Roses are red, this crêpe’s for you! Spring is at last in full swing and Lady M has unleashed its updated menu for May with several exciting new seasonal varieties of its world-renowned multi-layered crepe cakes. Just in time for Mother’s Day, their latest offerings run the gamut from the floral to the fruity and make the perfect gift for the holiday. 

Show your gratitude with their returning rose cake. Elegantly topped with a glassy sheen of rose jelly and dotted with edible petals, it is a veritable bouquet of flavors and a true sensory experience. The leaflike layers of crêpes glide across a pool of cream, and the flowers leave behind a refreshing aftertaste. Visually, it’s one of their most attractive and social media-ready creations, with its soft pink hues and cloudy white cream evoking color schemes of tender evening skies. An undeniable rosy aroma arises to greet and invite you as you open the box, akin to the brisk passage of a walk through the garden. With this one, you’ll definitely want to stop and smell the roses. 

Also on the menu, they have not one, but two strawberry cakes. The strawberry swirl crêpe is transcendentally tangy and sweet. Dusted with strawberry powder and tastefully slathered with a tart strawberry jam, it’s a livelier experience than the relatively demure rose, as the flavor pops and fizzles with tantalizing intensity. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something other than crêpes, the strawberry shortcake is a bouncy sponge cake lovingly filled with hearty homemade strawberry cream. Additionally, there’s the new coconut cheesecake if you’re looking for a little tropical kick.  Its graham cracker crust and milky mascarpone and cream cheese interior  contrasts the rough with the smooth, making it another fine addition to Lady M’s long string of successes. 

For newbies, Lady M is a luxury dessert brand that fuses French and Japanese culinary techniques and sensibilities.  Their signature Mille Crêpes are a gorgeous confection of 20 layers of alternating cream and crêpes plus a flavorful topping. The effect is airy, light, and decadent. Truly rich, but without the heaviness that weighs down other cakes and pastries.  Decades later, the trend spread to savvy foodies worldwide. Lady M first opened in New York in 2004. Particularly beloved among Asians, it expanded into Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. In China, its spread is something of a phenomenon with stores reaching into the mainland.  

Fortunately, Newbury St is the esteemed home to one of dozens of international boutique locations, where it has become a popular snacking destination for international students. If you can’t make it into the city however, there is thankfully the option of ordering online for a guaranteed fresh delivery. There are new favors each month, supplying an easily understandable reason to return for more. I know I’ll be back for their upcoming peach cobbler. And what do they have up their sleeve for Father’s Day? Each cake makes a beautiful gift, for others, or when you want to treat yourself to something truly decadent. 

SAMPAN, published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, is the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, acting as a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area. It is published biweekly and distributed free-of-charge throughout metro Boston; it is also delivered to as far away as Hawaii.