Sweet Sin Bakery & Cafe

With all of these delicious meals in Vegas, it was about time we hit up something more dessert-focused.  Well, you can't get much more focused than Sweet Sin Bakery & Cafe located within The Linq Promenade.  I have passed by this place on my previous visit to Vegas in 2022 and was wanting to go inside, but alas, we were so full from eating, it didn't happen.  With an invite to try their wares, this was the perfect situation for myself, Jackie, Roanna and Eileen.

So we got started with a couple of Smoothies including the Tropical and Wildberries.  Consisting of rum, pineapple juice, banana, mango puree and coconut gelato, the tropical definitely tasted like its namesake.  It was creamy and smooth with only a mild rum flavor.  Good balance of sweet and tangy.  As for the wildberries, naturally, it had mixed berries, raspberry puree, strawberry sorbet, cranberry juice and vodka.  This one was more on the tangier side with mild sweetness.  Once again, the vodka was not overpowering in this.

The first thing we tried was also one of our favorites in the Crème Brûlée Crêpe.  This was a made-to-order crêpe that was slipped into a cone, filled with custard and topped with sugar.  Then they torched the whole thing.  The result was a pretty convincing crème brûlée.  Lots of smokiness to go with caramelized sweetness but the concoction was not that sweet.  The crepe itself was soft and light with only the slightest amount of chewiness.

Another fan favorite was the Raspberry-filled Croissant.  One might consider this a novelty, but I assure you, this was one legit croissant.  I've recently been to Paris and this was no slouch.  There was defined layers that shattered upon contact.  It was buttery and had all the right textures.  Inside, there was a wealth of raspberry jelly that was fruity and sweet.  Despite the amount of jelly, it did not negatively impact the texture of the croissant.

The hits kept coming with the Chocolate Éclair and Napoleon.  The dark chocolate glaze on the éclair was smooth, slightly bitter and mildly sweet.  The choux pastry was light and had a slight crispy exterior.  Inside, the filling was creamy while purposefully sweet.  As for the Napoleon, the layers of crisp pastry were fairly light and shattered beautifully.  The pastry cream was rich and just sweet enough.  Loved the pistachio on top of the fresh cream.

If you know me, I tend to like fruity drinks and desserts, so the Strawberry Tart was right up my alley.  Crispy and firm, the tart shell was a textural delight.  On top, the strawberries were ripe and sweet while the fresh cream was light and mildly sweet.  At first, I thought the Cinnamon Roll would be super sugary due to the huge layer of cream cheese icing on top.  However, it wasn't and that was fine by me.  The roll underneath was flaky and buttery.

The most whimsical items were the Macream Cakes coated with a colorful fondant shell and topped with icing, candy and a macaron.  We tried Pretty in Pink and the Unicorn.  Although the cupcake hidden within was moist and delicious, the sweet fondant wasn't my favourite.  After I removed the layer, I quite enjoyed the rest of the cupcake.  For me, I liked the Unicorn more since it had chocolate sponge cake.

One of the under-the-radar items was the Ube Cake Jar.  Well first of all, it was striking with the classic purple color.  Secondly, it had the usual nutty aromatics combined with a muted sweetness.  Cake underneath was moist.  The award for the most ludicrous creation was the Birthday Shake.  Just look at it!  Not only was it a shake, we found marshmallows, macaron and a loaded rice krispy square.  I thought this was super sweet and the rest of the things on top made it a heavy dessert.  Great for kids and people who have a sweet tooth.

As you can see in the shake, they also have Macarons.  In fact, there selection is diverse and colorful.  I thought they were on the sweeter side, but the crisp texture was on point while the inside was soft and chewy.  To complete the dessert selection, we also found Chocolates.  They were pretty with striking designs and colors.  I didn't actually get to try them, but by all reports, they were silky and sweet.  Believe it or not, we had more items than this, but I really don't want to write a novel.  With the items I did blog about, it is obvious that the quality and execution is there.  If your sweet tooth is calling you, then pay Sweet Sin a visit while you are in Vegas.

*All desserts and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Quality items including the legit pastries

- So much choice

- Depending on what you order, not crazy sweet

The Bad:

- It is mostly a take-and-go spot as there are not many seats available

- Wasn't a fan of fondant on the cupcakes

Daan Go

Ever since I dropped by Daan Go before their initial grand opening, I was smitten by their whimsical cakes, treats and macarons.  So much so, I ordered my mom's birthday cake from there!  I believe that they have the right combination of pricing, quality and uniqueness.  Sure, there are higher end places in town that go beyond what Daan Go offers, but they are also very much more expensive.  Recently, I was invited back to try a bunch of new items.  I was so excited that I ended up purchasing even more to make this a real haul!

So let's get to something new with their Ice Cream.  Yes, they have ice cream in several flavours including Rich Matcha, Hong Kong Milk Tea and Mango Passion Fruit.  These were creamy and not icy.  I found it smooth and it was also purposefully sweet.  The matcha was impactful with a mildly bitter finish.  Absolutely loved the milk tea as it tasted like the real thing with strong tea notes and a considerable milky aftertaste.  My favourite was the mango passion fruit because I love fruity things.  This was refreshing and had the natural flavours of the ingredients.

Probably not the most aesthetically-pleasing, the Crème Brûlée featured a puff pastry tube with a sweet custard filling and caramel on the outside.  This ate significantly lighter than it appeared.  The pastry was flaky and had discernible layers while the custard in the middle wasn't heavy and was only lightly sweet.  The caramel on the outside was pretty sweet though.

Something I wanted to try due in part that I had a good version in Montreal was the Choco Chip Kouign-Amann.  Compared to the last item, this was definitely heavier, sweeter and more rich.  Lots of butter and sugar here created a crunchy exterior while the inside was denser with lots of sweet buttery goodness.  The addition of chocolate chips only made this even sweeter with a slight variation of flavour.

Onto one of the most anticipated items (for me at least) was the Salted Egg Yolk Croissant.  This spiral Croissant was tightly wound and had a crunchy exterior.  Inside, there was a considerable amount of salted egg yolk custard that was not as sweet as it looked.  It had a good balance of salty creaminess and some sweetness to balance.  On top, there was an appealing amount of salted egg yolk crumbs.

Along the same lines and style, I had the Coconut Kaya Croissant.  This was quite the pastry as it was heavy and a meal in itself.  The outside was extremely crunchy and shattered with my first bite.  This was filled with coconut jam that made the whole thing appealingly sweet and completely aromatic.  With the sweet topping on the side of the croissant, it added both a different texture as well as more sweetness.

Staying with the same pastry, I also had the Pineapple Pandan shaped like the leaf and in a rich green colour.  Definitely representative of the Pandan leaf.  There was a good crunch to the pastry while the layers were quite evident.  I would've liked it a bit lighter, but this was still quite good.  I got the sweetness of the pineapple and also the floral aromatics of the pandan.

Moving onto something with the same flavour profile but completely different, we had the Pandaan Signature Cake featuring coconut curd, pandan chantilly, roasted pineapple confit and coconut graham base.  The sweet pineapple layer was at the forefront while the sponge was super moist and light.  I thought the pandan was subtle and could've been a bit stronger.  However, this cake was light and ultimately delicious.

So the slice of 24K Gold Mango Cheesecake was quite familiar yet different at the same time.  This was refreshing, especially for a cheesecake.  It was actually light mango cheesecake, so it had all the flavour of such without being as heavy as a brick.  The sponge was light and moist while the addition of mango chunks only amped the mango flavour.  We also had some passionfruit puree in there to add some more tangy sweetness.

Something far more subtle was the Peach Garden with a layer of Osmanthus Jelly on top.  This was fragrant and semi-sweet.  Below that we found cream with both yellow and white peach.  Again, the same soft and moist sponge cake followed while layered with yellow peach mousse.  I found this cake to be very Asian with its mild sweetness and restrained flavours.

Onto those whimsical treats that Daan Go is known for, we had the Tira Meow Su featuring vanilla chiffon 24-hour cold brew, coffee syrup, mascarpone and crema in a Chocolate Cup.  Yes, this was extremely cute and a nice play on words as well.  It also ate quite well too with a creamy texture and a good punch of coffee.  I found this just sweet enough.

Another cute treat was the Carrotail featuring carrot cake, dulce de leche cream, toasted milk Bavarian & pecan crisp.  Sure, the cute bunny was probably enough to win me over, but it really did taste good too.  Loved the cream on the outside as it was rich without being heavy.  However, the crunch from the crisp is what made this dessert.  Nice textural contrast with the rest of the bunny.  It was sweet, but retrained while the carrot came through.  Overall, this wide range of items were good and of course whimsical.  Hence, I think Daan Go offers a good mid-range experience with lots of choices.

 

*Partial comp on this order*

 

The Good:

- Wide range of products

- Cute

- Classic Asian, "not too sweet"

 

The Bad:

- Compared to higher-end spots, maybe not as refined, but then you are not paying high-end prices either  

Kokoro Toyko Mazesoba (Brentwood)

It has been nearly 5 years since I tried the original location of Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba in Downtown Vancouver.  For those who do not know, they specialize in mixed noodles without soup.  Sure, they have ramen on the menu, but that is not their main thing.  Rather, they have a selection of noodles with various toppings.  Once you are finished, they offer you a bowl of rice to sop up the remaining "sauce".  Spoiler alert, we didn't do that this time around.

So to start, we got the large order of the Chicken Karaage served with spicy mayo and tangy mayo.  This came out piping hot and glistening.  Hence, the exterior was uniformly crispy and in certain parts, rather crunchy.  The dark chicken meat was juicy and naturally tender.  We found the chicken to be sufficiently tender but a bit of lemon and the dips helped add more pop.  For me, I enjoyed the spicy mayo more as it added some sweet kick.

We also got the 10-Piece Pork Gyoza, which was served in a cast iron pan (but not the one they prepared it in).  As you can see, there was a nice sear on the bottom and an accompanying skirt too.  The result was a smoky and nutty crunch that wasn't overly greasy.  The dumpling wrapper was fairly thin and al dente.  Inside, the pork filling was mixed with plenty of veg and green onion while being juicy and flavourful.

For myself, I had the Zenbu Mazesoba featuring slow braised pork chashu, spicy minced pork, soft boiled egg, seaweed, bamboo shoot, seaweed flakes, egg yolk, chives, green onion, minced garlic, ground saba, and house-made multi-grain noodle.  Yes, this had everything but the kitchen sink.  The result was a rather fulfilling bowl of noodles that had the meatiness from both types of pork as well as the "green" taste of the chives and green onion.  I had to pick out some of that because it was a lot.  The raw garlic really came through (and lingered) while the ground fish provided brininess.  Noodles were chewy, but in a good way.

For my son, he ordered the Salmon Avocado Mazesoba with spinach, seaweed flakes, ground saba, minced garlic and egg yolk (he omitted the green onions).  His first remark was that it was a bit weird with warm noodles and cold salmon.  Now I've had cold and hot in the same dish before and they do work.  In this case, I was on the fence.  Maybe a completely cold noodle might've been better.  Otherwise, it was good with similar flavours as the Zenbu except no pork and less green-tasting.

For my mom, she had the Mentaiko Cream Mazesoba with slow braised pork chashu, seaweed flakes, green onion, minced garlic, ground saba, spinach, egg yolk and mentaiko.  Naturally, this was a briny-tasting concoction while creamy (just as its name suggests).  Noodles were al dente and ate much like a mentaiko udon except with some meatiness from the pork.

My dad wasn't very hungry so he got a Mince Bowl which was essentially rice with spicy minced pork with an egg yolk and green onions.  This ate very similarly to the Taiwanese dish Lo Rou Fan except without pork belly.  This had a good spice and meatiness while the egg yolk added a creamy silkiness.  The rice itself was not too soft or wet, so it was the right vessel for mixing with the minced pork.

My daughter had exactly what she had last time in the Tomato Tonkotsu Ramen with slow- braised pork chashu, ramen egg, green onion, garlic, baby corn, dried red pepper, bamboo shoot, bell pepper, kabocha, cherry tomato and black fungus.  Yes, the list of ingredients make it sound like a lot, but it was only like one piece of each.  The broth was thick and creamy with good tomato essence.  The thin noodle remained al dente even though it sat in the broth for awhile.  I think this tastes really good, but the broth is really rich and I don't think I could drink all of it.

Of course we couldn't get out of there without their Hokkaido Creme Cup complete with a plastic shovel.  Actually we wanted the cone, but this is the second strike-out for us as they didn't have it again!  No matter, the creamy and rice ice cream was super milky and delicious.  Sure it was sweet, but in a milky way.  It is a lot more than it looks, best to share with someone, unless you really want it all to yourself.  Overall, the dry noodles at Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba is good, but personally, I prefer classic soup ramen more.  But it is something different and there is many choices to be had.  Love that ice cream though!

The Good:

- A bit different than regular soup ramen

- Excellent service

- That ice cream!

The Bad:

- It looks like a lot, but it really isn't that filling, unless you get the complimentary rice

Feed Your Flock at Douce Diner

Fresh off our meal at Potluck Hawker Eatery and also a pit stop at Popina for some puff cream, Mijune and I were searching for more food.  We settled on North Vancouver, but did not choose a destination.  As we were driving towards 2 potential spots (Orto and Smoke & Bones), we took a quick right turn onto Pemberton off Marine Drive to see if Douce Diner was full or not.  Normally, Douce only offers brunch, but on Friday and Saturday nights, they do a special dinner called "Feed Your Flock" which included fried chicken and all the fixins.  Lucky for us, they had one table left and as a bonus, it was comedy night!

We didn't go overboard and settled on the 2- Pack Feed Your Flock meal that included 5 pieces of chicken.  It was really a half chicken as it had one drumstick, one thigh, one wing and 2 pieces of breast.  This was some pretty solid fried chicken featuring juicy and tender meat (including the breast) that was encased by a super thin, yet crispy batter.  The skin was fairly well-rendered and the meat was mildly seasoned.  I merely dunked the chicken into their fabulous house-made hot sauce (served on the side).

Included in the meal was a choice of 2 sides and Mijune being Mijune, decided to have ALL the sides!   My favourite of the bunch was the Shoestring Fries.  I already knew I would like them since I had them on a previous visit with their messy and delicious burger.  These thin and crispy fries still retained some potato texture in the middle, but really, they were quite crunchy and well-seasoned.  They were best eaten with the side of side of thick buttery gravy on the side.

There are so many different interpretations of Coleslaw and everyone has their preferences.  For me personally, I dislike overly dressed slaw as well as the type that is pulverized to bits (ie. KFC colesalw).  So the one at Douce was right up my alley.  It was a combination of cabbage, red cabbage and carrots that was lightly dressed.  Refreshing side in my opinion, but for some I can see it being underdressed.

Featuring halved new potatoes, the Potato Salad was also a very simple concoction.  It sported perfectly cooked potatoes where they were fork tender while still retaining a firm texture.  Again, this salad wasn't overdressed, so that it didn't eat overly heavy despite being all potato.  It was mildly seasoned, so I actually dunked it into the hot sauce.  I recommend you do the same if you like spice.

The final option for sides was the Marinated Bean Salad that featured black, kidney and navy beans.  They were prepared perfectly being tender and soft while retaining their appearance and structure.  Another mildly-seasoned salad with some acidity.  Although there probably wasn't any in the salad, for some reason I tasted nutmeg. 

Also included with all meals were Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy.  Judging by looks alone, the rise on the biscuits was a clear indication of the buttery and fluffy layers hidden within.  That it was and combined with the crispy and firm exterior, lots of textures at play.  The gravy was pretty solid being buttery and only lightly salty.

Of course Mijune couldn't finish the meal officially until after getting dessert...  So we ended up with the Brûlée Banana Split with pineapple, chocolate and strawberry toppings.  Other than being a delicious banana split, the brûléed banana really elevated the dessert.  With a sweet and smoky hard crunch, it added both texture and another layer of sugary goodness.  Combined with the dessert and the previous meal at Potluck, we didn't finish our fried chicken dinner (yes, to Mijune's dismay...).  It was more than enough food for two (well, we did get all the sides...) and well-prepared.  Good option on the North Shore for eat-in or take-out.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Properly executed fried chicken

- Reasonable-pricing

- That banana split!

The Bad:

- Small diner, so if you don't get a table, you are getting takeout

Tsujiri

There are several things in life that I totally despise.  These include really inconsiderate people and lineups.  Imagine the personal hell of being in a lineup WITH inconsiderate people.  The horror!  Well, that was mostly the reason I skipped visiting Tsujiri when it first opened.  Yes, I know that there are online reservations, but all the good times were usually snapped up pretty quickly. Hence, I completely ignored the place and went about my usual business.  It wasn't until Nora and Joyce suggested we meet there for dinner one night that I finally got to try it out. 

Having designs on dessert after dinner, we decided to eat light (we are not all Mijunes you know...).  This was exemplified by the Nishin Soba featuring cha-soba topped with herring and sitting in a clean broth with bonito flake, kelp, soy sauce and yuzu.  Subtle and refreshing the yuzu was only in the background (unlike the broth at Afuri).  With the herring being cooked in sweet soy, that naturally added some impact to the otherwise mild dish.  Even lighter-tasting, the Ebiten Udon sported a kombu bonito dashi broth with 2 large ebi tempura.  Loved the udon noodles as they were slippery and slightly chewy.  Broth was indeed light, but it was also pleasant and went well with the noodles.  Although half of the ebi tempura was soggy, the rest was crispy with a meaty prawn inside.

The prettiest looking plate was the Salmon Dashi Chazuke featuring tamago, ume, sesame kombu, dashi broth, rice cracker, green onion, wasabi, salmon sashimi and soba roll.  This was fun with all the various things around the perfectly cooked bowl of chewy rice.  When mixed together with the dashi, it was also very pleasant.  Lots of different textures and mild ingredients (except for the wasabi).  Despite having dessert plans after dinner, I had to try something sweet here because it would've been wrong otherwise.  I ended up choosing the O-Matcha Shaved Ice with sweet red bean, mochi and matcha soft-serve.  I thought this was really good even though the ice was a bit too chunky for me.  The ice cream was smooth with a balanced bitterness from the matcha while being just sweet enough.  Classic combination with the red bean.  Overall, I thought the food was fine, albeit not very filling.  It was unfortunate I didn't get to try many more desserts (that's what they are known for).  But I wasn't with Mijune though...

The Good:
- Okay pricing in my opinion at least
- Carefully prepared items
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Portion size wasn't bad per se, but since the dishes were light, it wasn't filling
- Service was decent, but hard to get it when you needed it