Fancy Flavors Bakeshop recently opened its doors this February. Owned by MHS alumni Jessica Banh and her husband, the shop mainly sells drinks and deserts. Their signature dessert is macarons, and, as a lover of sweets and teas myself, I went to try out this new store’s treats and beverages.
When I got to the bakeshop, the first thing I noticed was the line outside of the store. Due to COVID-19 regulations, the store only allowed one party at a time in the store, and you had to wait outside for your drinks. I came during the afternoon at a busy time, so I had to wait around twenty minutes before I could enter and order. The shop was chic and clean, and the staff were friendly and helpful, apologizing for the wait and giving plenty of food and drink suggestions. My order of a butterfly matcha, vanilla latte, and a three pack of macarons totalled to about $20.
After finishing my drinks and macarons, I concluded that the drinks were pretty good and refreshing, but the macarons were nothing special despite their rather steep price tag.
The macarons were $3 each, but buying them in a pack made the price per macaroon a bit cheaper in exchange for not getting to pick the flavors you want. The three-pack of macarons cost $8, which I considered to be rather pricey, considering each one had a diameter of only an inch and a half. On the bright side, the cashier let me choose which pack I wanted instead of just randomly choosing one for me and even identified which flavors were in each. I got a pack with a white rabbit, chocolate, and ferro macaron. The white rabbit tasted just like vanilla, and the ferro tasted just like chocolate but topped with almonds. The only thing that stood out to me about these macarons was that they were not very sweet. The filling was not sugary at all, and the crumbly texture of the macaron shell was not saccharine either. Other than that, each one just had a light, not very strong, taste of their respective flavors. Overall, they were definitely not bad but not worth their price tag either.
I found the drinks to be a lot more reasonable in the price range; each drink was around $5 and came in a medium sized plastic cup. I ordered both with whole milk, but there were many alternatives to regular milk, including dairy-free ones. Their vanilla latte looked like your typical light coffee while the butterfly matcha was a vivid, deep blue-green,which the shop stated was colored naturally. Like their macarons, both of the bakeshop’s drinks were not very sweet at all, leaning towards the bitter side. Contrasting its rather deep shade, the butterfly matcha had a rather light but fresh taste of matcha—just enough so that the drink would not be so bitter that it needed sweetener. The drink tasted just like a cool cup of matcha tea, with a vibrant hue that made the drink more aesthetically pleasing. The vanilla latte came in the same size container and was your typical vanilla coffee, thankfully without the overpowering sweeteners and vanilla flavoring that some shops add.
Overall, I enjoyed Fancy Flavors Bakeshop’s drinks but will steer away from their regular macarons in the future due to their cost—unless there is a particular flavor I want to try. I know they have a few special flavors like Thai tea and churro that might be worth buying individually; however, I do not know if they are any good. Ultimately, I would say that Fancy Flavors Bakeshop is not your typical dessert shop that crams as much sugar as possible into everything and definitely worth a shot for those who like their sweet things light.
