Treat Yourself To A Sweet Moment In NYC

What has given Sweet Moment the esteem of the NYC Instagram community is how its specialty lattes elevate drinks to art.

Photography property of SVADORE

It’s a normal cold winter afternoon in Sweet Moment, which means the dessert café is packed. Located in Manhattan’s Chinatown, nestled between Little Italy and Soho, Sweet Moment is becoming known for its Creamart or latte art and Korean Bingsoo. Newly opened at the start of 2017, it boasts latte art unlike any other. Bears, snowmen, piglets, puppies, and more grace the top of your mug when you caffeinate at this new NYC dessert café. The neon light blue sign you see upon entering that reads Sweet Moment sets the mood for the dessert café vibe. The interior is tastefully uncluttered and minimalistic, recalling the quintessential hip New York design. A mix of family-style wooden tables, high top tables, and vibrant light blue and pink tables fill the room. You can tell you’ve stepped into a unique Asian café. We approach the counter and browse through the menu. The dessert cafés most famous beverage is their Creamart. It comes in Chocolate, Matcha, Red Velvet or Taro and is only served cold. You have the option of having it made with cold brew coffee, using La Colombe coffee, or cold black milk tea. The ever so famous Instagram design is then created using a light flavored whipped cream, which adds color to the beverage. Those who decide to delight in something even sweeter order their famous Bingsoo, a Korean dessert made of shaved ice and various sweet toppings from Choco Oreo to Black Sesame Red Bean and Matcha & Cheesecake. The options are endless! They also serve fresh pastries made in house such as cookies, croissants, waffles and more. You really can't wrong when choosing your Sweet Moment. Being that it was winter I decided to go with a beverage. I was torn between the Creamart Matcha with cold black milk tea and the Pumpkin Spice Latte (served inside an actual mini pumpkin)! After much debate, I ordered the Creamart Matcha and my mother ordered a hot chocolate. I’ll have to come back another time to try the Bingsoo and Pumpkin Spice Latte. As we find a place to sit among the many vibrant light pink and blue tables, we watch as the owner works behind the scenes. The owner, Korean barista UJ Lee, can be found behind the counter armed with little more than a thin metal rod and some food coloring, creating drinkable fine art. It took him 2 years to perfect the art of Creamart. He took his inspiration from the ultimate latte art connoisseur, Lee Kangbin, a barista in Korea famous for his elaborate latte designs that mimic famous paintings such as Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. I will definitely have to add Lee Kangbin’s café to my to-do list when in South Korea! The server shouts my name and I run up to the counter to pick up my Creamart and my mother’s hot chocolate. A cold latte topped with fluffy green whipped cream sits on the coffee counter. Floating a top is the image of a bear holding a heart, a latte art masterpiece of the barista’s own creation made in less than 10 minutes. The attention to detail that goes into making this art is incredible. It takes years to master as the owner has shown us. I bring the drinks over to our table and we marvel at the work. To accompany my Asian-inspired beverage was my Asian mini leather backpack purse from Bagail. Instagram-beloved celebs from Selena Gomez to Kylie Jenner and Bella Haddid have been trending the mini backpack. For those who do not want to splurge on the LV option, Bagail’s got a ton of cute and affordable iterations available. For this specific outing, I had brought my frosted pink mini backpack purse with me, which fits all my blogging essentials such as my enormous camera and lenses. It blended perfectly with the setting, mimicking Sweet Moment’s light pink tabletops. If you are interested in purchasing a similar backpack, you can get it on Bagail.com at 10% off with SVADORE's special coupon code: BAGAIL90. As we sat and enjoyed our beverages, we took in the originality of Sweet Moment. From grabbing a coffee, to catching up with friends, working on your laptop or just lounging around, the dessert café emanates a hip and laid-back vibe perfect for any occasion. Sweet Moment hopes their dessert café brings New York’s community together by brightening their customers’ days with specialized latte artworks, while bringing attention to their local business. Their café has gone beyond this and created a small haven for customers to evade their everyday lives and enter a bubble of creativity. Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Bagail. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

• Sweet Moment 106 Mott St, New York, NY 10013; (212) 226-8724

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