Thursday, February 09, 2006
Princess Cake 公主蛋糕
今日係我0既生日 (gam1 yat6 hai6 ngo5 ge3 saang1 yat6) today's my birthday. To celebrate, I went out for dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants--Caffe delle Stelle in Walnut Creek. I ordered gamba d'agnello--roasted leg of lamb stuffed with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and mint, topped with balsamic garlic and served with polenta and fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots). The lamb, which was sliced thick like a steak, had a rich, complex flavor. But what really impressed me was the polenta--creamy with a flavor that reminded me of buttermilk. It's amazing how good a simple dish like polenta can taste when made by a skilled chef.
After dinner, it was time for cake. For a treat, I bought a Swedish princess cake, one of the specialty cakes made by Le Gâteau Elégant (The Elegant Cake). Here's the description from their website:
Rich vanilla genoise with velvety custard and sweet, red raspberry preserves then iced with fresh whipped cream and wrapped in marzipan. A house specialty done in the traditional style!
Although I had had one of these cakes before, I didn't remember the taste very well. The one I got this time was super fresh--light and soft. The thick whipcream and thin marzipan layers were especially tasty.
In the past, I have had the idea that Western-style 蛋糕 (daan2 gou1) cakes and 西餅 (sai1 beng2) pastries made by Chinese bakeries cannot compare with those made here in the U.S. However, the last time I was in HK in 2004, I was amazed just how good the cakes and pastries were. One bakery that especially impressed me was 君蘭餅店 (gwan1 laan4 beng2 dim3) Orchid Padaria, which specializes in Portuguese-style pastries. I became addicted to their 葡撻 (pou4 taat1) Portuguese tarts and 木槺布甸 (muk6 hong1 bou6 din1) sawdust pudding. Another bakery located near the 中央圖書館 (jung1 yeung1 tou4 syu1 gwun2) Central Library on 高士威道 (gou1 si6 wai1 dou6) Causeway Road made unbelievable mango cakes. And then there were the 芋頭酥 (wu6 tau4 sou1) taro pastries from 奇華 (kei4 waa4) Kee Wah Bakery. As soon as I arrive in HK in May, I plan to visit these and other bakeries to try more cakes and pastries. ¶ 9:00 PM
今日係我0既生日 (gam1 yat6 hai6 ngo5 ge3 saang1 yat6) today's my birthday. To celebrate, I went out for dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants--Caffe delle Stelle in Walnut Creek. I ordered gamba d'agnello--roasted leg of lamb stuffed with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and mint, topped with balsamic garlic and served with polenta and fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots). The lamb, which was sliced thick like a steak, had a rich, complex flavor. But what really impressed me was the polenta--creamy with a flavor that reminded me of buttermilk. It's amazing how good a simple dish like polenta can taste when made by a skilled chef.
After dinner, it was time for cake. For a treat, I bought a Swedish princess cake, one of the specialty cakes made by Le Gâteau Elégant (The Elegant Cake). Here's the description from their website:
Rich vanilla genoise with velvety custard and sweet, red raspberry preserves then iced with fresh whipped cream and wrapped in marzipan. A house specialty done in the traditional style!
Although I had had one of these cakes before, I didn't remember the taste very well. The one I got this time was super fresh--light and soft. The thick whipcream and thin marzipan layers were especially tasty.
In the past, I have had the idea that Western-style 蛋糕 (daan2 gou1) cakes and 西餅 (sai1 beng2) pastries made by Chinese bakeries cannot compare with those made here in the U.S. However, the last time I was in HK in 2004, I was amazed just how good the cakes and pastries were. One bakery that especially impressed me was 君蘭餅店 (gwan1 laan4 beng2 dim3) Orchid Padaria, which specializes in Portuguese-style pastries. I became addicted to their 葡撻 (pou4 taat1) Portuguese tarts and 木槺布甸 (muk6 hong1 bou6 din1) sawdust pudding. Another bakery located near the 中央圖書館 (jung1 yeung1 tou4 syu1 gwun2) Central Library on 高士威道 (gou1 si6 wai1 dou6) Causeway Road made unbelievable mango cakes. And then there were the 芋頭酥 (wu6 tau4 sou1) taro pastries from 奇華 (kei4 waa4) Kee Wah Bakery. As soon as I arrive in HK in May, I plan to visit these and other bakeries to try more cakes and pastries. ¶ 9:00 PM
