Crepes to go
Cecel Cafe Crepe, 135 1st Ave (btw 9th ST and St. Mark’s Pl), is a cute little place with only a bench and a small counter for eating in. It’s open late (midnight) all week, and till 2am Fridays and Saturdays. The kitchen is right behind the register, wide open so you can see them make and fill each crepe with meticulous precision. The menu has variety of sweet and savory crepes with familiar fruit and dessert flavors and Japanese twists including red beans in sweet combinations, tofu and hijiki (seaweed) for savory creations. The crepes themselves only took a minute or so to cook on the grill, and then they take their time trying to perfectly replicate the filling from the photos on the menu before rolling it all up.
I ordered a small Double Mango; fresh mango, sponge cake, mango sauce and thick tasty pastry cream. I love the filling and the soft crepe; but I think I could do without the sponge cake getting in the way of my mango and cream. The hubby ordered a Banana Strawberry minus the custard and chocolate sauce (went with a caramel sauce instead) then proceeded to finish it without offering me any.
We were a bit surprised to see the guy actually slicing and skinning fruit per order, wasn’t pre-cut in containers. It was nearly 10pm and there were only two other customers we saw going in. Makes me wonder what the place looks like during peak hours.
-LAdd comment January 19, 2008
