Models Eat...and Bake Too - Petite Amanda Patisserie (Hong Kong)

Last month, I shared with everyone how a movie and two wonderful ladies have changed my life (click here to find out who have inspired me).  Today, I am going to share another inspiring story with you about how a model has turned to become a baker and the owner of a French patisserie in Hong Kong.

Amanda Strang, my favorite model has just opened her first patisserie in IFC, Hong Kong.  I am so excited to hear that her "baby" is finally out after all these years of her hard works.  Most American might not know who she is.  She is a successful model and a TV food show host in Hong Kong.  I fell in love with Amanda when I first saw her face.  She is always cute and classy and reminds me of a mixed (Taiwanese and French) version of Aurdry Hepburn.

Let me give you a little background about Amanda -

Amanda had lived in French, India and Taiwan most of her life when she was a kid.  She went to Boston for college.  After graduating from college, she visited Hong Kong for fun and got discovered by a modeling agency.  She immediately started her modeling career and got very successful in Asia (especially in Hong Kong).  However, her passion towards food and French pastry had stopped her to think about taking a break from her successful modeling career and enroll at Le Cordon Bleu to prusuit her dream of opening her own store.  She has interned at Caprice and Ladurée as well as with Jacques Genin for NON-PAID for couple years.  After years of preparation, her first patisserie has just opened in August 2011.  If you want to know more about what made her decided to give up her catwalk career and turned to baking and making desserts (click here for a recent interview).  She also has a blog to share her recipes and her journey in French, if you are interested, click here.

I have not had chance to check out her patisserie yet, so I could not tell you what my verdict is.  But I could share some pictures I found from various websites with you.  So you could check out her patisserie if you have chance, and let me know how it is.

*Note:  to see what other people think about her pastisserie, click here.

Petite Amanda. Open Monday - Friday 8 a.m. 8 p.m.; Saturday - Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Shop 2096, International Finance Centre Mall 2, Central, +852 2234 7222 (just next by Starbucks)

The design and colors of her patisserie matches Amanda's classy and clean-cut style.

 Amanda's Verrine ($70.00 HKD), made of maple syrup jelly, orange compote,
whipped cream and sweet crumble topping
[Note:  you could keep the the exclusive Le Creuset ramekin it's serve in.]

The Delice Aux Abricots is a cute-as-a-button dome of white chocolate mousse with an apricot compote filling and a crushed biscuit bottom.

They also made various French breads daily - Pain au Levain

Their signature triangled cake box

One of the desserts at the store

This is Amanda's signature dessert.  A quote from her - 

"Ah! That has to be my chocolate cake. I make it with three layers of different textures so they all contrast and meld together with different flavour infusions in a really satisfying way."

Amanda is introducing her deserts to her customers.  

A lot of reviewers said that she is SUPER nice and thoughtful.  She asked about what they like and suggested them what kinds of desserts they should get.

I somehow feel a strong connection between Amanda and myself.  Of course, I am not talking about our faces or bodies (she is out of my league).  I feel that we both have the passion towards food and food industry and pursuing our dreams are not easy, but we did at least try.  

I  know her new journey has just began, and I truly wish that her new career will become as successful as her modeling career.  And please keep introducing great French pastries to everyone in the world.

Portuguese Egg Tart (aka pastel de nata)

I was born and raised in Macau, the last colony of Europe.  My home town is a special place that combined both Portuguese and Chinese cultures - and of course I am talking about our food culture too. 

People often ask me what Macauese food is, and how they taste like.  And here are little abstract of Macauese food -

Macanese cuisine is unique to Macau, China and which consists of a blend of southern Chinese and Portuguese cuisines, with significant influences from Southeast Asia and the Lusophone world. Many unique dishes resulted from the spice blends that the wives of Portuguese sailors used in an attempt to replicate European dishes. Its ingredients and seasonings include those from Europe, Latin America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, as well as local Chinese ingredients.  Talking about Asian Fusion cuisine, Macauese had created Asian Fusion before everyone else.  It's not just the fresh ingredients or the skillful and experienced chefs make Macauese food so delicious or unique.  It's because you could taste the history from your dishes. 

Got it?!  No...then you NEED to visit Macau to see it, smell it and taste it yourself! 

One of my favorite Macauese desserts is the Portuguese egg tarts (aka pastel de nata).  Pastel de nata is a traditional Portuguese custard pastry that consists of custard in a crème brûlée-like consistency caramelized in a puff pastry case. It was created more than 200 years ago by Catholic Sisters at Jerónimos Monastery at Belém in Lisbon. Casa Pastéis de Belém was the first pastry shop outside of the convent to sell this pastry in 1837.  It is now a popular pastry in every pastry shop around the world owned by Portuguese descendants.

 

The Original Lord's Stow Bakery

Inside Lord Stow's Bakery

 

Margaret's Cafe e Nata

A lot of tourists waiting outside at Margaret's

In Macau, you could see these sweet little things everywhere now, even at KFC!  But the best two stores go to Lord Stow’s Bakery at Coloane island and Margaret’s Cafe e Nata located at G/F, 17A Rua Alm Costa Cabral R/C, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.  Lord's Stow's Bakery is the first bakery to make this dessert BIG and famous in Macau.  Rumor said that the owner Andrew of Lord Stow's Bakery had divorced his wife, Margaret.  After their split, Margaret opened up her own bakery and sell the exact same items as Lord Stow's.  I don't really care about their rumor, I just know that pastries from these two bakeries are equally tasty! 

Take me out to the fair, take me out with the crowd...

Cute cakes I saw at the OC Fair the past weekend, enjoy=)

(Note:  The theme of the OC Fair this year is "Let's Eat!")

Extraordinary Desserts!

Extraordinary Desserts, what a BIG name!  Whoever titled their store with this "extraordinary" name; the store is better to be EXTRAORDINARY!  O well, they are indeed...

Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego, California, offers big selections of gourmet desserts.  Not only their desserts are extraordinary, their tea selection is amazing.  They offer a huge options of loose tea leaves.  Tea and desserts, what a great life! Ane a little background of their chef and founder from their website:

Karen Krasne , A San Diego native, Ms Krasne graduated from the
University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Food and Human Nutrition, and has spent over 15 year training
in Paris' most distinguished school.  Until now, Ms Krasne returns to France

regularly to train with the masters at Le Notre and Bellouet Conseil,

but her trips to exotic places are what truly inspire the creativity in her desserts.

They have two locations in San Diego, one in Little Italy and the original one in Balboa Park.  We dropped by their store in Little Italy.  Every pieces of their desserts are a wonderful piece of art in their very own dessert "museum".  I appreciate that they use a lot of fresh flowers or edible gold flakes to decorate their desserts.  Also, they fill the dessert plates with some yummy sweet kiwi sauce, chocolate sauce or passion fruit sauce...don't think that it's only for decoration, if you combine everything in one bite, you will know everything is comprising each other.  I had their Napoleon, and Mr. G's cousin and his girlfriend ordered a coconut ice cream and a chocolate brownie.  Their desserts are not cheap, but they are a good size to share. 

Anyways, here are some pictures to share, bon appetit: