I went to the bakery! After breakfast in Pasadena, Julie and I went back to our lovely town of Claremont to finish studying for our business law midterm. We had dinner at the dining hall (not so good veggie fajitas, a mysterious chicken cream pasta, and lots of carrot cake) and hemmed and hawed over the lack of good food in the Inland Empire. So what do we do? Hop into Julie's car for a 60 minute drive to Susina in Hollywood.

We just wanted dessert :)

French pressed green tea. The air was cool, it was too late for coffee. We don't do decaf, :) a strong cup of tea was the ideal choice.

Julie's fruit tart stands out from your usual in that there was a heavy sprinkling of pomegrate seeds on top, adding for a festive twist to the usual finish of fruits. You would have loved the custard, I promise. We could make out little dark specks of vanilla beans, the custard teasing us with it's creamy texture. It was just right, cool and rich without being too heavy. Sigh, the power of eggs and sugar.

It was terribly difficult to make a choice among the tarts, cakes and pies, but alas, I picked the darkest, most sinful creation offered: the hazelnut ganache tart. And yes, it was everything it promised to be, a wide wedge of buttery tart crust with a filling that could be divided into three separate entities. At the bottom, a centimeter of an almost cake-like batter of milk chocolate studded with chopped hazelnuts, the middle, dark dense mousse, all at once bitter and sweet, yet creamy to the lips. To finish: a shiny glaze of chocolate ganache with just a sliver of gold leaf - enough to send to you teetering on edge. Now this is my idea of a nightcap.

I can sleep well tonight.

Susina Bakery
7122 Beverly Bouleward
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7900