Matt's - The Chocolate Shop

Okay, let’s talk about minimalism for a second. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for minimalism. I am not a tchotchke kind of gal. That said, minimalist desserts don’t come up that often on this site. I’m not sure why. Maybe because minimalist sweets aren’t as showy, aren’t as “oh, wow,” that I wonder if people will be interested. Well, the minimalism freeze is about the thaw out right now because I am in love with the design concept of Matt’s - The Chocolate Shop! The brown and navy packaging was created by design firm Tofu and features a graphic yet simple theme, while the shop’s interior is sparsely decorated with a clean, contemporary feel. But it’s not only Matt’s branding and style that is pared down to the bone. The menu itself is an effort in simplicity, focusing on one modest chocolate fudge cake. Actually, when the shop first opened in Singapore they only sold chocolate cake. I totally love the idea of a bakery selling only one item. They have added a few things to the menu since their opening in the summer of 2012, but the focus is still on the dark, not too sweet, chocolate cake, as it should be.

Henteco Cookies

Do the Japanese have cute down to science or what? I can't get over how adorable these cookies are. It's crazy!! They would make great stocking stuffers or party favors for a child's birthday. Unfortunately, for me at least, they're only available in Japan, at a bakery called Henteco, which, as far as I can tell, means "quirky" in Japanese. Please let me know if that's not correct! If you live in Shinagawa in Tokyo, I would recommend heading right over there immediately to see these in person! For the rest of you, you can click here to check out the cookies in more detail. ~Erin

You can find more Henteco pics after the jump.

Giga Pudding

If you were to ask me, Hey, Erin, what is Giga Pudding, exactly? I would not be able to give you an answer. Apparently, it is a type of pudding. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket and wobbles a lot. Quite frankly, Giga Pudding reminds me more of a toy, than something that is meant to be consumed, which is not surprising given that it's manufactured by a Japanese toy company. It's a food toy, not unlike the Easy Bake Oven of my youth, and I can see how it would appeal to kids. On the other hand, unlike the Easy Bake Oven, Giga Pudding seems to be marketed to adults as well as children, as you can see in this hilarious commercial. I will probably never actually eat Giga Pudding, unless it's on a dare, but I can watch this commercial over and over again. I do quite enjoy watching things wobble. To visit the Giga Pudding website, click here.

Godiva, Tokyo

When I first caught a glimpse of this Godiva store in Tokyo, I was completely awestruck. In this incredible chocolate shop, designed by the Japanese interior design firm, Wonderwall, chocolate covers the walls and drips from melting ceilings, making it like no other Godiva store that I've seen before. It's whimsical and funny and creepy all at the same time! Not bad creepy, but, you know, a sort of Hansel and Gretel creepy, in that you want to eat the walls, but you feel like they might attack you at some point! :-) To learn more about this strange and wonderful store, click here.

Ice Cream Crepes

One final, end of summer item from my Japanese dessert adventure: Ice cream crepes. It's ice cream, but it's a crepe, so it requires chewing. Kinda like an ice cream sandwich, I suppose. Not fun for people with teeth sensitivity, but I don't have that problem, so I'd give it a shot! If you're in San Francisco, you can get crepe ice cream at Genki Crepes and Sophie's Crepes. Otherwise, look for them at Japanese restaurants and markets. [Top photo by Brian.]

Mochi Ice Cream

Well, I'm still riding the Asian flavors train, after discovering a bunch of new desserts during research for my Wasabi ice cream post. Next stop: mochi ice cream.

This Japanese treat is about the size of a golfball and is basically ice cream covered in a dough-like shell, which is made out of rice flour. Flavors range from the familiar: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry to the slightly more unusual: green tea and red bean paste. I have a thing for geometric shapes, so I'm loving the simplicity of the shapes and the idea of having your very own little ball of ice cream to call your own.

In the states, you can find mochi ice cream at Trader Joe's, Pinkberry, Red Mango, Bubbies in Hawaii, and Mikawaya in Los Angeles, which also sells mochi ice cream on it's Web site. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own mochi, click here for a recipe, courtesy of the Web site Japanese Ice Cream. Oh, and don't confuse mochi ice cream with regular mochi, which are filled with substances that are not ice cream. Regular mochi is probably tasty as well . . . but not ice cream! :-)

Photo credits: (top to bottom) Patti, B.ill

Wasabi Ice Cream and Other Asian Ice Cream Diversions

Recently, at a housewarming party that I attended, a discussion about wacky ice cream flavors arose. I quickly mentioned the Curry ice cream from Vosges, while someone else told the tale of eating wasabi ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Wasabi ice cream? At Cold Stone? I couldn't find any mention of it on Cold Stone's Web site, although I did find evidence of it's existence at one time, but it did start me wondering . . . is Wasabi ice cream available elsewhere?? I thought I'd do some Web surfing to find out!

Apparently, Wasabi ice cream is quite common in Japan, where, according to this Web site, you can also buy ice creams flavored with lots of yummy ingrdients, like chicken wings, eel, and octopus! The "yummy" part was sarcasm, in case you didn't catch that. I also discovered photographic evidence for Japanese snake, garlic, and salt ice cream. (I'd pass on the snake, but the garlic and salt flavors might actually be pretty good!)

Next stop on my Wasabi hunt was the Web site for il Laboratorio del Gelato in New York. They do indeed carry Wasabi gelato, along with LOTS of other new and unexpected flavors like Guinness and cheddar cheese. You can also find curry and wasabi flavors at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, which is in NY as well.

For those of you who prefer making things yourself, check out Anthony Bombaci's recipe for wasabi ice cream, right here.

I'll stop at this point, but I found lots of other interesting asian ice cream treats during my search! More to come . . . soon!

[wasabi ice cream image: Katherine Moon; wasabi sign: Andrew Martin; salt ice cream: piki hiki biki; snake ice cream: kaige]

Donuts Get a Facelift

As most of you have probably heard by now, donuts are the new cupcakes, at least that's what trend watchers claim. Yep, you heard it right. Donuts want to be this year's homecoming queen and they're pushing hard to get your vote. The television show 30 Rock even had a joke on a recent episode about letting tourists know that donuts have taken over for cupcakes as the new hip dessert! Personally, I don't know if donuts will ever be able to truly steal cupcake's crown, but I'm excited to see them try! Because, at the end of the day, a new food trend means that bakers are going to be experimenting with interesting flavors and developing unique ideas. For example, you can go to Dee's Mini Organic Donoughts in California and get an organic, whole wheat donut that is completly free of trans fats or you can go to Voodoo Doughnut in Portland and get a maple donut covered with bacon. There are just so many options!
My vote for prettiest donuts has to go to Big Apple Donuts, which is, uhhh, not located in New York. In fact, you can't even buy them in North America! Big Apple only has stores in Asia, which is not really surprising because all the prettiest pastries come from Asia.

cuppacakes by +wondermilk

These gorgeous cupcakes are from Malaysia-based bakery cuppacakes by +wondermilk. There are so many beautiful cupcakes on their Web site that I had a hard time choosing which two to post! The fact that these cupcakes are so pleasing to the eye is not really surprising when you consider that the bakers behind cuppacakes are all trained graphic designers! Cuppacakes by +wondermilk is actually a design consultancy, a cupcake shop, and an art collective all in one! Unfortunately, the cuppacakes cafe is in Malaysia, so I don't think I'll be sampling these any time soon. If you live in Malaysia, check out their adorable store. Or, if you don't feel like leaving the house, call their cupcake delivery service! To view more of cuppacakes by +wondermilk's lovely creations, visit their Web site and click on the design gallery.