Sometimes I get fleeting obsessions with a particular type of food. And when I do, I often go on a hunt to find the most delicious offering of its type in the city. For instance, so far the best hummus is in a small family restaurant in White City and the best falafels are served by PilPel in Liverpool Street. I have waffles in Stax in Carnaby Street and chicken wings in any branch of Tinseltown. A and I are hardcore foodies, so we often venture our to try different cuisines. On these adventures, we have tried so many bakeries to find the best cupcakes. Ones that are not too sweet, and offer a good balance of cake and icing. After a lengthy exploration around town, through shops north and south of the river, we found them in a quaint, little store in Soho. They are the Cookies and Cream cupcakes in Crumbs and Doilies.
The company itself has been established for around a decade now, but the shop itself is fairly new. It was founded by Jemma, a hybrid baker/youtuber. She makes cupcake making so enticing online. And when I found out that she had set up shop near Oxford Street, I knew we had to pay it a visit. Theoretically I could recreate her sugary masterpieces via her videos, but I am not disciplined enough to follow baking recipes to the tee. And one knows that if one doesn't follow each step correctly, one will end up with a gooey mess. I once mistaken a teaspoon for a tablespoon of baking powder and ended up with a volcano instead of a chocolate cake.
Since our first visit to Crumbs and Doilies a few years ago, we have been regular customers. And we are even followers of the shop on Instagram. On one of the visits, after tasting many of her recipes beforehand like the traditional vanilla cupcakes and the more exotic buttered popcorn cupcakes, we purchased the ones they named Cookies and Cream. And since then, we have never looked back. The cake is so moist and sweet, but not too sweet. And the topping is made out of oreos (best invention ever!) and is so luscious, it melts in your mouth instantly. The first time I tried it, it was honestly like fireworks were going off in my mouth - it was that good.
Since then, we only go when C&C is available for purchase. And whenever I am in deep need for a pick me up, A and I would pay a visit to Soho to get our hands on these little pockets of heaven. They normally have a little oreo piece on top of it, but when I visited during Halloween, they decorated them with tombstones (like in the picture above). My obsession has been really palpable that A and even my sister knows that they will instantly earn extra brownie points if they surprise me with C&C cupcakes.
And since this discovery, my exploration of cupcakes in general has stopped in its tracks. I find it safe to consume cupcakes that I know that I will enjoy rather than taking risks elsewhere. I have been less experimental and daring in my food adventures, and have been morphing into a creature of habit. I will find a new cupcake store, peek through its windows to see their displayed cupcakes and think instantly, "They won't be as good. I just know it." But what if there is a better cupcake out there? Am I missing out? How do I know I have found the best cupcake in the city if I stopped trying?
This is akin to when people ask me why I married young. How did I know A was the one? But you haven't really known anyone else? What if there is someone better out there? My simple answer is, I don't know, and probably will never know. But at the same time, even if there was a better A out there, that person is not A and that is a big disadvantage in itself. I am happy and contented with my choices in C&C and A, and they made me stop looking. I have everything that I need.
I did ask a question to A many years ago, "Did you have a list before you met me? Like a list of things you wanted in a spouse?"
"Of course I had a list. But when I met you, you became my list."
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