The Spoon

Opened in 2023 within the same Stanton space that once held Yemeni restaurant Monasaba, The Spoon is a newer, Asian version of Newport Beach’s former Shokuh Patisserie, specializing in French-style miniature cakes. Unlike Shokuh and most other French bakeries, which stick to classic European fruit, nut, and chocolate flavors, The Spoon’s cake collection incorporates tropical fruits such as durian, yuzu, dragonfruit, mango, and pandan-coconut, as well as a Reese’s-inspired chocolate and peanut butter, all of which you will struggle to find anywhere else locally.

It’s worth mentioning that The Vintage 1979 and Whip Dessert Cafe have at times offered some similar cake flavors. But they’ve never been executed as well as at The Spoon, in our experiences. Silicone molds and thin gelatin frames enable The Spoon to produce domes, spiraling teardrops, hearts and roses filled with mousse, fruit and cakes, generally decorated with tiny spheres and dollops of cream. While The Spoon’s aesthetic execution doesn’t match Shokuh at its peak level of perfection – glazes here are never mirror-finished – this place makes up for the difference with a wider variety of bold colors and unique flavors to sample.

Teas and coffee drinks are also available for reasonable prices, averaging around $5 with espressos at only $3 and specific teas rarely jumping to $7. These are great prices given recent inflation, and dine-in customers can enjoy tea service with nice glassware.