New! Postcard Bakery in the West Village

The folks who run Nami Nori, a stylish and casual temaki (sushi hand roll) spot on Carmine St., just opened Postcard, a bakery and bubble tea shop right next door. The colorful, whimsically decorated shop features desserts and sandos (Japanese-style sandwiches); and everything is gluten-free.

Both the Egg Salad and Chicken Katsu sandos looked pretty tempting on our visit, but we'd already had lunch and skipped right the the desserts - a brioche-like iced lemon pastry and chewy matcha mochi donuts. They were flavorful and light, and we didn't even notice the lack of wheat flour (we're not gluten-free). Since we aren't bubble tea guys, we were happy to see various coffee drinks on the menu, too.

Postcard, 31-33 Carmine St., West Village. Click here for their website.