Syrup Desserts - Los Angeles, CA

So after Thai food, we went in search of dessert. JW mentioned a new dessert place that opened up in downtown, so I suggested it to Mary and she was excited about trying their waffles.

Here's the store front.

It’s on Spring Street, but the store front is fairly narrow and there isn't a huge sign in front, so it’s easy to miss. First thing I noticed when I walked in was their water station. I’m notorious for drinking lots of water, so I was ecstatic. I always feel bad asking waitresses and waiters for more water, so I love that it’s easily accessible out in front. They had regular iced water and iced water with orange and lemon slices. The sign added a nice touch.

Syrup Desserts is basically a loft like space with some couches and tables upstairs. I eyed some board games up there too. There were a few tables downstairs and outside as well. We grabbed a table upstairs since it was empty at that time. Here's the view from the top. It's nice and airy with the high ceilings.

We ordered the Syrup Signature waffle which was an original Liege waffle with French Vanilla Bean ice cream, fresh strawberries and strawberry glaze.

I’ve never had a Liege waffle before, but it’s dense and tasted a bit doughy at first. It was expecting a Belgium waffle so the texture threw me off, but I quickly got used to it. The sugar sprinkled on top made for a nice combination with the doughy waffle. I could have done without the whipped cream, which kind of just made the waffle soggy. I think the best part of the dish was the ice cream. I’m a sucker for vanilla bean anything. This ice cream did not disappoint. It had tons of vanilla specks in it and it was creamy and delicious. We gobbled that up pretty fast.

We wanted to try a crepe as well so once again we stuck with the Syrup favorite, which had mixed berries, Blackberry Jasmine Tea ice cream, marscapone and orange juice in it.

Mary thought the crepes were on the soft side. Her favorite are the ones from her neighborhood farmer’s market, so she said this was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't mind the crepes so much, but didn't like the filling. I was expecting whipped marscapone, but it was just a spoonful of it inside the crepe and if you’ve ever tried eating straight up marscapone, you will realize that it’s like thick cream cheese. I think it would have been great if they had spread a thin layer of it on the crepe instead of having a big glob of it in the center. Who wants to eat a spoonful of marscapone? Not even soomeenshee. Here again, the ice cream was the best part. Blackberry Jasmine Tea ended up being a more floral and fragrant green tea ice cream, except it was purple instead of green. It was delicious. Mary said it was too icy for her, but I liked it a lot. We were talking to the waiter and he said that most of their ice cream comes from Scoops. I’ve heard of Scoops but have never managed to make it out there, but it definitely warrants a visit next time I’m in LA. Some of their more unconventional ice cream flavors are Brown Bread, Bacon Caramel, Goat Cheese and Fig, Green Tea and Banana, Strawberry Basil, and Pear and Champagne Sorbet.

Here's a glass case filled with their other goodies.

The had a long list of waffles and crepes combinations and they also had customize your own waffle and crepe too. What looked really good and might warrant a possible second visit was their selection of Sweet Grilled Cheese sandwiches. For instance they had a pear and cheddar cheese sandwich with caramel on walnut raisin bread. Sounds like it has potential. Their Sweet Summer Sandwich had strawberries, muenster cheese, orange spread and mint on light, flaky Cuban bread. This also could be promising.

All in all, it’s probably a nice addition to the downtown scene. I’d definitely come here if I lived in downtown, but I don’t think I would drive here specifically for Syrup. I’d rather go to Scoops instead for their ice cream.

I’d just like to add that my friend Mary might have just turned 30, but the girl’s still got mojo. While I was admiring their water station and their dessert case, I overheard the following conversation:

Guy at the register: Hi, is this your first time here?

Mary: Yes, it is, do I get a discount?

I’m not sure how you would get a discount for frequenting a place for the first time, but homegirl got us a discount. I didn’t know that was possible at a food establishment. Then when the guy brought us the food, he asked where we were from and spent a good chunk of time just talking to us about the place. Apparently an Asian guy in his 30’s is the owner. This is how I also found out about them getting their ice cream from Scoops. So yes, ladies, our dear friend Mary still gots it ... too bad she’s taken. =) It was fun Mary to see you on your b-day. May your mojo be like fine wine, getting only better with age. =)

Syrup Desserts
611 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014