It’s as cute as a button mushroom

For most of us, a sprinkling of herbs or a little shaved Parmesan qualifies as snazzy garnishes. Some strategic sauce dribbles? Watch out, Iron Chef!

But for bento goddess La Carmina, plating takes center stage. In her adorable new cookbook, “Cute Yummy Time,” the fashion blogger brings her love of Japanese pop culture to everything from sushi to tiramisu.

“The whole world of spooky cute is the world I live in,” says La Carmina. “It’s a cute morbid world – I call it my Tokyo-Rococo world.”

So how does that world translate on the table? A macaroni and cheese pirate mouse is ready to defend his plate, red lettuce eye patch in place. After a couple strategic scoops of rice, a baby tiger emerges from a hearty platter of tikka masala. And sure, the “octopus den” penne takes a little more work, but pasta has never looked fiercer.

Still trying to master the whole cooking thing? It doesn’t have to be an art project every time. “Think of it as your regular breakfast that just happens to have a cute garnish to it,” advises La Carmina. “It only takes five or 10 minutes to add a little more cuteness to it.”