Crème Caramel
Samples – Ube Vanilla Bread Pudding, Vanilla Bread Pudding, Banana Nutella Bread Pudding, Vanilla Crème Caramel, Honey Espresso Crème Caramel, Pandan Upside Down Pie
Chocolate Almond Croissant Bread Pudding with House Caramel
Ube Bread Pudding with House Caramel
Pecan Crackle
Brookie – Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar
Salted Caramel Polenta Cake
Uninspired by The Nook, but in a way happy that I’d have more stomach capacity to explore another sweet spot, it was still early morning when I entered Crème Caramel and greeted by some of the friendliest service in all of Southern California I was almost immediately assured I’d be exiting the small space sated and smiling, a whole bunch of samples sealing the deal well before an order was placed.
Originally a food truck, but now inhabiting a brick n’ mortar home for just over a year on Burbank Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, it was originally in the restaurant’s eponymous item that the business was founded and still using the rich vanilla custard base in several of its dishes those fancying the French classic will be happy to know that each $5 iteration is a silky masterpiece on par with versions twice as pricey in ‘fine dining’ establishments, while those topped with streusel described as ‘upside down pies’ are perhaps even better, a seasonal screwfruit sample showing great balance between fruit, butter, and spice atop the creamy pudding base.
Impressed enough by the crème caramels, but satisfied enough by tastes to invest in items even more beguiling, it was after perhaps ten minutes of conversation that an order was placed and continuing the chatter while one item was warmed and plated a steady stream of traffic trickled in an out, the young man restocking shelves also taking a sizeable phone order for some sort of party over the weekend.
Taking four items in a box, and sitting down at a small counter to indulge in one more, it should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with my tastes that the steamy slab of chocolate almond croissant was a must-order and with the steamy square served piping hot beneath a tablespoon of house caramel a first bite immediately found bliss – the newly melted butter melding with dark chocolate amidst a custard soaked base that still maintained some semblance of layered lamination, a nearly impossible task I’ve not seen since visiting San Diego’s Extraordinary Desserts placing Crème Caramel on a high pedestal alongside bread pudding I continue to rank as ‘best ever.’
Admittedly remiss to have not ordered more after exiting the space and driving a few miles Southeast, it was after some shopping along Ventura that I later sat down to experience the rest of the bounty and rewarming the Ube bread pudding slice my palate was soon treated to soft notes of purple yam providing a mellow counterpoint to sweet custard and caramel, a similar statement befitting the toothsome polenta base of a cake drenched with salty caramel – the large wedge amongst the city’s best dessert values at a total tab of just $2.50.
Transitioning next to heavier flavors, and still regretting breakfast that cut into how much appetite I could have invested in Crème Caramel, it was with a cup of coffee nearby that I tucked into the Pecan Crackle and finding the item somewhat akin to Gooey Butter Cake strewn with caramelized nuts I couldn’t help but wish the square had been just a few inches larger, though considering the heft of cocoa amidst the brownie-cookie hybrid “Brookie” perhaps I’m fortunate it wasn’t as there was far more dining to be done that day – and a return to Crème Caramel already planned for the not-too-distant future.
www.cremecaramella.com
