ROCQ Cafe - A Local Gem in Lake Forest, CA

I've been driving pass by ROCQ Cafe so many times but never really had any thoughts about giving it a try, until one day my friend suggested having a weekend brunch there last week. 

The minute right after I walked inside the cafe, the place gave me a cozy and welcoming feeling instantly. Well, to tell you the truth, I was mostly blinded by its ordinary green and white signage outside the cafe and would have never expected such a cute design for the interior.

On top of that, being around the neighborhood for quite some time, I know the quality of the restaurants here, sustainable but not outstanding. Therefore my mind just automatically blocked me from trying out most of the eateries around the area.

Brunch is only offered during weekends at ROCQ Cafe. In addition, this place only opens during day time (in case you're thinking about dining here during late hours).

Our seats (so cute)! - 

Menu - 

Inside the menu - 

My friend's fluffy looking coffee - 

Counter area - 

 Eggs benedict with crab cake $11.95 - 

"Crispy potato, roasted tomatoes, hollandaise sauce"

My classic French sandwich croque madame $9.95 - 

"Ham, Swiss cheese, bechamel sauce"

I rarely order croque madame so I'm not really in a good position to determine whether or not ROCQ Cafe did a fine job on this dish. However, I do know that my croque madame was really yummy. The crust was slightly crunchy and together with runny egg yolk created a luscious combo. The bechamel sauce was not over-powering so the savory flavor from the ham still shines through.

Perfect bite -

Besides these two dishes, there were other classic French selections such as coq au vin, crepes, and quiche.

To make our brunch even better - 

We selected one lavender macaron, one pineapple macaron, and a "green" colored vanilla cake - 

My friend said ROCQ usually makes heart shape macarons, but it was around Easter time so they changed to egg shaped macarons, which we did not choose. 

I was never a big fan of macarons until I tried Ladurée, the case still applies today.

Not sure about the coloring of the vanilla cake, which somewhat resembles active fungi. Taste-wise, the cake is decent and moist.

The portion is on the smaller side here at ROCQ Cafe. I felt like I need two orders to fill my appetite. However, I do eat a lot for my first meal of the day. The truth is the food here is not extraordinary awesome but it ain't bad at all. I wasn't overly impressed but the cafe surely proves itself to be one of the best choices around the neighborhood if you're looking for a light meal. And somehow I've been having this urge asking me to come back again. Perhaps the cozy vibe of the place has something to do with it.

Cindy's Review: 6


ROCQ Cafe
22722 Lambert Street
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 916-0722

Monday - Friday
11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday/Sunday
8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Catering service available, check out ROCQ Cafe official website for more details.

Layer Cake Bakery

I was at Pho Bac Ky for dinner,

Thought that steamy hot soup noodles can make my strep throat feel better.

While pulling my car into the plaza,

I noticed that the new Tapioca Express is finally up and running,

Decided to grab a cup of tea after pho,

To wash down that onion taste in my mouth.

So me and my friend were walking along the side walk,

Eh?

Layer Cake Bakery?

Since when there's a bakery in the plaza?

Right at that moment,

I completely throw Tapioca out of my mind, let's go and grab some dessert home!

Vanilla, Raspberry, and Pistachio Macaroon-

Ok, I have to admit it here,

I'm never a macaroon fan,

Somehow I have issues with this kind of texture,

Something like macaroon and meringue, just not my thing.

So why I still bought those?

I don't know, they were so cute!

Banana Cream Pie-

Perfect sweetness level, not too over-powering.

However, a little bit more fresh banana slices in the pie will be better.

This time I only got 2 things from the bakery,

So no ratings for now,

For sure I'll stop by some time and give other items a try.

Quick note,

The owner of the bakery was pretty nice,

Good service always gets Cindy's business!

Layer Cake Bakery
4250 Barranca Parkway, Ste 1
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 786-0223
http://layercakebakery.com/

Champagne. Not Your Normal Daily Drink.

I was in the mood for champagne, thought that it should a wonderful day to start my day.

Note* that I'm not an alcoholic here,

I'm talking about a cafe joint that actually called - Champagne -

They have stores throughout California,

The one I went to is located at South Coast Plaza (they actually have two stores there),

And yes, I went shopping again...

As for my lunch, I had garlic chicken panini with Caesar salad-

I'm a big fan of panini,

How can you resist it when you see that melted cheese flowing out of a hot, crunchy bread.

However,

The salad was ok. Nothing special.

Cindy's Rating for Panini: 6

Cindy's Rating for Caesar Salad: 5

Bread Pudding-

I know the presentation doesn't look so good,

But it surely tastes creamy and delicious.

(Still can't beat my favorite bread pudding from Extraordinary Dessert!)

Cindy's Rating: 6

Champagne also carries other items such as crepes, quiches, and soups.

Wait a second, I'm not done yet,

There's a bakery side that carries fresh baked goods everyday.

Croissant, brioche, black forest, fruit tarts, creme brulee, napoleon, baguette,

You name it.

I can get more than what I expected for a small price.

You wanna join the faux alcoholic group and start out your day with Champagne too?

Overall Rating: 6

Champagne (South Coast Plaza)

3333 Bear Street #151

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 429-1502

http://www.champagnebakery.com/index.asp

JJ Bakery - 小雅屋

Don't be fooled by the pictures,
They may look cute,
Doesn't mean that they taste great.

Hazelnut Cake-


I can barely taste the hazelnut.

Cindy's Rating: 4

Creme Brulee-


Cindy's Rating: 4

Blueberry mousse-


At least this one has real big blueberries.
But the garnish on top doesn't go well with the dessert at all.

Cindy's Rating: 5

Overall Rating: 5

JJ Bakery 小雅屋

5408 Walnut Ave #D

Irvine, CA

(949) 654-1768

http://jjbakeryusa.com/

Arcadia Tasty Garden

Haven't cooked for a long time,

Been eating out these days,

I miss homemade food....

I shall start cooking this weekend!

But before that,

Lets look at what I had for dinner today first!

Menu (well of course I didn't "had" this for dinner..)-

Restaurant Layout-

I consider this place is pretty clean compare to other average Chinese restaurants,

Bright lighting, Vivid wall color, and platform TVs,

Which raise a question in my mind,

Is it a good thing to put a TV in a restaurant?

Maybe it's a way for people to avoid that uncomfortable moment of silence by staring at the TV,

Like they really do care about what is being shown inside that black square frame.

I don't know.

Hong Kong Style Waffle (雞蛋糕)-

I personally have an opinion about its English name,

I thought 雞蛋糕 is originally from Taiwan,

Once again, I don't know.

Cindy's Rating: 3 (Taiwan style waffle tastes better. Saying that with my country pride)

Crispy Walnut Shrimp (西汁核桃蝦) and House Special Chicken (貴妃雞)-

Cindy's Rating for the Shrimp: 5

Cindy's Rating for the Chicken: 7

Overall Rating: 5

Arcadia Tasty Garden

1212 S. Baldwin Ave

Arcadia, CA 91007

(626) 445-9388

Susina Bakery & Cafe

After driving in a circle for at least 10 minutes,

Stuck in LA's traffic,

Making who know how many U-turns,

Me and my friends finally found this place.

Susina Bakery-

I called in earlier to reserve a cake for mi amigo's birthday.

Bear Chocolate Cake-

White chocolate mousse, Italian rum, chocolate mousse with milk chocolate chunks.

Not too sweet.

By the way. I bit that.

Cindy's Rating: 5

End result: Extraordinary Dessert is still the King!

Susina Bakery & Cafe

7122 Beverly Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 934-7900

http://www.susinabakery.com

Battle Between Portuguese Egg Tarts

The one from Kin Meng Bakery in China Town, San Francisco-


The one from KFC, Taiwan-


You'll be the judge of which one tastes better.
(Sorry for the incomplete egg tart. I couldn't help to take a bite..)

My Favorite Dessert Place in CA!

I always drive all the way down to San Diego for dessert,
Trust me, it's worth it.
I've been to so many dessert places in Southern California,
Still,
Only Extraordinary Dessert wins my heart.

They have thick, creamy cakes,
with unbelievable aroma,
Not mentioning the cute little flowery decor on the top of these sweet little devils.

But how about those Japanese style dessert?
Well, some of them are good,
However, the tastes are a wee bit too light for me.
And I don't like fluffy sponge cake,
Never a big fan of mousses too.

Only, Only Extraordinary Dessert.
Well, at least in Southern California.

Let me show you one corner of the place and their menu first-



And here are the yummy stuff,

Toasted Macadamia Caramel Cheesecake-

Cindy's Rating: 7

Berry Denvonshire-

Cindy's Rating: 7.5

American Beauty-Light drink with rose extract

Cindy's Rating: 6

Too bad they didn't have my favorite two things yesterday.
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Banana Cream Tart
But I shall return!

Suggestion:
If you don't like those thick, creamy tastes, or you prefer not-so-sweet dessert, try to avoid ordering cakes from here, just go for the tarts, pies, mousses, stuff like that.

I always go to the one on Union Street cz they have more variety for dessert and the place is more spacious. It's kinda like a lounge at night. The other place on Fifth Street is the first original Extraordinary Dessert, smaller but cute.
Remember, it can gets really crowded during weekends and at nights.

Karen Krasne Extraordinary Dessert
1430 Union Street
San Diego, California 92101
(619) 294-7001

2929 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, California 92103
(619) 294-2132