Francois Payard Bakery 09-30-2010

Location: 116 W. Houston St.

Feelings: I feel like Japanese Cinderella. No one is offering me glass shoes or making me clean their house, but I do feel Cinderella's stress of running home before her carriage turns to a pumpkin. If I don't make it to CK's daycare by 6pm, not even a minute late, I will be hit with quite a steep late charge. My life of after work shopping is over. Needless to say, even after I found out about my favorite Payard's downtown location opening, there was no way for me to make a detour after work.

Conveniently, RB works in Soho, so he was able to pick us up some roll cakes. He mentioned that their service was confusing, but that might be due to their recent opening. We shared three flavors: Chocolate Tofu, Orange Blossom, and Raspberry Chocolate ($4 each). There was complete silence while we took bites from each flavor. They were all light with subtle flavor to give you a sweet and speechless satisfaction.

The Chocolate Tofu was the most unusual of all with its gentle nuttiness from the tofu. Most tofu desserts tend to hide the flavor of tofu, but this cake does not shy away from it at all. It really embraces the nutty flavor. The fruit flavors from both Orange Blossom and Raspberry Chocolate were quite subtle without being too tangy or sweet. I might like them to be a bit tangier to produce the contrast from the creaminess. The overall subtlety from the cakes actually made me think, concentrate and get in tuned with my taste buds. These are truly "smart" desserts.

Perhaps I may be able to actually visit the bakery on weekends, but as for now, my prince charming, RB will bring the cakes to this Japanese Cinderella on the run.