Éclair is the latest dessert cafe to hit the Itaewon area. As the name suggests, it unsurprisingly specializes in French éclairs. Eclairs are one of my absolute favourite desserts of all time. Choux pastry filled with flavoured creams and topped with fondant or ganache, what could be more yummy?

At Éclair they have a large range of different flavours which will make your mouth water the moment you look at them. I have been a lover of éclairs for as long as I can remember so was very keen to try as many as possible. I would have got one of every flavour had my budget allowed, but 3 seemed to suffice. But I will definitely be back to try the rose, chocolate, and caramel next time!

We got the double vanilla, cafe, and a cherry macaroon éclair.  The macaroon eclair was delightful, filled with pistachio crème and sour cherry jam. A crispy outside with a slightly chewy center, the flavour of cherry came through well and really complimented the pistachio creme inside. The vanilla eclair was filled with vanilla cream and topped with vanilla icing. You really can’t go wrong with vanilla. The cafe coffee flavoured eclair was also nice, although I wish the filling had had a touch more flavour as it was rather on the mild side. My only complaint were the little stickers which had been put on them. There really was no point to them at all, and really should be made of edible paper if they want to use them advertise the bakery (no one want’s paper on their food).

As well as éclairs, they have a range of macaroons and chocolate drinks.We were lucky enough to sample the chocolate and it was exceptional. So rich, thick and decadent, it took me right back to Paris, where they serve it so thick, you need a spoon of whipped cream to water it down. They also have a tropical chocolate flavour which combines passion fruit and chocolate in the most delightful way. Well worth a try if you are eating in.

Éclair is located at 247-9 Itaewon dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It’s open from 12 to 8, however they close when they run out of delicious treats so I advise you to get there early to avoid disappointment. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6) and come out of exit 2. Walk straight until you come to the stairs and an underpass. Go through the tunnel and take the stairs on the left. Keep walking straight and follow the road around until you get to Well Being Mart. You should see that the road forks, cross over and take the left side. Keep walking straight, past Beer O’ Clock Pizza, and past the Ace Mart, then take the road that turns right directly after Ace Mart. There are lots of cool bars and restaurants along this street. Keep following the road until you reach Éclair. It’s on the right hand side opposite the CU. For more information call 02-337-8090 or check out their website.

I’m way behind the times once again, as honey chip ice cream has been popular for months and months already. In my defense I did try to go to the original icecreamery Soft Tree several times, only to be dejected when I found out that they didn’t have any honey chip. Apparently there’s quite the scandal as numerous copycat ice cream parlous set up and used all the city’s wealth of honey comb. And faux paraffin comb became more rife than fake Louis Vuitton handbags on the subway, gross or what.

However Sweetruck opened it’s doors in Itaewon so I figured why not give them a try. With their fast assurance that their honeycomb is completely the genuine article, I ordered up myself a cup.

There are only three ice-creams to choose from, milk, chocolate or a mix. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate ice-cream which is strange because I enjoy both chocolate and ice-cream. Just not together (I’m a very complex individual). You can also get a cup or a cone. The cones are just the plain waffle cones, so I went the cup. As much as I enjoy edible containers, I’ve now been ruined for life by the amazing glazed cones that they have at Swi:t B and a regular cone will never quite cut it anymore.

The ice-cream was delicious, very creamy, but with a slightly sour taste. It kind of tasted like milk that’s just about to go off. The kind that when you taste you know it’s now or never. It was still tasty though, but I’m not sure if that’s the way it always is supposed to taste or if I got an iffy batch. I shall have to have another and see. But either way it’s incredibly creamy and yummy. The honeycomb was also terrific, what an ingenious idea and I don’t even like honey that much. Juicy honey and crumbly comb texture, no wonder people are queuing up left right and centre to get one of these bad boys. As you can see below you can get a range of other sauces on your top of your ice-cream if you don’t like honey, but the honey comb is amazing so just get that.

Sweetruck has a variety of locations all over Seoul but I visited the Itaewon branch which is located at 1st floor, 182 Itaewon-ro, YongsanSeou-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon station (line 6) and come out of exit 3, Sweetruck is just on your right. You can call them on 02-793-5800 or check out their website  for more information.

It’s my birthday!!!! Fat Girl is now 2 years old. And what a two years it’s been. This past year has flown so fast and I want to thank all of my wonderful readers for all your love and support over the past year. Just knowing that my recipes and reviews are there to help you makes all the hard work worth it. In the past year I have gained another 1000 followers taking me up to 2080. I have become a columnist for Chip’s Map’s  and written various articles for 10 magazine. I was voted as one of the top 7 blogs in Korea by Groove Magazine and I have just started a new assignment working for Trazy.com (Travel Crazy, great name or what?) Writing my own Fat Girls Fab finds pieces on different themes. As well as this I have done two cocktail pop up events, one semi successful, one incredibly so. And I ran a stall at the handmade market in Kyungnidan.

As a thank you to all my wonderful readers I want to run a competition for you to win a box full of my delicious and home made goodies. I haven’t whipped it up yet,  but it will hopefully include a bottle of my cucumber gin, hummus, tasty garlic dip, muesli,potato salad, wasabi pea dip, a few baked goodies and whatever else I manage to make.  If you would like to get your hands on this box of gourmet goodness all you have to do is share this post on your facebook page and complete the following sentence. To celebrate the fabulous Fat Girl’s birthday I would give her ……………………. . So put your thinking caps on and come up with your wittiest and funniest gift ideas. Real gifts will be accepted ;)

So since it’s my birthday and all, I was pretty much obliged to make a cake. After the success of last year’s Rainbow Cake I knew I really had to pull out all the stops, but sadly my cake decorating abilities haven’t really improved all that much since last year. I really backed myself into a corner by going for gold that first year, but whoever thought Fat Girl would have made it to 2 years old, not me that’s for damn sure. Anyway to two I made it and a cake was needed. The thought of baking in this heat put the fear of god into me, so I knew the way forward would be the watermelon cake. Not only does it look great, it’s fresh, simple, tasty, and healthy too (although it somewhat goes against my mantra). I even decided to skip the regular cream and use whipped coconut milk instead too so it’s vegan and lactose friendly too. Again, surprisingly easy to make, you should give it a go, next time you are in need of a dairy free alternative. You can of course use plain old whipped cream if you prefer or even frosting.

Ingredients

2 cans of coconut milk

1 tablespoon of vanilla

3 tablespoons of icing sugar

1/2 a teaspoon of xanthan gum

1 watermelon

Fruit for decoration

Directions 

1. To turn the coconut milk into cream you need to put the cans in the fridge unopened overnight. When you are ready chill a bowl and your beaters. Then open the bottom of the can and pour off the milk (to save for smoothies or other delicious treats)and then put the cream part in your chilled bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer, you might be able to do this by hand but it would need an awful lot of elbow grease. Whisk until it becomes thick like regular cream, it should take around 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and sugar powder if using and whisk for a little longer to incorporate. If you have any xanthan gum, it will help the stability but it’s not necessary.

2. To make the cake part, cut the top and the bottom off of the watermelon then remove the green outside by cutting the pieces off length wise. It doesn’t need to be perfect, you can cover up the imperfections with the frosting. Once you are happy with the shape, pat the watermelon down to remove the extra juice.

3. Take your lovely whipped coconut cream and cover the watermelon in a smooth layer. I then took a piping bag and used it to make some cuter decorations but it’s really up to you. Finish up with some fresh fruit and all the decorations your heart desires. Happy Birthday me!

Easter is a special time of year where you are encouraged to eat copious amounts of chocolate. In England Easter is a our second biggest family food filled holiday after Christmas. The stakes are always high and only the best will do. I had planned to make a full on lamb roast and then have this for dessert. However instead of going out to buy my lamb I got drunk instead, which is why I only have dessert to show you. But it’s better than nothing right?

This is probably the richest and most decadent dessert I have ever made. In fact I only could eat 2 pieces in one go which is practically unheard of for me. Especially since I was hungover, which is when I usually gorge like there is no tomorrow. Despite the many layers involved this is actually a pretty easy dessert to make and it will be sure to wow your friends, or yourself. Because sometimes we all deserve a treat. For the brownie do as much work as you like. I used my box mix but feel free to bring out your best brownie recipe.

Ingredients 

Brownie

65g of flour

45g of cocoa powder

200g of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

100g of chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 a cup of oil

Cheesecake filling 

400g of cream cheese

400ml of whipping cream

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

200g of icing sugar

5 tablespoons of peanut butter

3 tablespoons of nutella

10 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups to decorate

Directions 

1. Weigh out all your dry ingredients if you haven’t got a pre-made mix you made earlier (a la Blue Peter)

2. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper or skip this if you have decent bake ware.

3. Measure the oil and add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk. Then add to the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture is combined. No need to over mix here. You can also add in any extras at this point, for ideas see my note at the bottom.  Then pour into your tin and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on how you like it) or until a tooth pick comes out clean(ish). Allow to cool for an hour. If the brownie is still warm it will melt the cheesecake layer.

4. While your brownie is cooling make the cheesecake layers. Beat the cream cheese and vanilla until soft. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks, then gradually mix it into the cream cheese so you don’t get lumps. Then mix in the icing sugar until smooth.

5. Take one third of the cream cheese mixture and mix in the Nutella. Mix the peanut butter into the other two thirds. Then chop the Reese’s peanut butter cups into chunks. To assemble put the peanut layer on top of your brownie, smooth down then top with the Nutella layer, smooth down then scatter over the peanut butter cup pieces. Then leave to refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The longer you leave it the more integrity it will have. Although I wouldn’t blame you for eating it after an hour  as it requires a lot of restraint to wait out the time :)Happy Easter everyone!

Oh brownies I do love a brownie, good, bad or even mediocre. I’m even prepared to eat slightly burnt ones that have fallen on the floor. Now don’t get me wrong I love the luxury of an out and out decadent brownie which is stuffed to the brim with melted chocolate and butter like this one. But sometimes my fridge is bare of butter and chocolate. That’s where a box mix fix comes in. I will always pick them up if I see them on sale but rarely seems to happen these days. However I just found out you can make them for virtually nothing at home. If you get your chocolate chips for free on i-herb like I do then you are laughing. Just measure out your ingredients, chuck them in a zip-lock bag and just put add eggs and oil when you are ready to go. I decided to be a little more fancy and store mine in jars because a) I didn’t have any zip-lock bags b) jars are cool and c) I have a lot of jars which I went mad buying after first discovering Pinterest then subsequently never used. It’s suggested to give away these cuties as gifts, I’d probably have to adjust the size of the recipe and not eat them myself but a good idea in theory.

So you may have noticed that my brownie is a little rustic this week, mainly because I dropped it on the floor. Did I have a little cry about this, yes, yes I did. I have made brownies for the past 3 weeks in a row intending to write a post about it but the first one I burnt beyond repair (but still ate), the second one got eaten before a picture was procured and this one was dropped and slightly burnt, but I decided to suck it up and show it to you anyway as we all make mistakes and it doesn’t make me a bad person. It just means that the damn temperature gauge on my oven is broken and I drop things sometimes.

Ingredients

65g of flour

45g of cocoa powder

200g of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

100g of chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 a cup of oil

Directions

1. Weigh out all your dry ingredients and put them in a mixing bowl or store them in a zip-lock bag or jar for later.

2. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper or skip this if you have decent bake wear.

3. Measure the oil and add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk. Then add to the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture is combined. No need to over mix here. You can also add in any extras at this point, for ideas see my note at the bottom.  Then pour into your tin and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on how you like it) or until a tooth pick comes out clean(ish).

When your brownie is done leave to cool for ten minutes before removing from the pan. Under no circumstances drop the brownie on the floor and have a tantrum like I did. It’s seriously not cool past the age of 27.

This is a quick and easy brownie recipe that you can whip up in minutes with minimum effort when you are in the mood for a treat. It’s not the kind of brownie I’d try to make if I wanted to impress other bakers. Don’t get me wrong it’s still yummy just not amazing. You can pimp it up in various ways, add nuts, a couple of spoons of peanut butter, some white chocolate chips, or my latest favourite is to add a teaspoon of the orange extract that I bought on i-Herb. Can’t beat orange and chocolate goodness. You could also use this brownie base for a variety of other desserts like my Chocolate Trifle or Peanut Butter Brownie Cheesecake.

I thought I would share this cute little coffee and churro place I came across in Sinsa, in fact it’s right across the street from Buccella Sandwich. There are coffee shops everywhere you look in Garosugil but this one has some really cool desserts on offer and I loved the decor. Also when when the sun is shining, their patio is an awesome place to hangout and look cool (which I always do). There was also no queue when we visited unlike the Street Churros in Kyungnidan which had a one a mile long.

At this point in the day  I had already had a coffee and some lunch, but just about had enough room for a Churro Sundae (4,500). The churro was pretty good, but not rolled in sugar, although if you buy them separately they do. It was fried freshly in front of us and they also had various different flavours of fillings you could have.

Nice vanilla ice-cream and thick chocolate fudge sauce it really hit the spot. The Fat Boyfriend and myself polished it off quite nicely.

As well as the churros, dessert goodies and drinks, they have a random assortment of other things on sale like Guinness flavoured crisps. I was insanely excited about this until I found out they were 15,000 won and couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for them. They also had other random English candies like Walkers Toffee for ridiculously expensive prices but I guess that’s Gangnam style! This would make a great place for a casual date, it’s cool with nice desserts and wont cost you a fortune if it doesn’t work out. I guess that’s why Korea is overrun with coffee shops, not that I am complaining. I do love me a coffee shop.

Coffee Chu is located at Seoul Building, 535-23, Namhye, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu seoul. To get there take a train to Sinsa station (line 3). Come out of exit 8 and walk straight until you get to Tous Le Jours and make a left. Keep walking straight along that road. It is tucked away on one of the little side alleys on the left about halfway down Garosugil oppositre Buccella sandwich. For more info you can call them on 070-8866-4592

Last week I was invited to try the newest French restaurant to hit Itaewon. P’tit Paris is a small and cute little restaurant which specializes in crepes! J’adore crepes and all things French, so I was super excited to try them out. There is a lovely large bar in the front and seating for about 10 in the cozy restaurant at the back. The menu is in French and Korean, but the lovely Uni is there to explain everything if you need any help.

We started off with a glass of their freshly squeezed orange juice (6,000). It was so tasty, I finished mine in minutes. My dining companion remarked that it was a little warm, so maybe a few ice-cubes wouldn’t go amiss. But not too many as we really wouldn’t want to take the space of that wonderful juice.

Our first crepe to try was the Galette Champignons (12,000). I think we all know how much I love mushrooms, but mushrooms in a creamy cheese sauce wrapped up in a crepe is perfection. This was so tasty and comforting I will certainly be back to have another one. If we didn’t have more dishes coming I really would have had another one, it was just perfect.

Our sec0nd crepe was the Galette Complete (12,000). Inside were mushrooms, ham, and cheese and it was topped with an egg. This was made in the very traditional way so the the egg wasn’t cooked 100% right through. I’m personally fine with having raw egg, but for those who don’t perhaps you can ask them to cook it more. The crepe again was nice and cheese and ham is always a winning combination. Although the mushrooms were not cooked in this one, I would have loved them to have been fried in butter first.

Next up was Prosciutto salad (15,000). My assistant Victoria was starting to get a bit full by the time the salad showed up, but I really picked up the slack and ate the part of her share that she couldn’t manage. There was something so rich and creamy about this salad. Chunks of mozzarella, strips of prosciutto and lots of grated parmesan. It really was good and went perfectly with the crepes.

Finally we tried their special cinnamon apple filling crepe (15,000). This was lovely too. Just like an apple pie with a crepe instead of pie crust. It was so tasty we didn’t leave a bite. If there was a scoop of ice-cream on the top it would be heavenly. They also have a variety of other dessert crepes on the menu including Nutella!

As well as the sweet and savoys crepes and galettes , there are salads and various other accompaniment dishes on the menu. There is also plenty of booze including wine, beers, and cocktails!  With Pancake Day on the way soon (March 4th) it’s the perfect place to try if you can’t or won’t make your own.

P’tit Paris is located at 57-19 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there, take a train to Itaewon station (Line6) and walk out of exit 1. Walk straight all the way down to the end of the road and walk up the hill. P’tit Paris is located in the small alleyway opposite Starbucks. For more information call 070-4243-3302 or check out their facebook page.

I’m not sure if this is a cheesecake or a dessert but either way it’s completely delicious. A soft chewy chocolate brownie which would be good enough on its own, layered with a a thick peanut-butter cream cheese layer then topped off with a chocolate and nutella ganache. The saltiness of the creamy peanut layer really helps cut through the richness of the brownie and the topping. If you are a peanut and chocolate lover then this is the dessert for you. The brownie recipe is from David Lebovitz and is considered to be one of the best brownie recipes around. I will definitely be using it again next time I make my brownies.

Ingredients

Brownie

8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter, cubed

2 ounces (60 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped.

1 cup (200 g) sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (75 g) nuts, chopped

1/4 cup (25 g) chocolate chips

1/4 cup (35 g) flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut cheesecake layer

200g of cream cheese

5 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter

200ml of cream (whipped until thick)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Nutella Ganache

3 tablespoons of Nutella

100g of milk or plain chocolate

100ml of cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC.) I decided to bake my brownie in the same pan I was planning to serve it in. So line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with baking paper, leaving the overhang over the rim of the pan. This is so you can remove the brownie layer after it’s done.

2. In a medium saucepan set over very low heat, melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then mix in the eggs and the vanilla extract.

3. Stir in the nuts and cocoa chips, then the flour and salt. Scrape the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just-set in the centre. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping the baking paper. Peel off the paper then put the brownie layer back into your serving dish.

4. Make the cheesecake layer by mixing together the peanut butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth and combined. Then fold in the whipped cream until thoroughly mixed. Then spread this layer over the brownie and pop it into the fridge to set whilst you make the ganache.

5. To make the ganache put the chocolate, cream and Nutella into a glass or metal bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir until all the chocolate and Nutella have melted and you have a thick glossy chocolate sauce. Take the bowl off the heat then stir for a minute or two to help it cool, then pour over the peanut cheesecake layer. Put the whole think back in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set. When its done, cut into slices and serve or eat it straight from the dish with a big ass spoon a la fat girl. Voilà the peanut butter brownie cheesecake, the deliciousness of two desserts combined into one super dessert.

I love pavlova, it’s one of my absolute favourite desserts. I always make it back home in England, but here in Korea I have never made it as my oven was too small. However, now I have the king of toaster ovens, there’s more than enough room. So I thought it was about time I had a bash at this quick and easy favourite. It turned out perfectly and now I cant see why I waited so long.  I filled my pavlova with Nutella because, let’s be honest, there aren’t enough desserts in the world that have Nutella in them.

Ingredients

300g of caster sugar

6 egg whites

1 table-spoon of cornflour

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

Nutella Ganache

3 large tablespoons of nutella

100g of dark chocolate

4 tablespoons of cream

1-2 cups of whipped cream for the filling

Chopped nuts

Directions

Separate your eggs (whites only) and whisk them to stiff peaks in a clean mixing bowl. I would recommend an electric whisk unless you are very strong.You need the egg whites to be as stiff as possible as they will only get softer as you beat in the sugar. An old trick is to beat them stiff enough so they are able to stay in the bowl when held upside down. Beat in the caster sugar a bit at time until it has been incorporated into the egg whites so they form soft peaks. Stir in the cornflour and vinegar to help them hold their shape and give them some extra gloss.

Line a baking tray with a piece of grease-proof paper. Draw a circle on the grease-proof paper and fill it in with a layer of the meringue. Then build up the edges by spooning or piping blobs around the outside until it forms the pavlova shape. Bake in an oven set to 150 degrees Celcius for about an hour until the meringue has set. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside to dry out for a few hours, ideally overnight.

To make the ganache, melt the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the cream and Nutella until it has all melted and made a thick luxurious sauce.

Pavlovas should be assembled at the last moment, so wait until you are ready to serve before adding the ganache and whipped cream. I decided to have a little chocolate surprise hiding under the cream so put a layer of my Nutella ganache on first.

Then I topped with the whipped cream and drizzled on the rest of the Nutella ganache and sprinkled with chopped nuts. It was every bit as good as it looks.  Voilà naughty nutella pavlova.

Last Sunday morning I was lying in bed trying to decide what to have for my breakfast. I was craving french toast, but wanted to amp up the volume and change it up a bit so I hit upon that old British classic, bread and butter pudding. What could be better than lovely custardy french toast slathered in even more, lovely vanilla custard. Part breakfast part dessert; I am not ashamed to admit that I ate the whole thing over the course of the day whilst watching episodes of Columbo on Netflix. I’m not sure if I should be rather ashamed that I am turning into my Nan, but I am not. It was a lovely way to spend the end of the weekend on a cold rainy day. Next time I might add a few berries or some Nutella to mix it up.

Ingredients

French Toast

1 1/2 loaves of bread (Morning toast bread from Paris Baguette)

300ml of cream

300ml of full fat milk

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

4 tablespoons of sugar

Half a stick of butter (for frying)

Custard

6 egg yolks

1 egg

75g white sugar

25g of flour

4 teaspoons of corn flour / cornstarch (They sell it in all Korean supermarkets, it’s got a picture of corn on the front)

500ml of milk

1 tablespoon of Vanilla syrup

A few drops of vanilla extract (you can use the extract, the syrup or a vanilla pod)

Directions

Cut your loaf into 3/4 of an inch thick slices. I made mine using a fresh loaf but if you let it go stale for a day I am told it’s even better. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla until mixed together. Heat your pan to a low/medium temperature and throw in a knob of butter. Dip a slice of bread into the custard mixture, let it soak up those juices, then turn it over to do the other side and throw it into the frying pan. Depending on the size of your frying pan you will be able to cook 2-3 slices at a time. After a few minutes it should be golden brown on the bottom side. Flip it over and do the other side for a few more minutes. Making sure that the custard has set in the middle, remove from the pan and cook the remaining slices. When all of your french toast is made, cut into triangles and arrange in your dish. Then make the lovely custard.

To make the custard whisk your egg yolks and egg with the sugar until it has become a very pale yellow. Whisk in the flour and corn flour until it has combined then set aside. Heat the milk and vanilla on a low heat until it has just started to boil then take it off the heat and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly mix the hot milk into the yolk and flour mixture until it has combined then pour it into a saucepan. Put the custard on a very low heat and whisk it continuously until it begins to thicken. This will happen all at once so make sure you keep an eye on it or it will curdle. Once it’s thickened into custard you can remove from the heat and pour it all over the french toast.  Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake in the oven at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, until the sugar has browned and you have a lovely bread and buttery goodness on your hands. Serve with extra maple syrup if you have a seriously sweet tooth.