Tous Les Jours

  
Tous Les Jours, which means "everyday" in French, is a bakery and cafe located on Garden Grove Blvd in the Korean district. 

I have been there previously to buy baked goods  because sometimes they have great three pastries for a dollar deals, but today was my first time buying a cake from them. 

We usually go to Paris Baguette, another bakery located in the Korean district, to buy our cakes, but we decided to give Tous Les Jours a try today.

The inside of the bakery is meant to look like a quaint Parisian bakery and their workers dress in ridiculously adorable green and white uniforms with a mushroom like hat to match. 

The attendant behind the counter was very friendly and helpful. We browsed around their pre-made cakes. They had options of mocha, fresh creme, white chocolate, and more. However, the selection was not that large but it might be because I came in around 6pm.

We eventually chose the white chocolate cake. It costed us $22 which wasn't too bad for its size. Other bakeries usually charge more for a similar cake. But now to how it tasted!

It was a delicious cake. The white chocolate shavings added an extra "oomph" to it. It wasn't terribly sweet which is a must for me in cakes. I was a little disappointed at the creme inside the cake though. It tasted too buttery for me as I like my cremes lighter in consistency and taste. However the cake was moist and fluffy, not crumbly and dense. Overall, a satisfying cake.

I would recommend Tous Les Jours if you're looking for an elegant cake, not those tacky ones that have frosting piled on, and are on a budget. Most of these specialty bakeries charge at least $25 for cakes that are even smaller than this one. My personal favorite is Paris Baguette if you're willing to pay the price.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There's nothing like a cup of coffee in the morning. Or afternoon. Or evening. Or really, anytime. And now all coffee lovers can rejoice. Starbucks has started their infamous holiday line of drinks again!

Yes, Starbucks have unveiled their red cups for the 2012 holiday season! And red cups mean delicious holiday inspired flavors. Victoria Ptashnick wrote the article  Starbucks’ holiday drinks in red cups are back — just two days after Halloween for TheStar. In the article, Prashnick writes of the anticipation surrounding Starbucks new line, especially the Peppermint Mocha drink. She also furthers discusses the calorie content of each of the drinks.

I am one of those people who highly anticipated the return of the red cups, and in particular, the Peppermint Mocha. The Peppermint Mocha is a frothy blend of light minty sweetness with the darker tones of Mocha and coffee. And it's topped with chocolate curls. You can't go wrong with chocolate curls. I realize the Starbucks is not the healthiest option for coffee, but this is a once a year occasion!

The 2012 line of drinks is:
Caramel Brulee Latte
Peppermint Mocha
Gingerbread Latte
Eggnog Latte
Toffee Nut Latte
Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha
Eggnog Latte

I haven't tried all of the drinks yet, but I definitely will attempt to this holiday season. The perfect opportunity to fatten up on these drinks is coming up too. From November 15-18, Starbucks if have a buy one get one free promotional offer on their holiday line. But you have to buy it from 2-5 pm. Seize this wonderful time! I live for these days. You'll know where I'll be from the 15th to the 18th.

Thirstea?

Bootea Shaker from Tastea

Fortunately for me, I live in an area heavily condensed with various tea lounges. I have become obsessed with sampling teas from all of these different places. Naturally, I have picked out my hits and misses and have decided to compile a list of three popular tea lounges in northern Orange County.

Tebo Tebo Tea Lounge (Westminster, CA)
Tebo Tebo is one of the most popular tea lounges in northern Orange County. Its decor is very modern and chic and offers a sit down restaurant area as well. Tebo Tebo also serves their drinks in vase like glasses which adds a fun twist. They offer milk teas like most other places, but my favorite drink from here is the Jolly Rancher drink. It's not a tea, but rather a fruity smoothie with chunks of fruit. I think the drinks here are little too sweet for my taste but I still can't complain.

Tastea (Garden Grove, CA)
 I always appreciate a good pun and "Tastea" is so clever. Their "Speacialteas" menu is my go to crowd pleaser. Their teas are fruity and have delicious fruit chunks at the bottom making for a very fresh taste. I can never go wrong with the "bootea" shaker or the peach me sweet tea. I like how the teas aren't too sweet either and focus more on the fresh fruit taste. The atmosphere is cozy as the store is quite small. However, when it's crowded, it is quite uncomfortable and hard to hear.

7 Leaves (Westminster, CA)

Jasmine Tea with Sea Cream and Strawberry Hibiscus Tea

 As of right now, this is my favorite place to get drinks. 7 Leaves is unique in that they integrate distinctive flavors and do not have the standard milk teas that the other tea lounges have. I absolutely adore their strawberry hibiscus tea. I can't get enough! The taste is so refreshing and it's like drinking summer in a cup. 7 Leaves also offers a sea foam cream that can be added as an extra to their drinks. The sea foam tastes amazing with their jasmine tea and adds a creamy and salty element to the tea. The only flaw I find in 7 Leaves is that their menu is not as extensive as I would want it to be, and the decor inside is rather bland and dingy.