The Little Chef Pastry Shop, Princeton

Last post on our one day whirl-wind visit in town is reserved for this little patisserie I love so much - The Little Chef Pastry Shop. Let's just say I used to lurk around here all the time, as the shop sells out very quickly. Usually, by 2p.m. you'll have nothing left to choose from and that's that, which is particular hard on me since, well, I sleep in till noon on the weekends :P It's just as they say, you snooze you lose.

***Picture from yummyinthetummyblog's flickr.

The Bent Spoon, Princeton

Another must try in town is The Bent Spoon, an artisan ice cream shop that churns out some really quirky seasonal flavors such as Earl Gray, Olive Oil, Lavender, and Balsamic Vinegar, etc. These sounds wacky, but are in fact quite yummy if you would look past what their names suggest ^.^ Also, another neat thing is that they don't usually repeat seasonal flavors every year. 

My one and only favorite ice cream flavor is a fall/winter Maple Walnut, which was offered only twice during our 4 years there. It was some of the best ice cream flavor I've ever had! The ice cream itself was light, almost like a sorbet but was still creamy and delicious! Best of all, it wasn't too sugary sweet at all with bits of crunchy walnuts mixed in.

All that said, what I like even more than their ice cream was their cup cakes, the mini ones. The cake is moist, and you can taste the butter in both the cake and the frosting, sweet with a pinch of salt. Of course they're crazily fattening, which is why I never ever get the regular size. The mini ones are perfectly portioned in my opinion, each last me about 2-3 bites (hubby just pops the whole thing in his mouth ^.^'), leaving me wanting more instead of being all buttered and sugared out. 

Thomas Sweet Chocolates, Princeton

After getting my fill of the delicious Cuban Panini at Tico's, it was gift shopping time. Yes, it costs to travel, and not just because of the travel cost, although still nowhere as costly as Japan where an entire industry is built on gifts and souvenirs (omiyage).

One tried and true gift from town is chocolates from Thomas Sweet. It's hard to go wrong with any chocolate to begin with, but handcraft gourmet chocolates? Yes, please!

Tico's Eatery & Juice Bar, Princeton

Another must-have for me when in town is big cup of fresh squeezed juice and a Cuban Panini from Tico's Eatery & Juice Bar. This well hidden little gem is, well, hidden, as in it's not pretentious, flashy, or even jump out at you in any way. In fact, it blends right in with the blah offices in the same complex so you'd have to pay attention. But step inside and you'll get a cozy little deli that will give you ambrosia in a cup and heaven in a panini. 

Szechuan House

Szechuan House (2022 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Township, New Jersey, 08619, 609-890-7600) is the best Sichuan restaurant hubby and I have eaten at to date, period. We were introduced to this place by hubby's colleagues, who got her recommendation from the "connection," that is, the Chinese international student association ^.^' Yep, they know where all the good stuffs are, and boy this place was fantastic, so good no other Sichuan venue has measured up to it so far. Moving away after 4 years in New Jersey, this place was definitely among the top cravings for me T.T So when hubby and I was in town for a 1 day whirlwind visit, we had dinner here on our first night. And it was just as delicious as I remember it, which only makes me miss it more :(

The below are actually old pictures from the very first time hubby and I ate there. I did take pictures on our most recent visit, but they didn't turn out very well because the lighting was too dim and silly me didn't use flash.

Patisserie Chou Chou

What do you do when there's a French patisserie right around the corner of your house, as in, 4 minutes walk away?

The college girls fear the freshman-15, I fear the foreigner-20. Can you blame me?

You would never guess that behind the door of the quaint little Patisserie Chou Chou is a tall and stern-looking Japanese man in his chef uniform. But don't let his mask scare you. Evidently, he's a sweet, sweet man ^.^

The first time when hubby brought home some Chou Chou sweets for me, we both gobbled them all up before I could take a picture. This time, I was able to stop myself to take a photo :) Check out this Japanese review site for even more pictures, including a photo of the store front, which I was reluctant to snap. These are not the best little cakes I've had (and the Japanese review site agrees with me!), but for a mere 4 minutes walk, they'll certainly hold me over for a while. I must note that I do appreciate very much the fact that Chou Chou's pastries are on the light side and are not overly sweet at all!

Clockwise from top:

- Coffee eclair

- Pistachio mousse cake

- Strawberry mousse cake

- Cream puff

Taped to the left side of the box is a mini icepack, just to keep the sweets chilled in the melty Japanese summer.

And where have I had the best little cakes?

I have had the best coffee and chocolate eclairs as well as different flavor napoleons (original, pistachio, strawberry, raspberry, etc.) at The Little Chef Pastry Shop, but his cakes and tarts are a bit too sweet for my taste.

Chez Alice has the most delicious red velvet cake. Ever. I generally love their cakes, but overall my experience with Chez Alice was marred by 2 incidents in which they sold me moldy cakes. As in, I bought the cakes, brought them home, ate a slice, thought it tasted funny, dumped the slice into the trash bin only to see medallions of green and white fuzzy mold at the bottom of the slice, dumped the whole cake into the trash bin and saw the same on the rest of the cake. Yep, not once, but twice. I stopped buying their cakes unless it was a special order and made fresh.

I think my favorite cake shop would have to be Andre's Confiserie Suisse. I learned of them several years back when my cousin, J., had a Mocca Torte cake made there for a special occasion. I became a devoted fan since. Their mini pastries can be a tad on the sweet side, their Mocca Torte, Tiramisu, or just tortes in general, are to die for. Need proof? Here.

Tiramisu Torte

The Mix Torte, for when you can't have just one, like me, with a quarter each of (clockwise from top) Rum, Chocolate, my beloved Mocca, and Pistachio Torte.

A slice I can't have enough of.