Buttercup Bake Shop
On some mornings, when yogurt won't do, cereal & milk sounds unappealing and fruits feel strangely too healthy, I dash to the bakery. Amidst a bounty of coffee cakes, brownies, cupcakes and pie, I never fail to make a beeline for the puddings. My obsession over pudding knows no boundaries. Home in Hawai'i, I dote after Bread Pudding, in the San Gabriel Valley, you'll find cups and cups of Vietnamese Durian Pudding in the fridge. But here in Manhattan, the city I currently call home, Banana Pudding is my weakness. Chocolate Trifle Puddings are a close second. And Rice Pudding third.
Buttercup: Chocolate Trifle
On weekdays, the pudding bakery of choice is Buttercup Bake Shop. It is the same order every time - one of my few food habits that will never change. "Half Banana Pudding, Half Chocolate Trifle." The girls at the counter always make sure to ask which you prefer on top/bottom, which I think, is quite thoughtful. Such details are important :)
Buttercup: Banana Pudding
Banana pudding at Buttercup has noticeably improved over the last year. A pudding that was once folded with too much whipped cream, is now more dense and luxurious. Previously heavy on Nilla Wafers, they've found balance with thicker layers of pudding between. The best part? Bananas are cut lengthwise (and then into three)! So instead of the circular bits found at similar bakeries, these are rectangular, which is good, because the circular ones were always too small. The Chocolate trifle has too much vanilla whipped cream (as opposed to chocolate cream) to live up to the name chocolate trifle, but oh well, you can't win them all.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Where one ought to go for a proper chocolate trifle is Sugar Sweet Sunshine. As much as I like the puddings here, I try not to patronize SSS often - the owners are catty and the service, however little there is, leaves a sour taste. Unless that boy with short brown hair is working. He's nice.
SSS: Chocolate Trifle on top, Strawberry Trifle on Bottom
With that said, I'm nonetheless a proponent of their Chocolate Trifle, an intense crazy bath of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and chocolate whipped cream. It's overkill, yes. It'll like you with the crappiest toothache ever, yes. And maybe a root canal (but hopefully not).
SSS: Strawberry Trifle on top, Banana Pudding on Bottom
My first love at the bakery was Banana Pudding, and there was a point in my life where I would come here for dinner a few times a week. No one said you can't have pudding as dinner. I loved the Vanilla Pudding:Nilla Wafer:Banana ratio and the generous ladles of plush bliss. This pudding was my staple. My starting ground. But after recent visits to Buttercup in the last month, I'm changing teams. Something about lengthwise bananas cuts is quite attracting, heheh. And you'll surely be better treated there. Argue as you must, but I strongly believe that the people/service factor counts for a fair share of any dining experience whether it be fine dining or, in this case, a bakery.
As for the Strawberry Trifle? I'll be lusting after this one during hot summer months. Sweet, though surprisingly refreshing (who thought cake could be refreshing?), and strawberry studded with a lemony twist, it's a fine warm night treat.
Buttercup Bake Shop
973 2nd Avenue
NY, NY 10022
(212) 350-4144
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington St
NY, NY 10002
(212) 995-1960
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