Unfortunately, the cake didn't survive the whole trip into the city. The only thing that did survive was the cake topper of the character Trafalgar Law. All hope was lost because we didn't have a back up cake for the party. I didn't want to serve a cake that was in pieces, it's just not presentable. Thankfully the bakery, Paris Baguette was down the block. Paris Baguette is one of my favorite bakeries because I think they make the prettiest minimalist looking cakes. I've never bought a whole cake from them before, this was a first for me. I was so excited. I got her a strawberry fresh cream cake.
Wendy held her birthday party at IchiUmi, a Japanese buffet in Korean Town in the city. The food was really good there. I'm really bad at dining in buffets because I never know what to start with. I always end up filling myself up before everyone else, and then not be able to try everything that I wanted to. Note to self, never start with the rice and meat portions. Always go light with appetizers, like that unlimited amazing selection of sushi first. But now I know for next time. I really liked the place. The ambiance was good too. It's roughly $35 per person, not including tip and tax. It's all you can eat for 2 hours. I'd say, according to NYC standards, that's a reasonable price for good buffet food. I'm definitely going again with a smaller group of friends.
Something amazing happened a little while into our meal. The waiter called me over. Apparently the cake that I had made for the occasion, that I thought couldn't be saved, was brought out by one of their managers! I had told them to just throw it out because I couldn't fix it in the restaurant without my tools. Their manager had taken it back to their kitchen and pieced it back together!!! I was so astounded by their customer service. It was like a miracle for that cake to even look whole again. He even added a few fresh strawberries on top. They did everything they could and when it was time to bring out the cake they even gave us candles for it. We ended up serving my cake and just saving the cake from Paris Baguette for Wendy to take home. I don't think I've ever been more surprised with such great customer service, EVER. Here's a snapshot of the cake that they were able to save.
At the end of the party, Wendy took home the cake topper that I made as a souvenir.
