It’s been a while since I posted about my foodie adventures, but with all the trips I am planning, I have honestly been saving my food budget money to cooking at home. However, this bakery has served a rightful place in my blog. French Riviera Bakery is a local bakery and cafe located in the Houston area, and it’s a convenient 10-15 minute drive near the Houston Galleria Mall.
Aesthetically, the cafe has a sleek black sign with a building design that has red brick walls and white stone bricks. The building has a contemporary design to it, but it does captivate the essence of a Parisian bakery. Upon entrance, the building is painted with a beautiful warm shade of yellow, and the decor of the restaurant has delicate plates against the walls, fresh plants, and pretty draping from the curtains. I was surprised on the vast seating area!
It took about 7-10 minutes until the server gave me my food orders one at a time. I was thrilled by the freshness and presentation of the food. The first order I received was the fruit tart cake. I can tell the ingredients used in the cake were natural and simplistic- it’s definitely not a dish with any artificial gunk. From the taste of the crust and the whipping, it was an all-around delightful pastry treat. Plus, the strawberries inside were well blended with the whip cream. I liked how the strawberries weren’t warm or goopy, despite being placed in the center of a warm, baked cake.
When I tasted the fruit cup, I wasn’t disappointed nor surprised with the taste of it. It was pretty much a typical, standard fruit cup dish. However, I appreciated how well the fruits were sliced. Each fruit slice was fresh in taste and looked perfectly ripe. The variety of the fruit cup was also a great plus- you get strawberries, cantaloupe, melon, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and blackberries. I can recall dining at a lot of high end cafes where they only serve four types of fruit in their fruit cup dish.
When I took a sip of my cappuccino, it truly hit the spot. The milk is well foamed with the double espresso. Now, I would be a liar if I told you I was a coffee connoisseur, but I can definitely tell the spices used in the cappuccino were different than a Starbucks drink, especially with French Riviera’s subtle kick in cinnamon. However, I consider myself a sweet coffee drinker, so I ended up adding some more cream and sugar afterwards. When I ordered the cappuccino, I decided to order a large, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the portion size- I just wasn’t expecting the cup to be as tall and wide as I expected! The large cup at the French Riviera Bakery is larger than a grande, but slightly smaller than a venti. So, just be prepared to only get a large coffee if you really need it (ahem, college students and graveyard shift workers).
All in all, I would definitely dine here again and bring along friends. I would love to try their breakfast food options next time since my review is solely based on their dessert and coffee. It was the fresh ingredients, cozy ambiance, and friendly service that really made this foodie trip worth it. Let me know your thoughts about this review and recommend me places to eat in your area! You never know, I might visit your city soon. Until next time!
