ROYAL ROASTERY

My daughter and I stumbled across a fabulous MIddle Eastern shop — Royal Roastery, “your sweet tooth’s paradise.”

It’s located at 6467 Westheimer, in a strip center that also is home to a Cuban bakery, a Cajun restaurant, a Guatemalan restaurant and convenience store, a Lebanese bakery, an Indian-Chinese restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant (Fadi’s — a favorite of ours), a Portuguese chicken restaurant, a Japanese sushi restaurant, and a Nigerian fusion restaurant.  Who needs Epcot!

As we entered the store, we were mesmerized by a kaleidoscope of colors, starting with the more than 60 bins of Parfai foil-wrapped chocolates, which are $20 per pound.  Grab a bag and choose your favorites (the mille feuille and corn flake ones were the favorites — so far).  Made from Swiss chocolate, we were told they are made in Syria, and according to the website, what sets them apart “is the secret in its raw butter and cocoa flavors that is integrated with a Middle Eastern twist.”

 

There’s a rainbow of other candies too:

Mounds of freshly-roasted nuts tempted us:

Pro tip:  don’t pass on the sour cream cashews and barbecue mix.

There’s also a large selection of bulk spices:

But wait, there’s more!  Did someone say baklava?

And then there’s the Turkish Delight case.  We stood there gazing in awe at the colorful assortment:

 

The Turkish Delight is $15.99 per pound.  The helpful woman behind the counter will snip off pieces for you and create a jewel box of sweets:

Here’s the selection we went home with:

We only got to sample a fraction of the offerings, and I can guarantee we’ll be back soon to try more (and restock on those nuts!).