Take Out: Cappuccino Cake from Paris Baguette

Cappuccino Cake

Okay, so Minji bought the Cappuccino Cake (mocha cake filled with mocha buttercream, coated in chocolate, and topped with buttercream and caramel) from Paris Baguette to celebrate Daniel's birthday today at work and dare I say, it might just be my new favourite cake...? Now that they've finally come to Canada and are opening more locations, I will need to look into more desserts from Paris Baguette... You know, for research.

A Friend's Baby Shower: 3:15 Cake from Daan Go Cake Lab

My friend Minji's baby shower was today!

3:15 Cake from Daan Go Cake Lab

We hosted it in the party room in my building because it was the most central location for everyone invited, but between liaising with concierge, decorating, and meeting and socializing with over 20 new people, I kinda forgot to take photos. But there was a tasty spread of Korean food (two kinds of japchae, bulgogi and rice, gimbap, Korean-style potato salad, etc.), baby games (don't say the word "baby," guess what's in the baby food, etc.), a whole lot of mingling, and the incredible 3:15 cake from Daan Go Cake Lab (which contains Hong Kong milk tea mousse, Vietnamese coffee and evaporated milk crémeux, and the most incredible Ovaltine "pineapple bun" crumb crunch) which was as delicious as it looks.

Loot bag goodies

We even got little loot bags to take home that included the most adorable towel shaped like a bear, a bag of caramel popcorn, and a little trinket box filled with Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Hi-Chew candies. SO FREAKING CUTE.

Congratulations to my very good friends, Minji and Daniel. You're going to be amazing parents!

Unboxing: Birthday 2024 Gifts

So, as it turns out, my friends know me really well and gifted me some AMAZING things for my birthday this year:

Harry Potter: MinaLima Edition Boxed Set

Harry Potter: MinaLima Edition Boxed Set
(Left to right: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone — MinaLima Edition(Left: Cover, Right: Interactive element)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — MinaLima Edition(Left: Cover, Right: Interactive element)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — MinaLima Edition(Left: Cover, Right: Interactive element)

Easily the most beautiful books I have ever seen in my life. They are designed by MinaLima (the studio behind the visual graphic style of the Harry Potter films), featuring stunning covers with elaborate gold foil, full-colour illustrations on every page, and eight interactive elements in each book. I had actually saw these MinaLima editions at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando last month and really wanted to get them, but they are really heavy and I knew my luggage would go over the weight limit, so I left them and promised myself I would order them when I got back. As it turns out, I didn't have to because Minji ended up getting me the box set. Only the first three books have been released by the MinaLima Studio so far, but I will absolutely be buying the other four once they come out. This collection is a must-have for every Potterhead.

Harry Potter: 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set — Cover Art by Kazu Kibuishi

Harry Potter: 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set — Cover Art by Kazu Kibuishi

Harry Potter: 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set — Cover Art by Kazu Kibuishi
(Left to right: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Harry Potter: 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set — Cover Art by Kazu Kibuishi
(Left to right: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Harry Potter: 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set — Cover Art by Kazu Kibuishi
(Left to right: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

I re-read the Harry Potter series every year, and as I was tucking into my hardcover copy of The Philosopher's Stone last month, the first page FELL RIGHT OUT OF THE SPINE. (Okay, mind you, it's from 1997, BUT STILL.) I was complaining about this to my friend and colleague, Samuel, and I said, "I guess I need to get a paperback set just for re-reading purposes." But then he beat me to it and got me the 15th Anniversary Special Edition Box Set, which is the complete series in paperback featuring cover art by Kazu Kibuishi, and they are GORGEOUS. (It's definitely because I have had my Harry Potter books from their original years of publication — yes, starting with The Philosopher's Stone in 1997 — but I never realized there were so many beautiful editions of these books out there. I mean, comparatively, the UK first editions that I have are actually quite hideous so it's really no wonder they went out of print...)

LEGO x Harry Potter 76414 Expecto Patronum

Knowing my love for LEGO as well, he also got me the LEGO x Harry Potter Expecto Patronum set, which coincidentally, is my favourite of all the sets released so far. I had, admittedly, been avoiding the LEGO x Harry Potter collection because I know once I start, I can't stop, and between BTS merch, Harry Potter merch, and Lego, I HAVE NO ROOM (OR MONEY) LEFT. But now I can't help it and I'm eyeing this one as my next set. Damn it.

Harry Potter Wand Chopsticks Set

My colleague, Seema, who quite literally started at the company right when Minji and I came back from Orlando (and therefore were talking about Harry Potter ad nauseam), bought Minji a Harry Potter onesie for her maternity leave gift and got me a set of Harry Potter wand chopsticks for my birthday, which was just freaking adorable of her. I will obviously not use these chopsticks for their intended purpose — they will join my Harry Potter display, right by my Collector's Edition wand.

BTS Wootteo x RJ Cushion Doll

BTS Wootteo x RJ Plush Mini Pouch and Plush Keyring

BTS Wootteo x RJ Pajama Pants

Okay, so I love Wootteo (the character Jin designed for The Astronaut) and I love RJ (the character Jin designed for BT21), so obviously, I was obsessed with the Wootteo x RJ collaboration collection (basically, it's Wootteo dressed in an RJ costume, and IT IS SO CUTE, I DIE). My friend and fellow ARMY, Iris, knowing how obsessed I was with this collaboration, got me pretty much the entire collection, including the cushion doll, the plush keyring, the plush mini pouch, and the pajama pants. This collection was on pre-order in JULY and was delivered in September, so this was planned FOUR MONTHS IN ADVANCE. BLESS HER.

Homemade matcha macarons with anko filling

Finally, my friend Daniel, who got really into baking during the pandemic and was particularly good at making macarons, made me a massive box of matcha-flavoured macarons with anko filling. I had asked him last year if he would make me macarons for my birthday and I would pay him for it, but he had to undergo surgery during that time so he couldn't. And thus, he made up for it this year with these macarons, and I gotta say, the texture of the meringue cookies are on par with some of the best macarons I've had from Ladurée, Daan Go Cake Lab, or The Social Blend. The matcha flavour wasn't overpowering, and the anko wasn't too sweet — just perfection.

Oh, man, turning 28 for the 10th time was really quite awesome. 

Dining Out: Key Lime Pie, Churro Ice Cream Sandwich, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake from Moxies

I haven't been to Moxies in a long time (no, seriously, it's been at least five years), but Minji really wanted dessert this evening after dinner so we headed to the closest restaurant that served desserts, which just happened to be Moxies.

Key Lime Pie

Churro Ice Cream Sandwich

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

We shared three of their four desserts (they've had the White Chocolate Brownie for ages, so we didn't feel the need to get it), and while I still haven't forgiven them for discontinuing their Sticky Toffee Pudding a few years ago, these were, admittedly, pretty damn delightful. I also don't know a lot of places that serve key lime pie (one of my favourite desserts), either, so they get extra brownie points (no pun intended) for that. Anyway, it never occurred to us that we could go into any restaurant just for dessert. We may have to reconsider how to dine out...

Moxies

159 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4

(905) 764-9500

Pingle's Harvest Festival Apple Picking at Pingle's Farm Market

Minji and Daniel randomly invited me to go apple picking this weekend. I don't recall going apple picking after the age of 10, so I agreed to go in the spirit of fall, and we drove about an hour outside of Toronto to go to Pingle's Farm Market:

Pingle's Harvest Festival

Pingle's Harvest Festival

Pingle's Harvest Festival

Pingle's Harvest Festival

Apple trees at Pingle's Farm Market

Apple trees at Pingle's Farm Market

Apple trees at Pingle's Farm Market

Apple trees at Pingle's Farm Market

Apple picking haul!

House-Made Butter Tarts (Maple Walnut + Pecan) and Bumbleberry Blast Jam from Pingle's Farm Market

We picked ten pounds of apples (I got two each of Ambrosia, Honey Crisp, Empire, and Cortland varieties and had to stop myself from getting more because I live by myself and cannot eat that many more apples before they start to rot), indulged in apple cider and apple cider doughnuts from the cafe stall (I didn't take photos because we scarfed them down before I could even remember to, but you'll just have to trust me when I say THESE WERE DELICIOUS), and stopped by the market to get some house-made goodies to take home: a box of butter tarts (Minji and I split the pecan and maple walnut varieties) and a jar of bumbleberry jam. My only regret is not trying more pastries from the bakery because we were on our way to lunch and didn't want to get full. But conclusion: APPLE PICKING IS AWESOME. I think I will officially make this a new fall tradition. 

Pingle's Farm Market

1805 Taunton Rd.

Hampton, ON L0B 1J0

(905) 725-6089

Take Out: Snow Skin Mooncake Set 2024 from Daan Go Cake Lab

For Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I decided to go to Daan Go Cake Lab for their Snow Skin Mooncakes again because, frankly, they are tastier, prettier, and more unique than those plebe lotus seed paste mooncakes. (I had said last year that I hoped these would be released again this year, so I'm glad they were popular enough for a comeback!)

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box — Artwork by Kimiko Nogomi

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

This year, we have two returning flavours and two new ones:

• Pistachio Raspberry (new): Pistachio pastry cream with a raspberry gel centre and raspberry pistachio croquantine
• Salted Duck Egg: Salted duck egg pastry cream with a salted duck egg lava centre and white chocolate coconut crisp
• Passion Fruit Cheesecake (new): Cheesecake filling with a passion fruit gel centre and white chocolate graham crumble
• Jamocha Nut: Chocolate pastry filling with an almond lava centre and milk chocolate almond crumble (a.k.a. the GOAT of mooncakes)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut (Inside)

Regardless of where your mooncakes are from, I hope everyone has a delightfully food-filled Mid-Autumn Festival!

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098

Food Delivery: Dim Sum Macaron Set and Sushi Macaron Set from Daan Go Cake Lab

Love dim sum? Love sushi? Love macarons? ME, TOO. As if Daan Go Cake Lab didn't already make the cutest macarons in the game, they decided to make these limited edition ones themed after my favourite foods: DIM SUM AND SUSHI! 

Daan Go Cake Lab Dim Sum Macaron Set

Daan Go Cake Lab Dim Sum Macaron Set

Siu mai — Vietnamese coffee

Phoenix claw — Raspberry

Sesame ball — White sesame

Egg tart — Chocolate crunch

Har gow — Roast milk tea

Mango pudding — Mango

The dim sum set comes in an actual bamboo steamer! The sushi set comes in an actual sushi tray (complete with baran wrapped around the "wasabi")! The moment I saw these, I knew I would not be able to resist. In fact, I immediately logged into their website and put them in my cart for check out. And the best part? I had enough Daan Go points to get $20 off!!!

Daan Go Cake Lab Sushi Macaron Set

Daan Go Cake Lab Sushi Macaron Set

Octopus — Black sesame

Maki — Pistachio

Tamago — Passion fruit

Wasabi — Matcha

Shrimp — Yuzu

Salmon roe — Ovaltine

And lest you think that the increase in cuteness means a decrease in quality, I am here to tell you that the texture of these macarons are PERFECT (the crumb, the bite, and the mouthfeel are truly outstanding — frankly, better than many that I've had at French macaron giant, Ladurée) and the flavours are the most accurate I have ever tasted. Daan Go Cake Lab is known for their infusing Western-style desserts with Asian flavours, so that Vietnamese coffee macaron tastes not just like coffee, but specifically Vietnamese coffee. That roast milk tea? Tastes not just like any tea, but specifically roast milk tea from your local boba shop. After many years, I continue to be impressed with Daan Go Cake Lab, and honestly, it's far more worth it to me to pay for the macarons here than most other patisseries.

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098