Nanung Cafe

Mr Shuck and I ventured out to the U District today. Our first task was lunch (to be followed by a visit to the Apple Store for a new laptop!). We originally planned to go to Hillside Quickie, a vegan sandwich shop, but the staff decided to take a break and closed up. We ended up right up the street at Araya’s Place, a vegetarian Thai restaurant. As we walked across the street to the restaurant, I saw this sign and knew I had a dessert plan.

Cupcake Sign: click to enlarge

Following our tasty Thai buffet at Araya, we walked back next door to their espresso/tea shop, Nanung. The cupcake menu looked interesting. Mr Shuck was especially happy about the free coffee.

Nanung Cafe Menu, click to enlarge

We wavered back and forth between Thai Tea and Banana Chai, finally deciding on the latter. I was disappointed when I walked over to place our order, only to discover they were out of both! Darnit! Instead, I settled for the Chocolate Matcha.

Chocolate Matcha: click to enlarge

This was an extremely dry cupcake! I wish I had gotten my own coffee because I drank half of Mr Shuck’s in an attempt to wash down my cupcake. That said, I was still fairly happy with my treat. The green tea flavor was mild and the cake was only slightly sweet. The chocolate balanced well and the whipped cream added some softness (and moisture!) without being overpoweringly cloying like some frosting can be. I’m hoping that I just got a bad batch as I’d really like to try again. The flavors seem inventive and I like to support other vegetarians. The cupcakes are not vegan, but they did have a vegan cake option.