.

It turned out to be the limonatta.  Darn.  I don't really like lemon desserts.  But, I still loved the texture and the sweetness of the shell.  For a lemon treat, it was a good one.

Cruffles come in boxes by the dozen for $24.

Original Review, January 2015

My office does funny things to motivate us sometimes.

For background, we have the most incredible pastry team, who regularly churn out desserts that rival, and generally surpass, those of top restaurants.  This is impressive in its own right, but even more insane given that they never repeat a dessert from day to day, offer up multiple desserts every day, and produce them for 1000+ people at a time.  Our pastry chefs are my heroes.

But this isn't about them.  This is about our "reward" for being good during a fire drill.  Yes, for real.  In the past, to encourage us to properly exit the building during fire drills, they set up a Ben & Jerry's stand at the designated meeting point across the street.  People did leave, but I think they generally grabbed ice cream, and then kept on going, not returning to the office.  So this time, they did something a bit different: the gave us cupcakes, but, they didn't give them to us until we came BACK to the office.  Doh.

Cupcake Display.

They didn't bake the cupcakes in-house, rather, they sourced from Sift Dessert Bar in San Francisco.

Sift has several California locations, plus they ship nationwide.  Sift's main focus is cupcakes, including gluten-free or vegan options if necessary, although they also make a few other standard items like macarons, cookies, brownies, pies (including a kahlua chocolate pie that I'd love to try), and cakes.  They also get creative, offering up cupcakes a la mode, cupcakes blended into ice cream shakes, and fascinating sounding frosting shots.

We had an assortment of four cupcakes waiting for us: Berry Good Cheesecake, Ohh La La, All for the Cookie, and Snickerdoodle.  I tried all except the Snickerdoodle.  None were very good.

Berry Good Cheesecake.

"Vanilla graham cracker cake, filled with raspberry jam and topped with cream cheese frosting".

This one was the most pretty, so I started with it.

Berry Good Cheesecake: inside.

In the base of the cupcake was graham cracker crumbs, as you can see here.  They were just crumbs, not bound together by anything, which was a bit strange.  If you took off the wrapper, it would have crumbled apart everywhere and made a mess.  Protip: do not fully unwrap this cupcake!

The cake was very dense, almost ... gummy.  I didn't care for it.

The jam inside was clearly raspberry flavored, but not particularly interesting.  I did like the cream cheese frosting.

Did this remind me of a cheesecake though?  Besides the cream cheese frosting ... no, and besides the frosting, I didn't really want this.

All For the Cookie.

"Chocolate cake topped with cookies n' cream cheese frosting".

I got the chocolate offering for Ojan, named All For the Cookie, but obviously tried it myself first.

It was also a very dense, moist cake.  Again a bit gummy.

The frosting was ok, sorta Oreo-tasting.  But very meh overall.

[ No Photo ]

Ohh La La

"Our famous red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting".

Unsatisfied with the other choices, I also tried the Ohh La La, even though I never like red velvet much.

I didn't care for the cake, as it was all homogenous.  I like a moister interior and a crunchy top, and this was all just the same, and a bit dry.

The cream cheese frosting was the same as in the Berry Good, very sweet, a bit too sweet, but good enough.  Overall, meh, but I liked the frosting.

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Waffling Leftovers: Salad

Update Review, March 2020

It was only a year or so ago that I discovered the perfect way to salvage leftover salad that was past its prime: waffle (or grill it!).  I've since repeated that trick several times, always to great success, but, I just haven't actually frequently had much soggy salad on hand, or, I've just been busy and eaten it limp and all in a rush.  Until, well, Shelter in Place time, when I had more time on my hands, and needed some way to be creative.

Like, you know, grilling my leftover salad.  I was again pleased with the results, and I encourage anyone with some lackluster lettuce to give it a shot.

The Original: Ceasar Salad from The Melt.

The original was a perfectly fresh, crispy, ceasar salad, with shredded parmesan (and grilled cheese croutons!) from The Melt.  It was great fresh.

Leftover Ceasar Salad.

The leftovers however, were ... not as great.  I packaged them up to save for the next day, sans dressing and croutons, thinking it would hold up fine, but, alas, it did not.  I think the generous amount of shredded parmesan in particular was the problem, as it made it moist, and the entire thing got pretty soggy fast, even without dressing.

But I knew how to save it.  I had grill plates in my waffle iron/grill, so, into the grill it went.

Into the Grill!

After just a minute it was steaming, and the parmesan was melting.

It was looking goooood!

Grilling Away.

Another two minutes, and it was getting slightly charred, exactly as I wanted.

Grilled Ceasar Salad.

I could have let it go longer to get more crispy, more akin to kale chips (er, lettuce chips), but I pulled it at this point, scraping it all into a bowl, and topping with a spicy Korean sauce.

It was delightful.  The shredded parmesan cheese turned crispy like a frico, the lettuce was juicy and crispy at the same time.

Best way to save a salad!

Original Review, January 2018

By now, you know that I like to waffle random leftovers.  I've found it to be a remarkable way to actually reheat leftovers, often transforming unappealing items into something totally salvageable.  Plus, obviously, I have fun with it.

Sometimes, I'll admit, I throw something into the waffle iron mostly for the novelty aspect.  Like, when I waffled pudding.  I didn't exactly expect that to work.  Or this time, when, uh, I waffled leftover salad.

Bear with me for a minute.

Have you ever seen a caesar salad with grilled romaine?  It shows up on menus from time to time.  The waffle iron is mostly like a grill.  I wasn't expecting it to magically turn lettuce into a waffle, obviously, but, I thought it would grill it.

The other reason I did it though?  I had some extremely wilted, soggy, unappealing, leftover salad, that there was just no way I could eat as it was.  I could throw it out, or I could have some fun.  I sorta thought that perhaps it would be a bit like making kale chips too, and the moisture would get sucked out of the soggy leftover lettuce.

It didn't transform into lettuce chips, but, honestly, it was a breakthrough.

Put simply, Leftover Salad: Will it waffle?  Yes, yes, yes!

I encourage you to consider it when you have leftover salad too.  Don't just toss it.  It also really makes me wonder why grilled salads aren't more a thing (I understand that waffling salads isn't, but, why don't we see more grilled salads?).  This not only transformed items destined for the trash, it was really legitimately good.

Waffled Salad Transformation, v1.0.

In the first version of this (yes, spoiler, I innovated further), I only waffled the lettuce, leaving the other ingredients out.

The Original: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Cucumber and Pickled Onions.

The original was a very tasty salad, huge leaves of assorted lettuces (red leaf, little gem, etc), slices of fresh cucumber, totally delicious heirloom cherry tomatoes, and tart pickled onions.  The dressing was even more amazing, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, thai basil.

Soggy Leftover Salad.

We had a ton of leftover, so I saved it.  The salad was undressed, so, I thought it would keep fine for a day, but unfortunately, the moisture from the tomatoes and onions did it in.

By the next day, the lettuce was limp, wilted, soggy, and really not good at all.  No matter how tasty the dressing was, or how amazing the heirloom tomatoes still were, there was just nothing appealing about this salad.

But I didn't have anymore fresh lettuce.

A normal person would just extract the tomatoes and onions, mix them with some tasty dressing, and have a little tomato salad.  But I am not a normal person.

When I have lackluster leftovers, only one thing comes to mind.  My waffle iron.

Lettuce: Into the Waffle Iron ...

So yes, into the waffle iron the lettuce went.  I did keep the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions out of it (at least, this time).

I literally just spread the wilted soggy leaves into the iron, 350 degrees, and let it go.

Waffled Lettuce?

I pulled it out after it started looking "done".  It was not waffled exactly, more like grilled, but, it worked, really.

It was warm, slightly wilted, slightly grilled lettuce.  The moisture was sucked out, as I hoped.  It reminded me of roasted escarole actually.

I failed to take a photo of the final creation, but, I topped it with the tomatoes, pickled onions, and tasty dressing.  It didn't have the crispness nor freshness that regular raw lettuce salad has, but, it totally worked, and I enjoyed it, and was inspired.

Waffled Salad Transformation, v2.0.

Inspired for round 2.  I knew I could do better.  And I had a lot more salad to play with.

The lettuce alone was good, but, why not just waffle the whole thing?  It would be just like grilling, right?  Grilled onions and blistered tomatoes are delicious.  So, why not?  Waffling would be just about the same as grilling, right?

Entire Salad: Into the Waffle Iron ...

This time, I put the whole salad in.  Super soggy greens, halves of tomatoes, onions, and all.

I mean, why not?

I closed the lid, pressed down, and walked away, a bit giddy with myself.

Salad: Cooking Away ...

And, as expected, everything started looking grilled after a few minutes.

The tomatoes got beautiful char marks, turned blistered, just like they had been slow cooked.  The onions started looking grilled.  The aroma was lovely.

"Waffled" Salad Success!

I plated it all up, drizzled the dressing over it after.  I loved it.

Was it a waffle?  Of course not.  But does a waffle iron work perfectly well as a grill?  Absolutely.

Just like in the first batch, the waffle iron saved that wilty, soggy, totally gross lettuce.  It was warm, slightly charred, and actually good like this.  The tomatoes got a bit of char, split open, and acted like they had been slow roasted for hours.  I don't think I need to convince you that grilled onions are a great thing.

This was a remarkable transformation, and I'll clearly do it again.

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Astronaut Ice Cream

Update Review, March 2020

Remember when I discovered astronaut ice cream a few years ago? (No? Go read my review!).  I kinda loved the mint chocolate chip.

So during the recent Shelter in Place restriction, I decided this was an ideal time to break into my pantry, and, well, pretend I was on a spaceship.

"Savor the goodness of ice cream and the crunch of chocolate wafers with this Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich."

I was pretty interested to see how an ice cream *sandwich* would turn into a freeze dried item, after the success of the regular ice cream.  Alas, the sandwich didn't work out nearly as well.

The "ice cream" was actually still decent - crazy crispy texture that somehow is creamy on your tongue, but the flavor was just plain vanilla, which paled in comparison to the mint chocolate chip I had before.  Still, that part worked.

But the chocolate wafer cookies were just crispy, not chocolately, not really flavorful in any way, and had a "stale" feeling about them.

I salvaged all the ice cream out of this, and discarded the cookies.  Fun idea, but, I'll go back to the regular ice cream next time (uh, next time? Let's hope I get off this spaceship soon!)

Original Review, September 2019

Astronaut ice cream  Something I haven't thought about since ... elementary school?  Basically, whenever the last time I visited a planetarium and its gift shop was.

I think I always assumed it was just a gimmick.  I mean, I love ice cream, but ... yeah.  How could this be actually tasty?

Somehow, I honestly don't remember how, I wound up with astronaut ice cream in my pantry.  It is shelf stable for a very long time.

Eventually, I tried (spoiler alert: and loved!), it.

Packaging.

"Freeze-Dried ice cream and other freeze dried foods have been used by NASA since the early days of the Apollo space program and are still used by Astronauts today on the Space Shuttle. If you're looking for an out of this world snack or party treat, this fun treat can be eaten anytime, anywhere. No refrigeration needed ever!"

The outer packaging reveals very little about what will be inside, and I wasn't quite sure what format to expect inside the foil bag. 

Mint Chocolate Chip.

"This is a new twist on the classic freeze-dried space delight. You get a double hit of flavor in one great freeze-dried treat. Truly a unique culinary experience, this delicious freeze-dried ice cream is sure to make ice cream fans happy. Official Freeze-Dried Astronaut Ice Cream is a delightful dessert anytime whether on the trail or outer space!"

Ok, this was downright fascinating, far more than I expected.  I kinda assumed this was cool for kids, and slightly novel, and I'd quickly move on.  It turned out to be fun to me too, and quite delicious.

Inside the outer bag it was wrapped in another wrapper, and then, the product itself was a solid block, or, at least it used to be, before it got all broken up.

The texture is, well, freeze dried.  Super crispy.  If I just bit and chewed, I found my brain got confused very quickly, as I was biting into something crisp, yet the sensation in my mouth was, well, creamy ice cream.  It tasted like ice cream, quite rich.  It even left my mouth coated like ice cream.  But ... it was crispy.  I was drawn in immediately.

Next I let it dissolve a bit more slowly on my tongue, rather than biting.  This was even more addicting, as it spread out into ... um, melting ice cream? Seriously.  It melted in my mouth.  But it was crispy to start, and most certainly wasn't cold.

In addition to all the fascinating textures and experiences going on, it also had flavor.  Really excellent flavor.  Minty.  Rich ice cream.  Little chocolate chips studded it, well distributed throughout.  The flavor was on point with any good mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I really truly enjoyed eating this, and I'd gladly have more.  Good for a day when it isn't "ice cream weather", but you want creamy goodness?

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Sprinkles Cupcakes

Update Reviews, 2019

Yes, I know I've never cared for Sprinkles cupcakes before, and have reviewed several times.

Abandoned Box of Cupcakes ...

But, when you find an abandoned box of cupcakes in the microkitchen at work ...

So many to try!

Yes, the cupcakes were a bit ... let's just say, handled?  People clearly had decided to cut them all up to try many kinds.  Which, I was fully behind, and decided to try all 5 kinds that remained, not knowing what any were as I tried them, but they were fairly easy to identify once I tasted them.

Front row:

Chocolate Marshmallow (bottom)
"Gather 'round the campfire for a spooky tale,
Of a dark chocolate cupcake lost on a haunted trail!
He noticed a shadow creeping and let out a scream,
There appeared a ghost of fluffy white marshmallow cream!
He ran so fast, his frosting could not take the heat
And melted into a ganache, so rich and bittersweet!"

There was only a tiny chunk of this left, and I can safely say that I didn't really get to appreciate it fully.  The cake was a dark chocolate, fairly moist, and I only got a tiny dollop of marshmallow cream and chocolate ganache, clearly the most important elements of the cupcake.  I can't fairly evaluate this one.

Black and White (middle)
"Yin and yang explains that light cannot exist without darkness, hot without cold, and chocolate without vanilla. Sprinkles Black and White cupcakes create a harmonious balance between Belgian dark chocolate cake and creamy vanilla frosting. As the proverb goes, two parts united together give rise to something better!"

This was fine, but not particularly novel.  The cake was a bit dry, not the most intense chocolate cake.  The vanilla frosting was sweet and fairly tasty, but, very one note, just, sweet.  A standard, decent enough, basic cupcake, but I didn't care for a second bite.

Peanut Butter Chocolate (top)
"As a child, you discovered how to dunk chocolate into the peanut butter jar and became convinced you invented a new food. Sprinkles pays tribute to your ingenuity with our Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes. This chocolate chip-studded cake is made with creamy, all-natural peanut butter and topped with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. With just the right combination of salty and sweet, you should brace yourself for the onslaught of fan mail!"

Um.  I didn't know what this was when I tried it, but I was immediately in love.  This was amazing.

The best part was the intense peanut butter flavor in the cake.  I loved the tiny chocolate chips throughout the base, for texture, and for, well, chocolate.  And for the magic of chocolate and peanut butter together, of course.  It was like chocolate chip cookie dough, cake, and delicious spoonful of peanut butter all wound into one.  Loved it.

Oh yeah, and then there was frosting too.  Thick, creamy, chocolate cream cheese frosting, which was very rich, and went well with the peanut butter flavors.

Definitely a winner, and I turned right back around to claim the rest of this one.  The best Sprinkles cupcake I've ever had.

Salty Caramel.

"Sprinkles Salty Caramel cupcakes are an irresistible salty-sweet flavor combination using fleur de sel crystals hand harvested from the pristine seas off Brittany, France. These fleur de sel granules are a delightful complement to the sweet, buttery caramel which flavors both the cake and frosting. Taste the rich, delicious complexity of Sprinkles take on this classic French duo."

I didn't read my notes before diving into these, but, wow, my notes this time completely match the other two times I tried this cupcake.  I do NOT like it.

It was just way too sweet for me - the frosting was just sweet, sweet, sweet, and, given Sprinkles’ generous application of frosting, was too much.  The cake was fairly dry, and just sweet too.  Did not care for this at all.

Carrot.

"Children may run upon hearing a vegetable has made its way into their cupcake, but do you know the secret? Carrots' hidden sugar content make them a baker's ally! Our recipe blends fragrant spices with freshly grated carrots and toasted walnuts. Coated with a generous heap of cinnamon cream cheese frosting, you might even convince the kids to eat their vegetables!"
And finally, a classic, carrot cake.

The cake part was ... fine.  The cake was fairly moist, and the carrots were quite obvious, good sized gratings.  I liked the crunch from the walnuts, and they were well distributed.  But the cake was a little too spiced for me.  Still, fine, but not great.

The frosting is where this one lost me.  I didn't like the cinnamon and other spices in it, just too much spicing for my taste, and I didn't taste cream cheese at all.

Not a fan.

Update Review, December 2018

Sprinkle: Birthday cake topped with vanilla buttercream and colorful non pareil sprinkles.

"This cheery birthday cake is loaded with rainbow sprinkles and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. Adorned with crunchy rainbow non-pareils, your only birthday wish will be for many more!"

It has been years since I've reviewed Sprinkles cupcakes, because, well, I never really liked them before.

But I recently attended an event where the only sweet item was mini Sprinkles cupcakes, and they had a flavor I never tried before, so, I gave them a try.  I went for the most exciting flavor: sprinkle!

I pulled off the garnish on top, and, uh, I really loved it.  Yes, just printed on fondant, but it was sweet, crispy, and, well, totally what I wanted it seems.

This was a good sign?

The frosting was quite sweet, and I think I liked it.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't particularly good.  I mean, it was sweet, and there was lots of it, so, that was good?  I think I was indifferent to the frosting.  I did love the crunchy non-pareils on top.

Sprinkle: Inside.

The cake was "birthday cake", so, funfetti style, little pops of rainbow color throughout but no flavor from the colors, no texture difference either.  The cake had a decent crumb to it, but I didn't care for the flavor, it tasted slightly stale to me.

So, overall ... yeah, still not into these cupcakes.  Nothing *wrong* with it, but really not a particularly good cupcake.

Original Review, February 2015

I love desserts, you know this.  But cupcakes are rarely near the top of my list.  Even during the height of the cupcake craze, they never did it for me.  Believe me, I tried, but all the top places on Yelp in the area failed me, like Sibby's Cupcakery, Cup and Cake's Bakery, Cako, or Delessio.

Sprinkles was one of the originators of that craze, credited with being one of the first cupcake bakeries in the US, and certainly the first on the West Coast.  It took a while for them to reach the Bay Area, and even though the general cupcake fad had passed, I remember people being very excited for the Palo Alto location opening.   They even make cupcake ATMs.  I figured if any cupcakes were going to be good, these would be it.

Spoiler: I didn't like them.  The cake was always too dry, and the cupcakes were all homogenous throughout, lacking the moist interior and crispy exterior I prefer.  The frostings were all too sweet, and there was too much applied.

I won't be trying more.

Salty Caramel.

"These fleur de sel granules are a delightful complement to the sweet, buttery caramel which flavors both the cake and frosting."

I didn't care for the cake at all.  It was fairly dry, and I really didn't taste caramel.

The frosting was super sweet, I guess caramely, and it seemed a bit cream cheesy.  The salt crystals on top were really good however, and complemented the sweet well.

[ Subsequent review: I again found the cake really dry and uninteresting.  The frosting however was nicely sweet, and I certainly detected cream cheese in it.  The edible decoration was also tasty. ]

Red Velvet.

"Southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting."

This is their signature flavor, made with Callebaut chocolate.  Also available in gluten-free or sugar free, although, if you want a gluten-free cupcake, I recommend the vanilla ones from Kara's Cupcakes.

I'm never a big fan of red velvet.  This was no exception.  It had a decent chocolate flavor to it, but way too much sweet cream cheese icing.  Meh.  My least favorite of the flavors I tried.

Strawberry.

"This juicy cupcake is made with ripe, succulent strawberries pureed into both its cake and frosting."

This sounded promising.

But ... the cake was still a dry, consistent style that I don't really like, and it didn't have any flavor.   Where were the strawberries pureed in it?

The frosting was really lovely however, with a strong strawberry flavor, although still a bit too sweet.  The strawberry flavor in the icing was very ... fruit forward!

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A Yogurt Cow, Sydney

Another day, another new yogurt drink shop popping up in Sydney.  And of course I wanted to try as many as possible, as I'm very into the fad.

Setting

A Yogurt Cow is pretty new, right in Haymarket on the main drag.

Ordering Counter.

When you enter A Yogurt Cow, it looks like every other tea/yogurt/boba drink shop: ordering counter, displays with photos of signature drinks, promos for special new items.

Decorated Side.

One side of the shop looks reasonably nice, with backlit shelving.

Uh, Seating?

The other side is entirely vacant.  I imagine this is where some seating or a counter will go?  There is absolutely no where to enjoy your treat or even really linger for a moment to take your Instagram photo.

Uh ... work in progress?

And then the final section, milk crates and a dolly.

They have been open a few months ...

Drinks

Menu.

The menu is broken down into 3 sections, all featuring yogurt, as this is a yogurt-only shop, not a general bubble tea venue that has expanded into yogurt drinks.  Multi-grain, Fruit Smoothies, and Yogurt Frappes are your choices.  The first two are blended drinks, and I think both use the same yogurt base, one series just mixes in grains (purple rice, oats) with things like jujube, and the other is fruit based (pineapple, strawberry, passion fruit, etc) and have whipped cream on top.

I asked what the Yogurt Frappes were, and was told they are bowls of frozen yogurt with nuts and fruit toppings (this ... is not a frappe?).  I'm not sure if they use soft or hard serve yogurt, I didn't see a soft serve machine.

No additional list of toppings, or customization to any, but I imagine you could ask?

Mango Yogurt Smoothie.

I was there because I was craving two things: yogurt and mango.  Thus, mango yogurt smoothie it was.  No customization offered (I did ask for less sweet though) and no mix-ins (they don't have boba or anything actually).  It came by default with whipped cream (no cheese foam here).  It was described as "yogurt whipped cream".

It ... was just a smoothie.  A healthy style drink, appropriate for after the gym or something, although I guess it had the whip on top.  Very very blended, smooth, thinner style than others. 

Sweet even though I got less sweet. Very, very little mango flavor.  No mango chunks.  Just ... a smoothie.

The whipped cream on top was yogurt whipped cream, which, when I tried it with the smoothie just tasted like regular whipped cream, but later I had more and it did have some yogurt flavor to it.  It was fine.

Overall, this was clearly not the item for me.  I didn't want a very blended yogurt smoothie - I wanted drinking yogurt, thicker, richer, more interesting, and I wanted to taste mango.

I ended up throwing most of it out and heading elsewhere.

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Lotus, Barangaroo

Sydney has a lot of excellent food, as you know from all my posts on the dining scene, chronicled here.  Strengths are in the Thai and Asian food in particular, with close proximity, the ability to source ingredients, and a lot of local talent, that just blows away their counterparts in the US where I live.  So when I'm in Sydney, rather than explore high end fine dining (which Sydney has too of course), I generally opt for more casual places that highlight the strengths of the city.

On this visit though, I went mid-range, but, in a non-traditional way.

Let me explain.

Lotus Barangaroo is a member of the Lotus Dining Group, which has a number of well known establishments in town (many under the Lotus brand, but also Madame Changhai, Bund, and Bings).  It is the newest, and one of the anchor tenants along the harbor in the new Barangaroo renewal project.

Seating.

The space is beautiful, with considerably (covered) outdoor dining, along with inside spaces.  It has an elegant yet casual vibe to it, which matches the free flowing, well light, bright space.

Open for lunch and dinner, my visit was evening during the week.

However, I did not choose to dine in, rather, I opted to just get takeout.  I was on business travel, had a lot to do that night for work, and was solo, but really just wanted something delicious.  I knew I could get quality takeout, stopping there on my way from the office to the hotel, and either stop to dine along the harbourfront, or just walk the few blocks to my hotel.  I knew it would stuffer slightly, particularly in the aesthetics and plating, but I was optimistic that I could eat quickly after getting it.

My plan worked out very well logistically: I placed my order at the host stand, it took barely 10 minutes, during which time I took a quick stroll around the block, found an amazing spot to sit right along the water a few feet away.  My food was nicely packaged, I was able to eat and be on my way to hotel all within 30 minutes of arriving.  And it was clearly significantly better than traditional fast-dine options.

Menu.

"Lotus Barangaroo offers live fish and seafood in addition to the main menu. Our dumpling master Benny will create dumplings using produce that is native to the local land and sea."

Yup, this is why I was excited about Lotus.  Dumplings and seafood.  Yes!

The food menu is extensive, full of dumplings, other starters, seafood/poultry& pork/beef & lamb main dishes, rice and noodle dishes, vegetarian mains and sides, and of course, desserts.  The price point is on the higher side for the atmosphere, but that is due to the quality of the seafood used, and, the labor intensive process of much of the menu.

I narrowed my choices down to just two items: one kind of dumpling, and one seafood item.  The dumplings were an easy enough choice, although I had many options for dumplings (10 kinds, ranging from steamed to fried, veggie, seafood, poultry, etc), I was there in particular for one kind of dumpling I had read great things about: squid ink dumplings loaded with seafood.  Oh yes.

The other dish though was hard to choose.  I almost just opted for small plates; they had fun starters like an ice plant salad, a lovely looked smoked salmon salad, salt and pepper calamari (always a favorite), and, the other dish I thought I'd get, grilled octopus with sambal.  I adore octopus, and when I set out to Lotus, this is the dish I planned to get.  But ... I was looking through their Intagram on the way, and a few other dishes jumped out.  The seafood lineup is strong, with lobster, snow crab, and mud crab served in whatever style you prefer (work fried with XO, or chilli and black bean, or ginger in salat, or done salt & pepper style), but those all require 24 hour advance notice.  The pipis menu doesn't require advance notice, and I almost went for them, just because they are such a thing in Sydney.  But I decided to go for another more uniquely regional dish: Moreton Bay bugs!  They just looked so good on Instagram, and, I already did have pipis on this trip a few days prior.

Squid ink, blue swimmer crab and scallop dumplings. $24.

.

I couldn't wait to dig into my dumplings.  I read great things about these.  I was so excited for them. I adore crab, scallop, and squid ink.  I had been craving dumplings and spicy sauce all week.  People say these are some of the best dumplings they've ever had.

I ... well, didn't care for them.

The wrappers did have squid ink flavor to them, but were otherwise just ... bland.  I can't say they were too thick, nor too thin, nor dried out, nor anything in particular wrong with them, but ... I just wasn't into them, which really surprised me.

But the inside is what made me sad.  Crab and scallops, I should have loved this!  They were generously stuffed with seafood.  No fillers.  But ... the seafood was mushy.  Like it was overcooked? So mushy.  I tried all 4 dumplings, but each one was mushy inside.  There were also shells in my filling.

I was pretty sad that I didn't like these, and the sauce provided was just very spicy chili sauce.  I wanted some soy or vinegar to mix in (which I'd have at restaurant I think?).

At $24, this was a bit of a pricey disappointment.

Wok fried Moreton Bay bugs with black pepper butter and cavolo nero. $44.

And then my main dish, the one that totally randomly drew me in.  Of course, I've had Moreton Bay bugs before (even in the Qantas First class lounge!), so this wasn't novel to me, but it was the sauce, and the base, that in the photo I saw online just looked so very good.

Of course the plating suffered for takeout, and I expected that.  I can't say it *looked* tasty when handed over, just a blob of brown, with way too much cilantro on top.

It ... was ok.  A mixed success.  A hot wok fried dish, plenty of seafood, the portion of bugs was quite generous (which, as a $44 main dish, it should be).

The Moreton Bay bugs were a bit soft, almost over cooked it seemed, much like the dumplings.  They were battered slightly, but were soggy since submerged in sauce.  

The sauce was fascinating, "black pepper butter" says the menu.  It was rich, thick, spicy, and really quite interesting. I'm sure crazy unhealthy, but it was tasty, particularly with the greens.

However, the kale was literally just two pieces in the base, that soaked up tons of sauce.  The kale was *delicious* and I really wanted more.  Juicy greens in that sauce is a definite winning combo.  

On top was a tiny bit of pork floss, saffron, and cilantro (meh cilantro!).

Overall, this was so much seafood, expensive seafood, but I wasn't particularly impressed with the experience of eating it.  I ate it because it was expensive, and I wanted protein, but ... yeah, meh to the seafood.  That said, I used some leftover sauce the next day with a sweet asian bun, and that was a nice combination.

I wouldn't get this again, nor really return to Lotus.

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