Ever since I traveled to Portugal with my mother more than a decade ago, I became a fan of Portuguese food and desserts. One of many great things about living in NYC is that you can get food from all over the world! Some authentic, some fusion, some with a twist, some with creative, modern innovations… Whatever you fancy, you can probably find it here! And one weekend, we were looking for a little dessert place, and I found the perfect spot… Joey Bats Café!
It is a small café with just a handful of counter seating. A couple of customers were waiting for their most popular item, Pastéis de Nata to come out of the oven.
Even though they offer other items, such as Bolo de Balancha, Bolos de Bacalhau, Pastel Tasmontano, etc., but we had our hearts set on their natas. Luckily for us, the natas came out the oven within a few minutes. We ordered just one Pastéis de Nata ($3) each for us. You get a discount if you get a half dozen, but we just wanted one nata each.
It was small but packed with creamy, wobbly custard. We got them fresh out of the oven, so the staff warned us it will be super hot, and it really was hot! After we told him that we were going have them here, he put dusted them with fairy dust aka powder sugar on top. The shell was very flakey, airy and light, yet sturdy enough to hold the golden wobble. It had some weight to it. It was really, REALLY tasty!
The staff was nice and polite. We had the perfect little sweets, exactly what we wanted, it certainly hit the spot! I am sure I will go back for more when I need a little sweet delight…
Joey Bats Café – 129 Allen St, New York, NY 10002