12Fangous 十貳方古 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

A couple of French pastry and viennoiserie spots on the Lo Wu (羅湖) side of Shenzhen (check that Amap said Futian side 😅) have been sitting on my radar for a while now. But since they are tucked away in residential neighborhoods away from the metro stations, it was enough of a reason for me to stay away from. But with a rare afternoon off work, I finally decided to carve out some time and check a few of them off the list.

First on my itinerary was Ori Pastry, a hidden gem in the residential area of Yuanling New Village (园岭新村). I hopped out of my cab and made my way towards what should’ve been a charming little bakery café.

Except... it wasn’t.

The moment I arrived, I knew something was off. The place looked abandoned — the lights was on, but no life, and a random water basin sitting on the floor. I had made the rookie mistake of not calling ahead, and I paid the price. Ori Pastry looked very much out of business.

Slightly deflated and unsure of my next move, I considered checking out a few other cafés in the area, but instead, I turned around and started walking toward the closest metro station.

And that’s when fate intervened.

Just a few minutes down the road, a small sign on the pavement caught my eye — 12Fangous (十贰方古). I followed the sign and soon found myself outside a quaint little café nestled on the ground floor of a low-rise residential building. What a pleasant surprise.

12Fangous is tiny but thoughtfully decorated — the kind of place that feels like it belongs in a quiet European village rather than the streets of Shenzhen. Inside, it’s all cozy textures, soft lighting, and that unmistakable charm of a homey café that’s been styled with love.

Earl Grey cake with fresh orange (秋茶橙語) (¥42) – Their menu focuses on fruit-themed teas and desserts. And the desserts are served in beautiful tall dessert glasses, giving them a parfait-like elegance.

The Chinese name sounds fancier than it really is. It's essentially layers of Earl Grey sponge, Earl Grey cream, and orange compote.

Staff are all very friendly around here and it just occurred to me that the place is a perfect chill-out spot to spend a lazy afternoon.

Food Rating: 4.8/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Building 74, Yuanling New Village, Yuanling, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区园岭街道园岭新村-74栋附近

Closest Metro Station: Sports Center (体育中心)

Tel: +86 13670072612

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/12/3PLk

Tao Tao Ju One Avenue 陶陶居 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Once upon a time, Shenzhen used to be part of our weekend ritual — a go-to escape that was practically hardwired into our Saturday plans. For a while, it felt like we were crossing the border almost every weekend but ever since little nugget started the new school semester, our jaunts up north have slowed to a standstill. In fact, the last time we ventured to SZ was... early September. That’s nearly two months without dim sum, massages, or a good old supermarket sweep. 

Well, the hiatus is finally over.

With a half-day at work under my belt, I made a spontaneous dash across the border this afternoon. The first order of business? A lunch at Tao Tao Ju One Avenue (陶陶居 卓悦中心店) to get my dim sum fix, of course.

Signature Hong Kong style milk tea (招牌港式奶茶) (¥22) – Every good meal should start with some caffeine, and this one came in the form of a smooth, creamy milk tea. Rich, fragrant, and beautifully balanced — exactly the way I like it.

Tao Tao Ju jumbo prawn dumpling (陶陶居大蝦餃) (¥36) – My favorite har gow in Shenzhen and it never disappoints.

Stir-fried broccoli with beef (西蘭花炒牛肉) (¥58) – I decided to skip the usual dim sum parade and opted for something heartier today. The stir-fried broccoli with slices of beef was a pretty satisfying match with the fluffy steamed rice.

As predicted, the meal didn't take up too much of my time so I still have the luxury of some game card hunting before heading back to West Kowloon.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L233, East Zone, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场东区L233号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (755) 8299-8870

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/39/WOi

Beans Bakery Café VWalk (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

One of the most beloved bakery cafés in town, Beans Bakery Café has finally expanded its footprint, opening a brand new branch at VWalk Shopping Mall last month. Needless to say, we didn’t waste any time making our way there and tasting our way through their offerings left, right and center.

Custard doughnut (吉士冬甩) ($22) – Their doughnuts have long been crowned among the best in Kowloon, and judging by the crowd hovering around the display counter, we’re clearly not the only ones who think so.

Flavors range from classic custard to chocolate and strawberry, but we kept it simple with the custard one. The choux-style dough was light, airy, and impressively fluffy — almost cloud-like. The custard cream filling however was a bit too firm for my liking. A touch more silkiness and it would’ve been perfect.

Nanyang curry ox tongue bites danish (南洋椰香咖喱粒粒牛舌酥) ($23) – This one had me coming back again and again (three times already). 

A savory-sweet creation featuring diced ox tongue wrapped in a lightly crispy danish, with just the right hit of Nanyang-style curry and coconut. The danish pastry could have been a little more flaky and less chewy, but the combination of flavors was a thing of beauty. A must-order at Beans Bakery without question.

VWalk isn’t exactly around the corner from where I live, but that hasn’t stopped me from making weekly pastry runs for these doughnuts and danishes. When something is this good, distance becomes a very minor issue.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop G19, G/F, V Walk, 28 Sham Mong Road, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Nam Cheong

Tel: +852 2757-0786

Website: https://www.beansgroup.hk/

Opening Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm daily