Zazou, Redondo Beach, California

Zazou is a cozy contemporary restaurant in Redondo Beach just south of LAX.


Presentation:
Served in a low round bowl-like ramekin atop a dinner plate. No garnish.

Crust:
Medium thickness. Very hard. Classic flavor.

Custard:
Soft, low density custard. Consistent through out as far as density goes, but the temperature varied widely between cool and warm (presumably from where the crust was torched longer). Classic vanilla flavor, but not real strong at all.

Overall Impression:
Classic creme brulee, but the crust's hardness made it a bit less enjoyable. The subdued flavor is actually quite pleasant, although not particular memorable.

Rating:
2/5

The Olive Bar/Acqua Restaurant, San Diego, California

The bar/restaurant in the San Diego Hilton Mission Bay Resort and Hotel. Pretty standard hotel restaurant although they do offer tables next to fire pits for a warm cozy morning or evening meal outdoors.

(I have the photo somewhere, just have to find it)

Presentation:
Served in a round bowl of medium depth. Garnished with strawberries.

Crust:
Crust was thin and not burnt with a classic flavor.

Custard:
Custard was light with definite vanilla overtones. The texture was moist and light almost to the point of a pudding consistency.

Overall Impression:
Pretty typical acceptable creme brulee except with slightly more liquidy custard than I prefer. Overall, it's pretty classic nothing really impresses or detracts. It does come in a pretty good size so it can easily be shared without feeling like you don't get a full dessert.

Rating:
2/5

Mangiamo, Los Angeles, California

A cozy Italian joint right in the heart of Manhattan Beach.


Presentation:
Served in a rather deep circular ramekin on a dinner plate. No garnish.

Crust:
The crust is hard and moderately thick, the hardness is a bit too hard.

Custard:
Served cool. Blueberries inside are a enjoyable flavor explosion and add great spunk to the dessert. The custard has a slight vanilla taste and has a medium density.

Overall Impression:
I enjoyed this crème brûlée. The blueberries are the main highlight to an otherwise classic crème brûlée. They add a distinct contrast to the vanilla custard. The crust is the major detractor in this dessert and at times its hardness detracted a bit from the overall taste; however, it's overall above average.

Rating:
3/5

The Cafe, Los Angeles, California

A typical Italian restaurant in the Hilton hotel at LAX.



Presentation:
It is served in a low ramekin on a dinner plate with a sliced strawberry and a couple raspberries as a garnish. Powdered sugar is sprinkled profusely on the plate.

Crust:
The crust is very thin and delicate. It is actually so thin that it slightly separates. The taste is typical.

Custard:
Solid vanilla taste. Served room temp. The density is very light almost like a whipped pudding more than custard. Beyond the vanilla taste there is almost no taste to it at all.

Overall Impression:
Overall, this is a standard crème brûlée with relatively little to comment about. The raspberry is actually a fun twist, but encouraging for an overall unexciting crème brûlée.

Rating:
2/5