Nikko Duren

Aug 1, 2024 | theinfatuation.com | Nikko Duren

If a creme brulee and a crepe had a baby, you’d end up with the masterpieces from Millet Crepe. This Little Tokyo shop serves viral Japanese desserts filled with a thick vanilla custard that’s been torched long enough to form a caramelized sugar shell that cracks on impact. It sits in a soft, thin pancake wrapped up like a cone, which holds its shape surprisingly well against the caramelized sugar syrup that inevitably drips down the side.

Aug 1, 2024 | theinfatuation.com | Nikko Duren

Fat + Flour is heaven for pie people. Whether you visit the stand in Grand Central Market or the counter-service cafe in Culver City, you’ll be met with a glass case full of fresh-baked slices with shattering, golden crusts. The fruit pies rotate with the seasons, like strawberry rhubarb crumble, sour cherry double crust, and a summer peach pie that sells out quicker than a sneaker release. But the star of the show is the creamy key lime, a menu mainstay that nails the sweet-tart balance.

Jul 30, 2024 | theinfatuation.com | Sylvio Martins |Jess Basser Sanders |Nikko Duren |Arden Shore |Kat Hong |Brant Cox | +2 more

Outsmart the crowds and have lunch at one of these great Santa Monica spots.

Jul 10, 2024 | theinfatuation.com | Nikko Duren

Tuk Tuk Thai is fine in a pinch, but the food is decent at best. This casual spot comes from the people behind Chao Krung and Same Same Thai, and serves a massive menu in a pepto-pink dining room on Sawtelle Boulevard. You can get some passable pork belly pad thai or beef curry fried rice at your preferred spice level. But most of the small plates, curries, and noodle dishes here taste underseasoned.

Jul 10, 2024 | theinfatuation.com | Nikko Duren

When Bakers Bench first opened in 2021, it was a tiny Chinatown kiosk that would regularly sell out of plain croissants by early afternoon. The pastry shop has since moved just five minutes away to a much larger brick-and-mortar location in the same courtyard as Perilla.