Cafe Mokxa

We started our honeymoon in Lyon where we walked this well known gastronomic city from top to bottom.  While wandering around one of the more artsier parts of the city, we found an adorable cafe in Lyon, France called Cafe Mokxa.

It was profiled on Beanhunter as the best cup of coffee in the city and you know what?  It is the best cup of coffee in the city because it is run by an Australian couple who gets coffee, roasting and brewing.  None of this espresso based, bitter, overly roasted stuff.  Cafe Mokxa is putting a bit of love and flavour back into Lyon’s undrinkable brews.

You know the cafe is going to be good when it carries a wide array of v60s, siphons, french presses and grinders.  Not to mention some delicious looking cookies, carrot cake and lots of coffee!

If you should find yourself in Lyon and did not bring your own grinder and beans on your travels, don’t worry, there is a spot in the city where you can breathe in sweet coffee aromas and give a sigh of relief.

Creme Caramel LA

Monday!  How did you arrive so fast? I have been entertaining for two weekends straight.  I love having guests come to visit me in Prague because I get to spend quality time with people I don’t often see.  It gives me a good excuse to cook, and menu plan and bake.  While thinking about things to make… I stumbled upon Creme Caramel LA, a tab I’ve had open on my browser for one week!

I don’t know why, but creme caramel and bread pudding are two polarized desserts when it comes to people’s opinions.  People either love it or hate it.   While both have a “mushy” texture, to me, bread pudding has more substance than creme caramel and for that reason I am quick to pass over a custardy-cream dessert when I am presented with the choice.  I much prefer bread pudding to creme caramel.

Creme caramel is not so unusual and often pops up on restaurant menus from time to time.  Bread pudding, on the other hand, is not so easy to find.  My first taste of bread pudding occurred in London at Ottolenghi in 2010.  I was in love with this new dessert. What’s not to like about a sweet, sticky, warm bread like dessert? Sold!

I typically associate both desserts with winter, so don’t ask me what got me searching for creme caramel or how I discovered Creme Caramel LA, but I am glad I did.  Creme Caramel LA is a Los Angeles based dessert company who is “cutting through the clutter” of all the cupcakes and fro-yo that seems to be saturating the market.  Why not do two thing very well?!  I love it.

Photo Source: Creme Caramel LA Blog

I have not tried any of Creme Caramel’s products as I my location puts me slightly out of reach of the farmers markets and festivals they sell at but they are on my list!

If you are into either dessert, you can find the traditional flavours of creme caramel and bread pudding from Creme Caramel LA, but its their progressive and interesting flavour combinations that piqued my curiosity.  Just take a gander…..

Creme caramel: Green Tea White Chocolate, Ube (Purple Yam), Buko Pandan (Young Coconut Pandan), Thai Tea, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Lemon Blueberry, Rootbeer Float, and Mint Chocolate

Bread pudding: Pumpkin White Chocolate, White Chocolate Cookie Butter, Apple Cobbler, Crackberry (Blackberries (when in season) & White Chocolate), Upside Down Pineapple, Chocolate Caramel Cup and Caramel Bacon (YES BACON!).

This is serious dessert we are talking about!  Sadly, I am also out of their shipping boundaries (only US) but next time I am in California, I am finding their market and treating myself to a bread pudding.  Sorry, I’m still not a creme caramel convert.

For more information on where to find Creme Caramel LA, check out their blog, Google Map, FB page or Twitter feed.

Other People Talking about Creme Caramel LA

1. gas.tron.o.my Creme Caramel LA

2. Let Me Eat Cake Creme Caramel LA- A Love Story

3. Diana Takes a Bite: Creme Caramel Feeding my Bread Pudding Addiction

Eco Olive Oil Factory

I am back from my honeymoon and in the process of playing catch up and getting back into the swing of schedules and work.

I thought I would write a quick post to say hello.  While travelling through France and Spain, I consumed olive oil daily.  It was wonderful.  I ate it on salads, on fish, with bread and cheese and even took some sips straight up at a tasting bar.  So it is only appropriate to share a photo related to olive oil.  Here it is: An eco olive oil factory located in Chile which is quite impressive from an architectural standpoint.

Believe it or not, I have visited my fair share of factories and industrial properties both in Canada and in China and I don’t recall any of the factories I visited looking like Guillermo Hevia’s design for the Almazara Olisur Olive Oil factory in Santiago, Chile.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Is this what happens when architects get involved in industrial real estate spaces? Why don’t all factories look like this?

Happy Birthday

This is a special post to wish my husband a happy birthday today!

Photo Source: Sweetapolita

(I wish she was making a cake for him today!)

We are celebrating in Barcelona instead.

Architruc + Baltaz’art

Architruc and Baltaz’art is a very cool design store with two locations in Beziers, France.  While staying in the Languedoc region for three nights, it was recommended that we visit Beziers to dine at le Chameau Ivre, a local wine bar/store/tapas hot spot that sells and samples wines from up and coming vintners in the region.  After a lunch of salmon tartar with basil, olive oil and lemon juice and mackerel in some sort of delicious creamy sauce, we decided to take a tour of the neighbourhood and walk off lunch.

With no map, we randomly wandered up and down streets in this interesting city and stumbled across a design oasis on some street.  I didn’t realise I accidentally visited both of Architruc + Baltaz’art’s locations which are in the same neighbourhood but I am happy I did as the larger location would make any contemporary design/home design/decorator weak in the wallet.

Their second location is the larger of the two- it almost looks like a design compound with a patio and a courtyard and several rooms/buildings attached together.  Architruc + Balthaz’art carries contemporary home pieces and sculptural conversation pieces for the home from brands such as Bloom, Fermob, Alessi, Hay, Kartell, Tivoli and Parrot to name a few.

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

On a side note, it looked like at one point, Beziers was an architectural stunner.  Today, there is a lot of vacant, crumbling real estate, however there are pockets of revitalization that seems promising.  More pictures of Beziers in the next couple of weeks.