MoMo & Coco

Salswee Asian-French Patisserie (NYC)

Feasting on a trompe l’oeil dessert fruit orchard in the middle of Manhattan.

 

Our experience

French bakeries open up almost every other month in NYC, serving up a somewhat soporific selection of brown pastries and yet attracting legions of foodies. If we see yet another croissant…*yawn*…. Less frequent, and more interesting in our humble opinion, is the opening of a proper patisserie, and one of the most lauded patisserie openings in recent times has been Salswee near Union Square.  Upon pushing open the croissant-shaped door handles, Salswee is the type of patisserie cafe that we want near our apartment. Boy would we get f-a-t super fast if so, though!

 

Overlooking the cramped seating area that is not conducive for slow cake sampling but more for a coffee and croissant short stop, Salswee shines more as a fancy cake take-away spot. From the incredible range of viennoiseries on its marble countertop, we love the chocolate-dipped, aptly named Flatiron (we have included it in an updated list of the most viral croissants in NYC too, see here and here). But, the attention must surely go to Salswee’s trompe l’oeil mousse cakes. With each creation priced around the $10-11 range, they are much better value in our opinion than a nearby patisserie pricing its very subtly-flavoured creations at the $15-16 mark. From the many trompe l’oeil desserts on offer, we particularly recommend Salswee’s sunset-hued Mango with its vibrant flavours and the cute, cyclop-looking Coconut mousse cake. The red-topped Mushroom was the most sweet-toned with its strawberry and white chocolate tones, whereas the Pear with very life-like shadows dappling its surface was the most subtly flavoured.

Trompe l’oeil desserts were all the rage a few years ago (see our past review here), only to quickly shutter as initial hype dissipated with NYC’s fickle foodie crowd. We are delighted that Salswee has rejuvenated trompe l’oeil desserts, and look forward to seeing more creativity from this new dessert hotspot in NYC. 

 

Dessert adventure checklist

  1. ☑ Dessert destination: Salswee, 180 5th Avenue, Flatiron, Manhattan. 
  2. ☑ Budget: $$.
  3. ☑  Sweet irresistibles: Cake.
  4. ☑  Must-eat: The “Mango” cake. 
  5. ☑  The short and sweet story: Feasting on a trompe l’oeil dessert fruit orchard in the middle of Manhattan. 

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