At the Santa Anita Mall, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the food choices available: from the food court to stands scattered around the shops. So, the next time you’re there, be sure to try out these new dessert spots.
Lady M
Amidst the steady stream of Santa Anita mall goers stands the pop-up cake boutique Lady M. The simple and modern exterior of the building tucks itself away near the first-floor entrance of Nordstroms and all you have to look for are two prominent images of specialty crêpe cakes crafted by Lady M.
The overall design of the boutique is white and sleek, with the inside housing boxes of crêpe cakes that tower by the register. After a brief wait in their line, I kept the order simple and bought a slice of their signature mille crêpe cake for $8.50 as well as a slice of their green tea mille crêpe cake for $9. The cashier was polite and attentive to the order which led to a fast transaction.
Only cakes are on the menu, but there many varieties like their checkers cake, strawberry shortcake, marron mille crêpe cake and pumpkin nuage cake. A single slice of one of their cakes starts at $8 and the price of an entire 9” cake reaches to as much as $95.
The first word that came to my mind was creamy, and as the moment went on, little remnants of the individual delicate crêpe layers could be tasted. Crumbles of the baked top layer, which tasted a bit like egg tart, melted in the mouth.
The green tea mille crêpe didn’t have as much cream as their signature mille crêpe, but made up for it in its different flavor. The addition of green tea powder on the top layer added an interesting texture as well as being a major difference from their signature crêpe cake.
The moment of deliciousness when eating one of Lady M’s crêpe cakes fades away very quickly. Deciding to eat each layer individually is an odd idea at first, but the portions of cream are enough to satisfy eating one layer at a time as well as prolong that moment of your taste buds jumping for joy.
The current boutique is a temporary pop-up shop and will stay at the Santa Anita Mall until Dec. 31st this year.
Every single moment spent enjoying their crêpe cake was worth it, but the price is too expensive for a student’s budget. I felt like a price of $5 to $7 would be more reasonable. However, saving up to try a slice of one of Lady M’s cakes should definitely be on your food bucket list.
Somi Somi
Creamy. Sweet. Cold. Perfect. Near the heart of the Westfield Santa Anita mall sits a brand new shop that sells a dessert which tastes as good as it looks. SomiSomi offers soft serve ice cream swirled inside Taiyaki cones, which is called “Ah-Boong” in Korea. The Taiyaki soft serve is a fish-shaped waffle cone filled with several flavors and a soft serve to choose from.
However, waiting in the long line gave me more than enough time to decide what to order: a matcha and milk swirl with Nutella filling inside the Taiyaki for $5.95. For soft serve in a cup, the price was $3.75.
The menu was simple with a total of six soft serve flavors and three fillings: red bean, Nutella and custard. The soft serve flavors included milk, matcha, black sesame, ube and two swirls of both.
Every week, the swirls change with different combinations. With the new addition of a cheese filling in the Taiyaki, the menu provides a nice variety to choose from.
The line moved fast and the workers were extremely friendly and patient. Through bright smiles and greetings, they created a cheerful and busy atmosphere around their small shop. It was relatively small and four workers bustled around happily. The area around the shop was busy, so the picture perfect Ah-Boong attracted many customers.
I didn’t have to wait long before my soft serve was ready. For toppings, I chose a strawberry and candy sprinkles. There were a few other choices, including fruity pebbles, oreo crumbs and graham crumbs. With the toppings trailing down one side, the whole cone looked really cute and colorful.
The milk and matcha swirl was smooth and absolutely delicious. The ice cream texture was creamy, not too thin or heavy. The matcha and milk wasn’t too sweet, so it blended perfectly with the Nutella filling around the inside of the cone with just the right amount of both. The cone and ice cream together had a lot of flavor, in which it was definitely far from bland.
After eating the top of the swirl, the inside of the Taiyaki formed something like an ice cream sandwich with Nutella spread along the sides. The Taiyaki itself was crisp and fresh, with Nutella to add to the sweetness. The swirl of soft serve was in the center of the cone, and I loved it. All the flavors complimented each other, and the combination of soft serve and Taiyaki tasted amazing.
The only problem that I encountered was that the ice cream melted very quickly and I wanted to savor the taste for as long as possible.
I had to eat the cone rapidly to avoid a mess because the ice cream tended to ooze out of the sides of the fish. However, this wasn’t a deal breaker at all because the Taiyaki and soft serve was so delicious.
I would definitely go again to try a different variety of flavors and toppings, or maybe even order the same one next time to satisfy my sweet tooth.