There is something irresistible about anything that resembles a sunny-side-up egg. Whether or not the resemblance is intentional, the warm golden circle against a stark white backdrop is relentlessly sunny and cheerful.
One such doppleganger makes for a lovely introduction to The Little Dot Tea & Bakery. The product in question is the house Lemon Cheese Tart. The diminutive pie with a glowing golden center practically grins up at you from its spot on the farmers’ market table. Beyond aesthetics, though, is the eating experience: Inside the tidy, classic pastry shell sits a wonderfully rich cheesecake-like filling with an iridescent lemony center enhanced with both lemon juice and lemon zest. It tastes as bright and sunny as it looks.
The Little Dot does more than tarts, though. It hosts a whole savory scene too. Consider the Veggie Pie. The offering is the house version of a pot pie, only taller and prettier. Its tender pastry is densely loaded with tofu, peas, and carrots. So dense, in fact, that its insides are remarkably stable. That is, when you cut into it, stuff doesn’t run out all over the place as happens in lesser pies. The filling remains tightly packed inside the pie. Early trials indicate that even anti-tofu types are charmed by the pie’s quality cookery.
The Little Dot describes its approach as “Hong Kong comfort food”, which aligns with the unique angle on pot pie. Hong Kong was, after all, a former British Colony. A little culinary research indicates that the pastry in Hong Kong pot pies tends to be sweeter in the “pate brisee” tradition. This might explain the curious appearance of sugar on the Veggie Pie’s ingredient list. No quibbling: The end result is delightful.
The Little Dot offers an array of products that also includes breads and savory cookies such as Green Onion Cookies. you’ll also find Oolong teas (a tea category that is somewhere between black and green teas).
You can track it to local farmers’ markets through its website here: thelittledot614.com.