Cupcakes and More at Golden Brown

Writing for the Pink Tarha has taught me a lot of things. One of them is to wish to my heart's content. Wishes, after all, are granted.

There's really no in-depth explanation to that. It's the simple act of wishing and dreaming. It's free and more often than not, wishes and dreams do come true. Especially when we're talking about food. Yes, food. (Ayan hindi masyadong deep diba?! :)

In the early days of 2010, fresh from my vacation in the Philippines, I was dreaming of frozen yogurt, a healthier alternative to ice cream. During that time, froyo (as it's fondly called) was already a craze in Manila. I was not surprised to not find it here in Riyadh yet. So yeah, I was just wishing for it to land in the desert soon. A few months later, Eyecandy saw Fresh Berry in Granada Center! Wow, wish granted. And then the ladies and I all wished for macarons. Shoegarfreeruby has fond dreams of the Laduree her father brought her from his work trip in France a long time ago. Last year, Laduree opened in Centria Mall. Wow, wish granted. And then I thought of cupcakes... the easy-to-buy, more commercial ones. I wished for a cupcake store near our place. And the wish was granted by... GOLDEN BROWN.

One of the pioneers of baked goodness in the city, Golden Brown Bakery offers more than cupcakes. But it's the cupcakes that I'm concentrating on now because they had me at first sight.

Eyecandy and I were walking in Thalateen street one night when we decided to finally check out Golden Brown. The place has always caught our attention whenever we passed by the street and it was time to satisfy our curiosity. The Golden Brown Bakery beckons with its warm interiors. It has two counters where cupcakes, cheesecakes, tarts, croissants and other pastries are proudly displayed. They are oh-so inviting! We couldn't make up our minds with what to get at first. I zeroed in on the cupcakes because that was what I was looking for in the first place. Even choosing among the cupcakes proved to be a challenge! What flavors should I get?!

Finally, I decided to get mini cupcakes so I can sample a lot of flavors. (I've been back a couple of times to sample other stuff.)

What to eat first? They're too cute!

For SR3 each, I thought the cupcakes were a little bit overpriced. Seriously, that small for SR3 each?! I can gobble that one up in a heartbeat. They're too cute to be just gobbled up like that but I can't help it. :) What I love the most about Golden Brown's cupcakes is the icing. Yes, the luscious cream cheese icing. I loooove it. I also like the banana, red velvet, blue velvet, and carrot cakes... topped with the cream cheese icing of course. :) They're moist and soft and delightful! I have always ordered these four flavors ever since my visit... yes, drool-worthy much!

Rose, chili, and banana (as if they're not obvious enough, hehe)

The spicy chocolate cupcake adds a nice kick to the usual. I tasted the spice from the powdered chili on the topping. The lavender and jasmine cupcake are also unique but I can't seem to taste the flowers (not that I wanted too, lol). I can, however smell the faint lavender and jasmine essence in them. The chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are a little bit dry and there's nothing exceptional. Just okay. I like the way they personally decorate the cupcakes according to their flavors. 

Rose cupcake. How friggin' pretty is that?! :)

The bigger cupcakes go for SR6 a piece while there's an even smaller cupcake for SR2. If I were you, get the big ones early in the morning because they're freshly-baked and perfect for breakfast. You can also drop by after a day's work for some sweet indulgence. GB always give a nice discount, mostly 10% off. Nice! There's also a small area where guests are welcome to enjoy the pastries. Nibble, bite, nibble... nomnomnom!

Golden Brown's mini cheesecakes and tarts are also very good! The quality and taste of their cheesecakes are the ones I've been looking for in Riyadh. Glad that I found them in Golden Brown. I also like their almond croissant. The tarts are E's and P's favorite. We haven't tried their mini sandwiches, which some patrons are raving about. We'll buy some when we go there next time. They have cute mini burgers called Darling Burgers. We've tried three flavors and we weren't that impressed. Maybe we should really try the mini sandwiches. :) Golden Brown offers their pastries and sandwiches in platters and trays... excellent for parties!

Thank you, Golden Brown for granting my wish of cupcakes and other heavenly baked goodies!

Golden Brown

Corner of Thalateen and Dabab Sts.

(parking can be a pain)

+966 56 9337314

golden.brown.riyadh@gmail.com

7:00am - 11:00pm

§undrenched