One lump, or two?

It’s a funny thing, this relationship between the French and Japanese. Their cultures and aesthetics are quite different, but there’s a mutual admiration. There’s an equal love for all things refined and fancy. A higher degree of precision and a shared devotion to details. Pierre Hermé and Jean-Paul Hévin launched their careers in Tokyo. Sadaharu Aoki rocks the éclair and croissant in Paris. Franco-Japanese mélanges totally work.

So it makes perfect sense that there is a Japanese company with a French name that’s soon to be found in New York: Chambre de Sucre.

They’ve taken the humble little sugar cube and turned it into a work of art.

Did you know the French invented the sugar cube? C’est vrai.

And Chambre de Sucre has created little bits of artistry…


… made to charm…

… before they magically disappear in a fine cup of tea.

Oh cruel day of missing City Bakery

Lemon, chili pepper, ginger and even cinnamon… I can accept that I’ve missed the first few days and flavors of City Bakery’s annual hot chocolate festival.

But missing today’s flavor? Banana peel? It’s like gently dying somewhere deep inside.

Chocolate chip cookie hunting

After my dalliances with Momofuku’s day old cookies, Max Brenner’s double-chocolate chip cookie, and my own mom’s white chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, I figured why stop now? Might as well cram as many chocolate chip cookies as I can in my maw while I’m here in New York as I can. God knows, there’s a sweets shortage in Paris.

So it was that I found myself giving into the big, buttery chocolate chunk with walnut cookie at Dishes in Grand Central Station.

I’ve always loved Dishes’ savory salads. But I had never seen their arresting cookie selection. They have chocolate chunk cookies, with or without walnuts. There’s a classic oatmeal raisin, along with an oatmeal-hazelnut-chocolate chunk cookie (next time…). The gluten-free dark chocolate cookie also seemed a delicious option. But I thought a nice chocolate chunk with nuts would hit the spot.


In the grand scheme of chocolate chip cookies, this one would never move the earth but it was decent. It tasted similar to the Tollhouse recipe, and the walnuts—though I’m not usually a nuts in my baked goods kind of girl—were especially delicious. It could have used a minute or two less baking in the oven to give it extra doughiness.

Then again, I could have done with a half a cookie less—especially if I’m going to keep up this pace.

Double chocolate is double joy

When one of your favorite pastry chefs insists that you try a cookie, you try a cookie. That’s how I found myself with a 10-ounce “very dark and full of chocolate chunks” cookie from Max Brenner in my hand.

Pichet Ong, pastry chef of the once-was, soon-to-be-again delicious bakery Batch, is currently revamping the dessert menu for the international chocolate chain. After a much-too-healthy lunch together, he kept insisting that I try a dessert. I was honestly stuffed and kept demurely declining, but on the way out, I was finally persuaded (Shocking, I know). I opted the double chocolate chip cookie, and it was nothing short of heaven.

It was as rich and chocolaty as you’d expect. But the texture—at turns melty and crunchy—was better than I ever could have hoped for. Lots of chocolate chunks, indeed.

Luckily I had Alex’s help to power through this beast. It’s a beautiful cookie, but a bit much for one belly, no matter how well versed in rich chocolate it is.