Rumor has it that Filipino food is going to be the next big food fad, and as a Filipino, I’m pretty excited about that possibility.
But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m convinced that the world is at least on the road to recognizing the greatness of Pinoy cuisine. (Haha.)
A few weeks ago someone mentioned to me an eatery called Crème Caramel LA in Sherman Oaks, a Filipino dessert bakery that she said had pretty good stuff. My first instinct was to check Yelp to get the gist of what the place was like. I scrolled through review previews, clicked on the pictures and scrolled through those.
And then I stopped because I became immediately captivated by a dessert that sounded way too cool: unicorn poop (see photo above).
So, several days ago, I went on over to Crème Caramel LA just before closing time on a Sunday evening. Fortunately, parking wasn’t too horrendous. (I’m sure things would have been different had I gone in the daytime.)
The shop is a small little place, and it felt a little too cramped to sit inside. But there’s also outdoor seating, which is a lot more spacious.
Right when I got inside, the lady working was quick to offer a warm greeting and asked if I knew what I wanted.
Of course I did! But my eyes still darted around the display because I was curious as to what other sweets were there.
The worker went on to offer some samples of almost all the desserts, and she knew what each was made of and what I might like if I were on a diet restriction. (They even have options for vegans!) I was very impressed and really appreciated that she knew so much about the food.
One cool fact about this place is that the recipes are derived from the owner’s family, so they’re Filipino desserts with a twist.
Offerings at Crème Caramel aren’t limited to sweets, though. There are teas and coffees, as well as savory items like Spanish tortillas, so it’s a good spot for a light meal with desserts.
At the end of my first visit, my favorite item ended up being the vanilla crème caramel, which is pretty much like leche flan. My second favorite is a toss up between the ube upside down pie or the pandan upside down pie. None of these desserts were the kind of sweet that makes you crash after, so that was another huge plus.
The unicorn poop was basically meringue with colored sprinkles, so it really wasn’t anything special. Still, it was nice to have tried some 🙂
If I were using a star system to rate this place, I would give it a 4.5/5, mainly because of the seating situation.
I’m looking forward to seeing what other items make their way to the menu! I’ll definitely be coming back for more.