If you have lived in Los Angeles and enjoy boba, then you’re familiar with the cardinal boba experience: You are in a new area or see a viral boba shop online, and decide to give it a try. You find a novel or trendy drink, stab a straw through the plastic cover, and take a sip. After a few sips– and maybe a couple of double takes– you realize you’ve been served an abomination, so overloaded with sugar it should come with an age restriction for anyone over twelve.
The unspoken motto for many boba shops seems to be: offend no one, appeal to everyone, and make it quick and easy.
It's a niche similar to fast-food eateries; the only exception is boba shops aren’t mega corporations, which somehow makes the situation even more frustrating.
When I go into a McDonald’s, I know with 100% certainty, I’m slowly annihilating my gut biome – and that’s a decision I’ve made for reasons. But when I walk into a new boba shop, I don’t know what I’m getting.
There’s always the hope that this place will finally be the one to satisfy my boba cravings, but more often than not, it’s just another disappointment.
Doesn’t really follow but that’s okay we can rework this last sentence : I say all this for two reasons: to raise our collective dessert standards beyond this overly sweet kiss of death, and to highlight a much more refined experience with a much more refined dessert.
Where boba tea in recent months has come up short, one dessert shop on Washington Boulevard in Culver City has become a stand out favorite.
What’s your favorite dessert spot in Los Angeles?
Is it on Sawtelle, where you can grab a Millet Crepe or a boba drink from Volcano Tea House? Maybe near Koreatown, where you can indulge in bingsu from Sul and Bean or Somi Somi soft serve? Or perhaps on York Boulevard, where Donut Friend’s creative treats and Magpies Soft Serves’s inventive desserts await?
Wherever you like to satiate your sweet tooth one thing is clear– there’s loads of competition.
Typically, such competition fosters diversity, giving rise to unique, one-of-a-kind dessert shops that become local favorites. But let’s set aside those proud establishments for a moment and focus on a type of dessert shop that has stood out for all the wrong reasons: boba tea shops.
Fat + Flour Experience
Culver City, Tuesday, 11:28 a.m. — Fat + Flour is the reason I ate four pie slices.
But before I had a taste of pie, it was the eye-catching aesthetic that drew my attention that started with a sidewalk sign advertising whole pies, hand pies, cookies and brownies.
An understated minimalist white two-story building turned heads with a maximalist typeface on the windows that evoked a ‘70s retro-diner aesthetic.
Inside, the theme continues with an inviting communal table and pearl-white dinner tables, each fitted with their own mini lamp, the walls were packed with food-related art, a small rack offered a snug and weighty Fat + Flour sweater, a basket case held hyper-realistic Kubo and Lucy Café stickers and next to the cashier station a massive old-school diner fridge housed all the pies.
The most eye-catching out of the bunch were the Blackberry and Blueberry Pecan and Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Both had a thick crust with a textured surface, filled with baked berries that spilled out from inside the pies.
Pie is typically critiqued using two main aspects – crust and filling – that each can be broken down into more finer dimensions. For the crust, we consider flakiness, flavor, and texture and for the filling, we consider its flavor, balance, and freshness.
This pie surprised me in every aspect—it was off the charts good and, most importantly, wasn’t overly sweet. The crust was tender, and the strawberries offered a delicate sweetness, like being gently embraced rather than overwhelmed. The ice cream added another layer of texture to the crust, softening it to give it a more tender feel.
But don’t take my word for the brilliant pies, let’s take a look at the accolades and contributions attributed to Fat + Flour head baker, Nicole Rucker.
– 2012: Rucker won two first place ribbons alongside two additional ribbons for Best Crust and Best in Show at the, KCRW Good Food Pie Contest
– 2013: Blue Ribbon recipient at the American Pie Competition in Orlando, Florida
– 2024: Rucker was a semifinalist for the James Beard award in baking.
– Countless featured recipes on publications like the LA Times, Food & Wine and bonappetit to name a few
– Published Dappled, a baking recipe book that focuses on fruits, and is set to release a new book focused on desserts in the spring of next year.
With such a decorated career, it’s no surprise that Nicole Rucker’s pies at Fat + Flour is a one-of-one experience.
From the beautifully maximalist interior and immaculate pie slices, each are honed with an attention to detail that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
Whether you're a pie connoisseur or simply a dessert lover, Fat + Flour offers more than just a sweet treat.
So, the next time you're in Culver City, don't hesitate to indulge. If the awards and glowing reviews don’t convince you, perhaps the first bite of that gentle flaky crust will.
Written by Jason Escobar | Illustrated by Rina Shin