Lego story #044: A bakery? Sweet!

Introducing the Heartlake City Cafe for ages 6+. And musing about the price of Lego.

Last year, I bought Miss S a few sets of Lego Friends. This year, I started buying them for myself.

While I'm not interested in most Friends sets, this one's color scheme really appealed to me -- in particular, the pastel colors and pink leaves.

I picked up Heartlake City Cafe (42618) two months before Miss S's baby sister was due to be born. At 462 pieces, it was small enough to finish well before baby arrived.

And it didn't disappoint. The build experience was pleasant and satisfying, while the finished display was lovely to look at even from a distance or in dimmer lighting.

The cafe stayed in my display cabinet 4 or 5 months. I only dismantled it because I was running out of space there. 

I'm definitely keeping it, either for myself or for the kids some day. 'Cos this one falls into the "sparks joy" category.

Gazing at it gave me a relaxed feeling, as if I were having a drink and a nibble at the cafe myself.

Wouldn't be a cafe without somewhere to sit. It's a small set, but there are still two tables, albeit tiny tables with space for only one piece of food.

Paisley has a smartphone in her hand while talking to Olie over a blue pastry. The phone screen shows she's in the middle of text messaging too. I guess that's what conversations look like these days, even face to face.

By the door is Beatriz, who runs the shop and has a broom in hand.

Parked under a pink blossom tree is the shop's scooter for making deliveries. A delivery box with the cafe's croissant logo sits on the scooter rear.

By the scooter, there's a green dog bowl for Juno, the cafe dog.

Let's see what's in the cafe.

I love this interior. On the left half, we have ovens, coffee maker, mixer, and baking ingredients. On the right are baked goods. I'm not sure what the pastel-colored ones are, but macaroons come to mind. Beneath the counter are donuts.

A triple-layer chocolate cake and strawberry cream cake serve as window displays.

The chocolate swirls are used as poop pieces in other Lego sets, if you didn't already know.

The cashier uses a smartphone-looking device for payment. Very modern (or is it postmodern? or post-postmodern?). Nearby, a red velvet cake is on display. Yum!

A closer look behind the counter.

I adore this blue-and-gold mixer. It's made of just a few common parts but looks so elegant!

Eggs, a slab of butter, and ... almonds?

Something pink is baking in the upper oven. Something black is baking (or burnt) in the lower oven.

Mounted above the door is a clock, plus a trophy-looking baker's hat. Do we have an award winner here? Well, I'd give this set an award. It's so cute, isn't it?

Why 1932? It's the year that carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys. In 1934, his company was named Lego, though they only started making plastic toys 15 years later.

An early version of Lego bricks emerged in 1949. Seventy-five years after, it looks like the Lego Group is still going strong. Targeting adult customers like me in recent years was a clever, clever move. Well done, Lego. Keep taking my money!

That reminds me: I had a drink and cake at Starbucks/Teavana this afternoon.

I don't ever go to Starbucks, and rarely to cafes alone, but my husband was hankering for dessert and all other cafes in this mall were too pricey. Plus, he spotted white mocha cake, sold by the slice. As we sipped our still-not-cheap coffees (soy milk for me), I thought about how Lego is still less expensive than many hobbies.

Dining out, cafes, traveling... these popular, Instagram-worthy past-times aren't cheap either. The good thing about Lego is that, even if you possess only one box of bricks, it's an experience you can consume again and again. And it's a physical asset you can liquidate (as I have, many times). The manufacturing is high quality; these bricks don't break easily.

So is Lego too expensive, after all?

Maybe it still is. Or maybe not, since there's a fair chance my children and grandchildren will inherit these sets -- and they'll still be in good condition. I hope!