Perfectly Sweet - Alhambra

My brother had brought my present to dinner at Uzbekistan restaurant in Los Angeles, but I'm not the type to make a fuss in public, so we went home so I could unwrap ie. eat my present. Thanks brother! :)




It came in a pretty box.






Oooooh! Spectacular huh? Yes, that's a real rose, soft velvety petals artfully arranged and lightly dusted with sugar.




It's a 6-inch raspberry cake - triple layer devil's food cake filled with fresh raspberries and ganache, decorated with fresh raspberries. There were fresh raspberries in between each layer as well. The ganache tasted very faintly of mint chocolate, just enough to give a refreshing zing without overpowering the taste. As for the chocolate cake itself, it's incredibly, incredibly dense. A small slice is really all you need, because while this cake is quite impressive in appearance, the cake itself was rather dry, saved only by the very yummy, almost-fudge-like ganache. The bakery even included a long slim candle. I think this cake was $20? Well, all their 6-inch cakes are $20, but ssssh! Don't tell my brother I found out the price, that's tacky. :P

The cake didn't keep too well though and was even harder and dryer several days later. The rose though, I put in a bowl of water and placed it on my coffee table and it maintained its freshness for much longer.

I had eaten here before when Perfectly Sweet had first moved to Alhambra in 1998. It used to be located in Eagle Rock. I had tried their carrot cake and something else, and my friend and I found both to be rather dense and dry so we didn't go back.

But that was way before blogging. And since I did love the presentation of my birthday cake, if not so much the flavor, I thought I'd give them another shot. See? The things I make myself do for my readers... :P

The inside is quite quaint, a bit country. Most of their business seems to come from the catering end, since I've never actually seen the bakery full of customers.




A selection of their mini- and mid-sized cakes. I'd have to say, my birthday cake was much more impressive, no?




And some of their signature meringues and tuxedo strawberries for $1.75. How come no wedding dress strawberries? Are the strawberries all gay? :P




And look! Not just a gingerbread man but whole gingerbread families. Although at $8 a family, I'd have to pass on this.




So what did I end up getting? And again, their signature gold ribbon and purple statice flower.




A very large coffee creme brulee and chocolate espresso truffle cake. I think the creme brulee was 4 inches? So the cake must have been 3 inches? It was filled with yummy coffee cream. Again incredibly dense, it was like eating fudge so I couldn't take more than a few bites. But it was moister than the large cake. I think the smaller cakes probably have more turnover so they're fresher? The creme brulee was rich and smooth, but the sugared topping was not crackling. Each was $4.50.




On another occasion, I got the regular creme brulee for $4.50.




Lemon bars and the Sandra Bernhardt were $1.75. The lemon bar was quite large and satisfied my citrus craving. The Sandra Bernhardt had almond, a light meringue, covered in chocolate.




If I'm ever in the mood for some really dense chocolate cakes, or want a really eye-popping rosy beauty of a cake, I'd probably go back. It's not overwhelmingly sweet, which I absolutely hate, just "perfectly sweet" enough. :)

2007's birthday eats:
Jazz Cat Cafe - Alhambra (Closed)
Uzbekistan - Los Angeles (Closed)
Perfectly Sweet - Alhambra
Tagine - Beverly Hills
Sunday Bistro - Alhambra
Elite Restaurant (Dim Sum) - Monterey Park

What do you like to eat and how do you like to celebrate?

Perfectly Sweet
126 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-282-9400
Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.