Dulce by La Duni

Two weeks ago I got an email telling me that the new La Duni was open in Allen (Village at Fairview on Stacy and 75). I was pretty excited. They were introducing some new stuff that I wanted to check out. So we went last weekend to have a taste! Turned out last weekend it was only a soft opening. They were still doing construction on the main dining area. But for the most part the kitchen and bar were operational.

Dulce by La Duni

The Village at Fairview

233 Town Place

Fairview, TX 75069

(972) 549-4069

Price: $-$$

I really liked the look and feel of the place. A more casual setting for La Duni. It was actually called Dulce by La Duni. It's a Euro-latin Coffee Studio..so more casual/cafe type place. They also have cool gadgets, such as a touch screen kiosk where you can see the menu items and stuff. And they offer some new items than the other La Duni locations such as:

- micrema - bespoke frozen desserts
- raspas - shaved ice
- bunuelos - latin beignets
- grillados - latin paninis

The micrema was the main thing that caught my interest months ago when I heard this place was opening. They basically have a station with stand mixers where they make your ice cream to order. How cool is that???

Since it was their first few days of opening we also got some samples of Bunuelos (latin beignets fried to order with different sauces). We got some with chocolate sauce and caramel sauce. It was really tasty. Fried to order so it was really fresh and warm. Coated with sugar and sauce... yum! The outside was crispy and inside was fluffy yet still doughy so you feel like you are actually eating something more substantial than a donut.

I was super excited about going there, and with the new decor and menu items, it was like a kid in a candy store! :P It took me a while to finally settle down and order something...

Since it was a soft opening, they only offered a few different savory items. We got some Empanada Pies (Classic Argentinian turnover with homemade flaky crust; served with chimichurri mojo) (on the left: Beef Picadillo and Vegetables; right: Argentinean Sausage & Provolone) $5.95~ each. I thought these were better than the empanadas in the other La Duni locations. First of all, they looked different. It had a thinner crust and was crispier. And since the crust was thinner, there was more filling inside. :) I liked both of them but the sausage one a little bit more. It got a little salty after a while but I still really enjoyed it.

They also offered 2 different Grillados (Latin Paninis). We got both of them to try.

Peruvian Chancho (Crispy pork, pickled vegetables and apple cider mayo; on wheat Ciabatta) Large $7.95~ This was interesting. The pork had a slight crispiness on the outside which I liked texturally. The pork flavor was good too and paired really well with the apple cider mayo. It added a nice tang to the sandwich. The pickled vegetables complimented the sandwich well but I felt like overall it was missing a hint of something. It needed a kick, maybe some sort of spice? And maybe some green veggies would be good in it too.

I got the Gaucho Chicken (Grilled chicken breast, avocado mash, tomato, lettuce, chimichurri, latin manchego cheese; on white Ciabatta) Reg $4.25~ The regular was smaller than I thought, but actually turned out to be a good size. It's quite filling. I REALLY liked this. The avocado mash MADE the sandwich. The creaminess of the avocado with the tender chicken breast and the cheese...it was delicious. I also really liked the bread...needed maybe a little longer in the toaster to crisp up the edges but I really liked the texture. Both sandwiches came with chips which seemed like they were freshly fried. It was a good side to the sandwiches.

Then it was time for dessert! We definitely had to try the Micrema (made to order ice cream). So what you do is, pick the mix-in you want, then select an ice cream flavor, and if you want...a sauce to top it with. I was still pretty full so my friend ordered one first. She opted for no mix-in's and no sauce but she wanted the Roasted Banana and Vanilla Bean ice cream mixed together. You get to watch the chef make it right in front of you!! Basically they use liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the ice cream. It was soooo cool!! He told us that while in the tank, the liquid nitrogen is pressurized and had a temp of -900 degrees. He extracted it into a measuring cup and showed it to us. It looked like it was boiling in the cup. But still had a temp of -300 degrees. WOW! It was like mad scientist or something. Definitely one of the coolest things I've seen done with food. It only takes a few minutes to turn the liquid cream into ice cream. Each order is about 8-9 ounces (makes about 2 scoops) @ $0.95 per ounce which came out to be around $13~ O.o The price shocked me quite a bit. They didn't tell us how much the ice cream cost...and I guess none of us expected it to be so expensive. :( The ice cream was really good though. You can definitely taste the vanilla bean and also there were little chunks of banana throughout the ice cream. It was rich and creamy but didn't feel heavy at all. If only it was cheaper, then I would get it all the time. I don't think I've ever spent that much money on ice cream or even most desserts... ever. It's definitely a deterrent for future purchases. But I would still recommend at least checking it out at least once. The experience is really what you are paying for.

We just hung out there for the rest of the night, some people got coffee and hot chocolates. All their drinks are really good!

French Hot Chocolate (made with melted Belgium Chocolate, assorted cocoas, half & half and topped with Whipped Cream) $5.25~ Rich and chocolatey. It was yummy!

Cafe con Leche (espresso shot or Tinto served in a glass with 2 parts of hot milk and a dash of frothed milk) $4.75~ I thought for the portion, this price was really good. The mugs were huge! If you are a coffee lover, definitely check out La Duni.

Since I didn't really get dessert, I got the Viennese Truffle Iced Chocolate Milk (made with melted Belgium Chocolate, assorted cocoas, half & half. Served with whipped cream over
crushed ice) $5.50~ I've always wanted to try this. It's kind of like a mix between a milkshake and chocolate milk. Semi-slushed. It was AMAZING! Super rich and decadent. The whipped cream on top was really thick and creamy as well. I think it was freshly whipped cream. I would for sure get this again...to share. It's too rich for me to drink on my own!

We were informed that they would be having their grand opening that following week. Which means, everything should be up and running by now and their full menu is available. I definitely want to go back in the near future to check out the rest of the menu. It's quite a bit different than the other La Duni restaurants.

Go check it out! Whether you are a La Duni fan or not, it's definitely a new experience. The people there are super friendly too!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~