Walking around HCMC (Saigon), my partner and I had noticed a few of these bakery’s, not knowing that it was a multi-national franchise. As many would admit, sweet things are just too tempting to say no to – especially when laid out so exquisitely. The window display beckoned us to enter.
Once inside, the sweet smell of fresh doughnuts, cakes, pastries and bread was overwhelming. Like big kids in a Candy Store, we just didn’t know where to look, and the more we did, the more we wanted to sample each one.
We agreed on just two cakes or pastries each. This made the decision even more agonising, as I didn’t want to get it wrong and waste one of my two chances. From custard-filled doughnuts, sweet croissants, garlic sticks, filled muffins, red bean milk buns to sticky rice doughnuts the choice was immense. Don’t even get me started on the pretty layered sponge-cakes, decorated with such care and love, kept locked away behind glass cabinets. In that moment, I wished for an instantaneous special occasion to arise, to justify the purchase of such a stunning looking (and no doubt tasting) cake.
With our choices made, we headed towards the cash register, ordered our drinks, a latte coffee and a mug of earl grey tea, and paid. We were asked to take a seat and told our drinks would be brought to us.
Eagerly awaiting our drinks, we snapped a few photographs before we slowly began our ‘taste test’ and dissection of each item. Just typical – as I took a rather large mouthful of the red bean filled doughnut, the waiter came over with the drinks. Why is it always when you have a mouthful? I thanked him as best I could, before licking at my cinnamon-sugar coated lips.
We shared each of the four items, swapping back and forth with a bite of one, then another, the world around us fading away. The sugar and caffeine rush was turning us into grinning idiots, but we didn’t care one jot.
A few days later we returned for another cake fix, enjoying the experience just as much as the first, but limiting ourselves to a total of three items.
The fluffy ‘Let Twist’ donut, a filled ‘Custard Bread’ and an ‘Apple Bread’ Muffin – nom nom
(I did sneak back yesterday for a small sesame seed doughnut, eating on the hoof before my partner could find out).
-
- Our First Tous les Jours experience:
-
- 5th March 2013
- Custard Doughnut 14,000 VND
- Red Bean Doughnut 12,000 VND
- Sesame Seed Sticky Doughnut (ball) 8,000 VND
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake 16,000 VND
- Café Latte 35,000 VND
- Earl Grey Tea 22,000 VND
Total 107,000 VND
-
- Our Second Trip:
-
- 10th March 2013
- Apple bread (muffin) 11,000 VND
- Let Twist (Light doughnut) 9,000 VND
- Custard Bread (filled) 11,000 VND
- Cappuccino 40,000 VND
- Hot Chocolate 26,000 VND
Total 97,000 VND
VND = Vietnamese Dong
www.touslesjoursusa.co (U.S.A)
www.tlj.co.kr (Korea)