Let Them Eat Bread, as Two Tablespoons Cupcake Upgrades to Heartistry Bakery
Unlike New York City, where cupcakes are an integral part of the culture, Beijing's affair with these fattening treats remains a precarious marketplace. An example of this fluctuation is Two Tablespoons, which was opened exactly one year ago on the first floor of East Plaza, Dongzhimen by Kuankuan and Julie. The project was intended to appeal to both young and old, Chinese and Western customers alike by selling desserts with lighter, less sweet flavors.
However, during our last visit, we found that Two Tablespoons had been replaced by, or perhaps upgraded to, Heartistry Bakery. The major change is that the café now stocks fewer cupcakes, replacing them instead with a dozen kinds of pastries, including croissants and pound cakes, as well as various breads: walnut, rye, cheese, rose and cranberry, and whole wheat. We found the original croissant (RMB 12) to be flaky and buttery, and firm enough to hold its shape. Though smaller than the average downtown bakery's, it's not bad value for the price.
Now left with only two choices of cupcakes, we sampled the blueberry (RMB 22) but found it rather dull. The frosting was hard at room temperature, though thankfully the addition of lemon peel to the cake brought a zestier flavor, and the moist texture and blueberry jam filling saved it from being a total failure.
As for the venue, they've kept the same layout and still offer baking classes and workshops in the large open area in the back. This means that the space in front of the counter is small and there’s no room for customers to eat. It's likely though that most of their customers will be people working in this office building since there's now little here to justify a special trip.
Heartistry
Daily 10.30am-8.30pm.1/F, Tower A, East Gate Plaza, 9 Dongzhong Jie, Dongcheng District (8443 1797)
幸福烘焙屋：东城区东中街9号东环广场A座1层
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Photos: Tracy Wang
