T Swirl Crepe recently opened up shop in Rowland Heights, offering  a selection of menu items that satisfies both sweet and savory cravings. 

I heard about this cafe from friends and wanted to know if the food would live up to the hype. As I approached the small cafe, with my sister, I could faintly see plastic models of food behind the window. The lighting inside the front half of the cafe is  dim, so it is hard to clearly see the displays, which makes the aesthetic presentation fall short. The cafe has small tables inside, and the back half of the cafe is well lit, allowing customers to watch employees make crepes. 

The menu has  a variety of crepes, ranging from sweet matcha to spicy crabmeat.  When we tried to order their specialty creme brulee crepe, we were disappointed   that the restaurant had run out of the ingredients to make it. I settled on ordering the mango deluxe crepe, which is  $8.75, and my sister ordered a classic strawberry Nutella crepe, which is $7.50. 

The crepes are  served in a paper cone that have  a peel away tab to make the dessert more convenient to eat. Yet when we were given our crepes, the mango deluxe crepe was already falling apart. 

It comes with dried mango, fresh mango, mango compote, vanilla gelato, mango cream and whipped yogurt. The dried mango was very tough and did not pair well with the other components of the snack. The compote tasted like mushy, overripe mangoes, and the cream was extremely bland. However, the gelato was smooth, creamy and delicious and the fresh mango complemented its flavor well.

The crepe itself was crispier and more flavorful than other crepes I’ve tried. 

I preferred the strawberry Nutella crepe over the mango deluxe. The strawberries were ripe and the presentation resembled a rose. The crepe wasn’t overcrowded with ingredients, and the classic combination of tart strawberries and rich Nutella paired great with the crepe.

T Swirl offers a unique crepe batter and an innovative way of serving their crepes, but the flavors were lacking and the items were overly complex. However, I will give the cafe a second chance and sample their savory crepes again.