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| - Quite literally hidden in a strange corner of Chinatown, I can't help but think this cute pastry shop is desperately out of place. It would not have caught my attention had I not been eating dinner in the same plaza. The interior is very attractive with a large seating area. I enjoyed the view of the pastry production area. The selection of pastries and desserts seemed entirely French, until I noticed some loaves of snowy, sugar coated Stollen. As much as I enjoy this German/Swiss Christmas bread, I probably won't seek it out until December. Since Belle Pastry charges an insane $25 per loaf, I would hope they offer a sample (must be the best Stollen ever?!)
They are very generous with the samples. The lady working the counter offered me a spoon with a piece of the pear caramel mousse. However, the flavor did not convince me to buy any of the mousse cakes. They were all around $4.99 for a small piece, which almost buys you a whole cake in most Chinatown bakeries. The sample pieces of the flavored croissants and danishes tasted like they had been sitting out long enough to dry out-- not a great selling point.
I picked up a pack of 5 small crescent moon shaped sandwich cookies with a hazelnut filling for $2.79. They caught my attention because they looked like alfajores, but they were not made from a melt-in-your-mouth tender shortbread. It was just sweet pastry dough with a tasty praline paste filling-- good, but not remarkable. For better quality, I'd rather go to Chocolate & Spice, where the desserts cost a bit less, or Jean Phillipe, where you'll spend a little more.
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