Little Choc Apothecary: VEGAN CREPES!!

Truth be told, it took me so long to visit Little Choc Apothecary because I didn't want to like them. There, I said it. New York isn't big enough for two apothecaries, I thought. Weeeell, it turns out I was wrong. Bring on the apothecaries! The more the merrier.

Despite the L's best efforts, I managed to beat my brunch date and fellow Vegansaur by a few minutes. This gave me plenty of time to snoop around a little. Aside from the crepes (duh), there were juices & smoothies, tea & coffee drinks, and a small case of baked goods. I fancied myself oh-so-crafty for the headstart.

 

And then she texted to suggest that I nab a table upstairs. I was so wrapped up that I hadn't even realized there was an upstairs! Turns out it's just as adorable as the first floor. I couldn't wait to order and eat.

My dining companion started with a savory crepe, the breakfast: scrambled tofu, spinach, cucumber, homemade coconut bacon. The crepes taste as good as they look: perfect.

Me? I started with an affogato! I have been fiending (is it 1999?) for an affogato ever since 2013 when I had to pass one up due to chilling temperatures. Little Choc's version is a scoop of Van Leeuwen's salted caramel ice cream served in a teacup with a single espresso shot poured over at the table. It may look unusual, but I assure you that it is basically what dreams are made of.

 

Beverage aside, I also ordered savory for my first course, the pizza crepe: homemade cashew cheese, fresh basil, homemade tomato sauce with added caramelized onions because that's how I roll (and it's still 1999 apparently). I admit this was an odd choice as a first crepe, as well as an unusual accompaniment to my affogato, but believe me when I tell you that it was beyond delicious. Also, you should definitely add the caramelized onions because that's where it was at. #prosnacktivist

For the second course, my pal went for the unquestionably photogenic homemade newtella (chocolate hazelnut spread) and bananas.

Having already started the morning off with pizza and ice cream, I made the decision to forego fruit of any kind and instead chose to pair my homemade newtella with homemade caramel sauce. Let's be honest, if it hadn't been for the affogato, I would have added ice cream too.

Little Choc Apothecary is a painfully dear resto filled with quaint yet efficient details: in both it's food and decor. From the beautiful lightbulbs...

 

to the sturdy restroom lock (very important!).

Like a good movie you have to re-watch to appreciate everything, Little Choc Apothecary is going to require many more visits.

Mother's Day: Vegan Biscoff Spekuloos Crepes & Chocolate Almond Cookies

Not only doesn't VM like to cook, but other people cooking in her kitchen puts her on edge (oh the mess!)- making it kind of difficult to cook for her, especially on a day when you'd most prefer not to annoy her by spilling sugar in her silverware drawer (why don't I ever remember to push it all the way closed?).

There were things I could have made in advance, but lots of correlating reasons not to do so.  I thought of quiche; great savory breakfast, right?  Except for that I forgot to pick up broccoli; it's just not quiche without broccoli.  Scratch that.  Then I considered tofu scramble.  Except for that VM cannot admit that she likes it.  She insists she doesn't, has to be forced to taste it, and then- only fleetingly (while she's chewing), concedes.  No bickering on Mother's day.  So, I was back to cooking day-of; why not go all out?

Crepes!

I chose the sweet crepes from Vegan Brunch (p. 77) and was happy to find that one batch of batter fits perfectly in the Magic Bullet.

The crepes were a perfect opportunity to showcase the Spekuloos spread (a.k.a. Biscoff spread) I've been saving for a special occasion.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the spreadable version of the hard-to-find-in-America Biscoff cookies and it will knock your socks off.  Seriously, the spread might even be better than the actual cookies and it was phenomenal in the crepes.  I had the forethought to give everyone two Spekuloo crepes each and they were undeniably the crowd favorite.  The drizzle of Holy Kakow chocolate syrup didn't hurt either.

I also had another spread on hand.  Spread #81 to be specific.  A friend gifted it to me recently (noticing a pattern?) and I'd never heard of it.  Once I saw that the ingredients were peanuts, chocolate, and pretzels we were adequately acquainted.

But, I was unexpectedly unimpressed.  Actually, I didn't like the spread at all and didn't wind up eating this crepe.  It was, unanimously, the least favorite crepe of the assortment.

The last crepe was filled with raspberry preserves: simple and delicious.

We did manage to ingest an actual, non-sweet meal at some point during the day and then, for dessert, I tried to recreate one of VMs favorite cookies, the almond cookie with a chocolate dollop in the center.  For some reason she associates this cookie with Chinatown, but I really have no idea of the true origin or ingredient specifics.  I decided to use Terry's Favorite Almond Cookie recipe from Veganomicon (p. 235-236).

My Magic Bullet never ceases to amaze me; it ground my almonds into meal in nanoseconds.

After the finished cookies had cooled,

I melted 8oz of chocolate chips for the dollops and allowed them to harden in the fridge for 40 minutes. 

These were never my favorite cookies, but they smelled delicious and sure looked snazzy.  The cookie was soft with the faintest almond taste, but VM said that's exactly how she remembered them.  The inauthentic disproportion of chocolate to cookie was purposeful (duh) and much appreciated.

As with all celebrations, ours ended on a full note; I hope yours did too.  Happy Mother's day to moms of all kinds.

Tour De Crepes

Walking down NE Alberta for the second day in a row I was determined to find Tour de Crepes; I hadn't had a crepe since my eighth grade french class! As it turned out, it was a tucked behind “Suzette”: an adorable little restaurant that is somehow connected to the tiny silver crepe cart in back. I’m still not entirely sure how the two are related, but after you order at the cart you can seat yourself either in their restaurant or in their front garden/patio area where they'll serve you your freshly made crepe with your silverware in an adorable little box on the side.

So, despite having just had breakfast, I couldn’t pass up 1) the welcoming chalkboard sign exclaiming, "Vegans Rejoice" as a header to their vegan options and 2) the offering of a vegan nutella crepe. It was soft, fresh, generously sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar; overall: divine. I was no longer lamenting having passed up the unusual crepe from Perriera Creperie, as this was exactly the soft, desserty crepe I’d had in mind when I’d dismissed their crispy one.

In a nutshell, Tour De Crepes' crepe was delicious. Make a conscious effort to look for them (apparently there is a sign that says, cryptically, "This way to order crepes" but I somehow missed it) and then enjoy in the courtyard of Suzette.