Little Dreamer's coffee

Saw Little Dreamer at another pop up market, and it's early enough, thought I'd stop by.

I was going to get the Oat milk Latte, then the guy said if you want, we have it pre-made and cold.  Well, it's hot out, you sold me on it.  It does say: Greatest OatMilk of All Time.  I thought they would have something clever with the Oat Milk Latte.  I will say that the taste is more like dark cafe au last than a milk latte.  Typically oat milk latte has a thicker texture and taste nutier, but for some reason, not a lot of nut flavor comes thru but felt like darker roast coffee in a bottle with milk.

You can catch Little Dreamer at Heights Mercantile Market or Rice Village's market or at their box at the Stomping Ground.

Little Dreamer Coffee

https://www.littledreamercoffee.com

 

Sugar Bubs

Was dying for some Sugar Bubs Cheesecakes the other day.

They've got new box cakes that were cute too, so thought I'd come by and give that a try.

This is the Banoffee cake but what they don't tell you is that there's slices of banana in there.  It is an awesome bite, every bite. 

It has layers of cake, banana, Biscoff spread, cream.  It is simple and delicious.  I can't wait to try her other flavors of box cakes. 

This cute little package holds 2 mini cheesecakes.

See!  No lie!

So we have Matcha - I love that the texture of Basque cheesecake is there, but the flavor is also there.  Most importantly, the flavor is not so strong that you felt like you had a cup of green tea.  But you have a hit and really taste the cheesecake of the it all.  

Of course have to pay homage on the original flavor.  Nice and cheese-cakey. 

I think my fascination on Basque cheesecakes is that the texture is light and gooey, not dense like a traditional or New York style cheesecake.  It was easy to eat and afterwards you don't need a nap.  You can catch Cyndi & Sugar Bubs at pop ups around time.  Go to their IG to keep up with locations.

Sugar Bubs 

https://www.sugarbubshtx.com 

 

Bao Shi Yi

Needed a quick pick-me-up.  Went back to Bao Shi Yi. 

They have the regular bubble tea (boba) and I got the Grapefruit Slice Tea - for some reason, towards the bottom of the tea, that was bitter, not sure if the rind of the grapefruit is scraped out or what. 

Got the Braised Beef Noodle - I always forget how spicy it can be.  But it has noodles, beef so soft that falls off each bite and bok choy.  It's a very nice combo and also easy when you order online and grab it to-go.

I think now that pandemic is at a lull, the cool containers they once had are gone.  Luckily, I don't live far and can get home quickly to enjoy the dish before it congeals. 

I highly recommend you order online first and by the time you get there, the food will be ready.  

Bao Shi Yi

2328 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 

346-867-3941

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Relish

Went to Relish for a work dinner.

It's been a couple of years since I've been there.  I like coming here or anywhere with a group of people, that way you can order a bunch of stuff and share and not look like pigs.

This is the Cajun Hot Crab Dip.  I'm a huge fan of dips, and love that it's warm and it's cheesy, totally up my ally.  Love this.

Deviled Eggs - they have fried chicken on top, but what does the trick is the mix of mustard and maple syrup that 'makes' this dish.

Charcuterie Board - it has veggie (like cauliflowers & olives), 3 kinds of meat, 3 kinds of cheese, cracker, nuts, fruit to boot.

My Entree was Steak Frites, which after seeing other people's dishes, I was green with envy.  Their dishes looked good too.  Mine in particular the meat was cooked medium rare but the quality or cut of the meat wasn't the best, it was chewy.  

The place was intimate, at first our server stopped by frequently but then hadn't seen much of him towards the end of the meal.  The appetizers were a hit with everyone the entree is where opinions differs for everyone.  The food is not bad but not particularly stand out either.   Maybe either order a bunch of appetizers or just come of Happy Hour.

Relish

2810 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77098

713-599-1960

https://www.relishhouston.com

 

Craft Creamery

We were around Montrose and decided to pop into Craft Creamery.

It's next to this little dive bar that I used to hang when I was in my 20s.

They have an array of flavors and not your Baskin Robin type either.  I tried the Wagyu - it was meaty.  They had the Ranch Brisket - and you taste the BBQ sauce, but it was sour to me. 

I got the CCC- which is coffee cinnamon cardamom.

You can really taste the cinnamon and cardamom with the coffee.  It really reminds me of Golden Milk latte I had downtown.  The only difference is that there's no tumeric.  It actually was pretty good.  They have have sorbet and not just the fruity type.  You, of course can try it till your heart content, but you can also do a 7 scoop flight, and get 7 of whatever you'd like flavors. 

But whatever you do, open your mind everything they have there are made in house and it's because of that they have the liberty to make the flavors that they do.  It's pretty fun.

Craft Creamery

1338 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77006

214-740-4970

https://craftcreameryhtx.com

 

Liberty Kitchen

Went back for a quick lunch back at Liberty Kitchen.

We went on the later side of lunch but somehow the service was more delayed and slower than the peak times. 

Got a pseudo- niciose salad, there's no potato, green beans, basil, olive or anchovy.  It did come with spring greens, seared tuna, and egg.  The dish also came with avocado, but that's too much protein for me between the egg and fish.  Avocado would've been too much.

It was convenient, but as I said, somehow the service during a slower, non-peak time is worse than peak time, that's just odd to me.   Hopefully that's a fluke.

Liberty Kitchen

4224 San Felipe

Houston, TX 77027

713-622-1010

https://libertykitchenoysterette.com

 

Desserie

Another IG follow that led to yummy goodness. 

This is a very cute dessert parlor that transport you to Paris with its technique and Asia with its flavors. 

Display case gets kinda empty mid-afternoon where the good stuff are all out the door.  

But have no fear, we got some good stuff too.

Got a Financier - this is an almond based cake, and the texture is not too dense unlike what it looks like here.  In case you didn't know, it's so named is because it looks like a bar of gold.  Of course, with the golden browned top it as more delicious than a bar of gold.

Delicious Chocolate tart. Not too sweet, just sweet enough.  The crust is solid made out of almond flour, came out great and the combo is good enough to come back for it.

We also go the cream puffs, Pandan & Ube.  The top has the crispy crumbles and it's awesome.  When you bite into it, it's like and airy and then you get a dollop of the filling and it's also light but full of flavors.  Not overwhelmingly sweet but a great treat after afternoon errands.  Keep in mind, they are open Wed thru Sunday. 

Desserie

10600 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77072

832-434-2780

https://desseire.com

 

Chef Christine Au

I've been following Christina Au on IG forever.  Always drooling but not able to make it to Blacksmith where she's the resident pastry chef there. 

She's pretty active on the pop up market scenes.  The one that is so popular that the line was wrapped around the place.  So I nearly gave up when... a kind friend picked those pop-tarts up for me. 

This is the Pandan + Coconut

Look at that.  The pastry is nice and soft, got the little crisp on the edges.  The inside is not too overwhelming, very Summer Asian flavor.

Another Asian Flavor, Mango & Passionfruit.

Somehow the flavor combo reminds me of guava.  The whole bite reminded me of a guava empanada from Cafe Bustelo.  The key to eating these by the way, and they didn't say to do this but I find it yummy; and that is, to heat it up for 10-15 seconds, and enjoy with a cup of coffee is the way to go.

You can catch more Chef Christina Au's goodies at Blacksmith coffee or follow her on IG to see where she's doing a collab or pop up.

Chef Christina Au

https://www.instagram.com/christinaau/

 

Luce Ave Coffee

It's morning, I'm stuck in traffic, so yes I'm going to detour for some coffee. 

Stopped by Luce Ave for a Chai Latte.  It comes with a little tea bag, milk and ice.  But really it has a black tea, steam/warm milk to help brew it, then top it with ice.  It has some spices in there that you can taste, like tumeric and cinnamon.  That's a good morning jolt.

If you want more of a jolt, make it dirty.  That just mean adding a shot of espresso, mind out of gutter. 

Luce Ave Coffee

3995 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77027

281-974- 4588

https://lucecoffeeroasters.com/main-location2

 

MAD Houston

Got to check out the ever so hip MAD.

In case you didn't know, MAD is the airport code for Madrid.  They are run by the same people who owns BCN.  In case you're curious, yes, BCN is airport code for Barcelona. 

Everywhere you turn, there are neat details everywhere.  Of course, they are 100% grammable. 

We happened to hit Happy Hour - it's called Midnight in Madrid which takes place between 5-6pm.

Got the Jamon Iberico - this is a half portion, so you can imagine a bigger plate for dinner portion.  There are slices of ham with toasted bread with tomato spread on top.

Empanadilas de Cochinillo - it has pork, potato, onion, you dip with mango apricot chutney.   Surprisingly it's pretty good.

Seared Foie Gras with berries and cassis in a little phyllo cup.  Very delicious. 

This is Pulpo - grilled octopus with 2 different types of sauces to dip and those little rock-like thingys are potato, which is also great with the sauce. 

Next, we have a science experiment....

... tre' impressive.

Actually, it's oysters we've ordered that sits on these rocks, and they pour this broth over it.   The oysters while clean, not too much meat.

The Following Happened due to Eyes bigger than my Stomach: 

Squid ink paella, apparently, you basically order the Paella, then add the protein.  This one has artichoke, garlic, and baby squid in there.  It's delicious... wish they'd do more personal portion. 

Here's the Fire and Ice Wagyu dish, which is on a bed of spinach and sauce.  It's a good cut, wouldn't mind coming back for that next time.

Dessert is a MUST:

Tableta de Chocolat Gaudi - which has flourless chocolate cake at the bottom (texture came out like a brownie), the white stuff is coconut sorbet, topped with a gold chocolate bar.  It's not a full solid bar, just a shell top, so it's easy to crack and take some chocolate, some sorbet and some cake in one bite. 

This is a unique surprise.  It looks like a lemon.

Fresca Wannabe - it comes in that lemon shape, you crack it and it has strawberry mousse with raspberry compote.  Flavors are awesome too.  Definitely recommend getting. 

Since we're here to celebrate a birthday and we noted that at the reservation, they brought over this.  This is a watermelon mint sorbet with berries on top sitting on a meringue. 

The timing on the delivery towards the end of the meal was weird.  The food came out at a good pacing all night until dessert.  We knew they want to turn the table over, but then stalled at the end.  So, not sure about what happened there.  

When you come here, definitely make a reservation.  Bring your camera, lots of selfie opportunities.  For parking, the store is close to a parking garage, you can take a chance to self park, and of course there are valet as well.

MAD Houston

4444 Westheimer Rd

Ste C180

Houston, TX 77027

281-888-2770

https://madhouston.com

 

Ruggles Dessert Cafe

Came to Ruggles for some coffee and dessert time.

They took over the old Oui location.

We got a Tres Leche to split and I got a Chai Tea latte.  The dessert is good as always.  The Chai Tea Latte was lighter in texture and taste than I had hoped for.

Classic Cheesecake

This is CHarlotte's Web - which has layer of pudding and what not topped with Heath bar crunble on top.

This is a perfect place for an after dinner coffee/dessert.  They of course also serve soup and sandwiches here too.  But it's a cute little space to hang with friends.

Ruggles Dessert Cafe

3411 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098