My favorite uncle lives in Jersey and works out of New York, which is one of the reasons I love visiting NYC! I got to meet with him before a family holiday to Tuscany, so it was nice to catch up and swap stories of what each of us was up to since we last saw each other earlier in the year.
Uncle Nelson picked me up at the apartment I was staying at, and we drove around for a bit, stopping by the Met to pick up a souvenir for a friend - which is where I discovered there was an Alexander McQueen exhibit going on. Feeling a bit peckish, but being as it were, way too early for dinner, he brought me to a quaint little cake shop called Lady M Confections. Who would ever think that this little place was one of New York's best kept secrets?
Deciding to have a spot of tea - or rather, coffee - we found a place to park his roadster and walked into the unassuming café. I initially had my eye on the Green Tea Mousse Cake, but that quickly sold out after we found a spot to sit.
Although a tad tight, the shop was abuzz with servers getting people seated, taking orders, and ringing up individually wrapped cakes to go. I love the overall design of the place - it has a bit of a French-Japanese air, with the white furnishings and impeccable attention to detail. I wish I had taken more pictures.
We quickly ordered two cappuccinos and different cakes to try. The cappuccinos were frothy and rich, with a thick froth on top. We quietly exchanged stories and people watched while waiting for our confections to be served. New York is such the foodie town, you gotta love it!
I'm a chocoholic, so the Framboise au Chocolat #12 ($6.50) seemed to be the sensible choice. When they described the cake as decadent, they sure as hell weren't kidding! There was milk and dark chocolate ganache, alongside the crunch of gianduja-laced feuilletine. In layman's terms, that's basically sweet chocolate, on semi-bitter chocolate, on very rich, hazelnut chocolate. Silky raspberry purée sandwiched the layers of chocolate cake with a delicate crumb, topped with a raspberry glaze that makes your heart stop. It's so damn beautiful! And it tasted just as good as it sounds, too!
Uncle Nelson got their famous signature cake Lady M Mille Crêpes ($6.50) - twenty (count 'em) paper-thin handmade crêpes layered with an ethereally light pastry cream. The not-so-little crêpe stack looked incredibly delicate, being held together with equally thin layers of pastry cream that would just melt in my mouth whenever I'd take a bite. The Mille Crêpes also comes in chocolate, chestnut, coconut, coffee, and green tea flavors. I'm very curious about the green tea.
We left Lady M quite satisfied with our coffee and cake, and drove around the city some more, with Uncle Nelson pointing out places of note, like the High Line and the Meatpacking district, and with me trying to make a mental note of everything he'd say while at the same time enjoying the views of the city. I love how my favorite uncle just so happens to be quite the extensive traveler and foodie! Maybe that's where I get my penchant for mucking around from?
Lady M Confections
41 East 78th Street
New York, NY 10075
