Asian Baked Freshness - 大统华面包坊-T&T Bakery

March 9, 2012
大统华面包坊 - T&T Bakery, Richmond BC
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豆沙饱 (Black Bean Bun)
台式菠萝包 (Pineapple Bun (TW))
蛋糕堡 (椰丝) (Cake With Coconut)
三宝包 (Taro Custard & Red Bean Bun)
蛋皮肉松卷 (Dried Pork Omelet Bun)
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T&T is definitely not cheap, but Mom and I think that for the quality of their buns, they definitely do not overprice their items. The bread is always freshly baked each morning, which means they are sold at discounted prices every night. That's when we normally go to buy them. They get to around 50% off and it is not like we would buy it and eat it right away anyways. They make great breakfasts for the next two or three days. Only, when they are discounted like this, they come in packs of seven randomly selected buns depending on the availability each night.

Picking out a bag with as many of your own favourites as possible without any labels of what each bun is is a definite art. Mom, my aunt, and I each have our way of figuring out what we have in our bag, whether that is by paying attention to the person packaging them up or to the different things on the outer layer such as sesame seeds or almond slices. After dinner with Chris, I decided to go and get some. Here is some of the ones I returned with (he took some and some were squished and thus the photos turned out horrible but I'll get around to those sometime).

First off is the 豆沙饱. Though this is one of the cheaper ones originally in the bag, I wanted to eat it. I love the simplicity of bread filled with red bean paste (or is it black bean?). The most traditional but still one of the best when the bread is soft, moist, and chewy and the red bean paste sweet but not overwhelming. The flower shape added that sense of quality to it. These buns really ought not to be refrigerated, just so the bread will remain moist and chewy - just the way I like it. Dry bread is flavourless with a bad texture - the light sweetness somehow is not as pronounced once it dries up.

This was my first time trying their 台式菠萝包. I have always had filled pineapple buns and not the plain kind. The last time I had a plain one was probably years ago from Maxim's Bakery. The pineapple topping was nice and sweet and again, the bread is good when it is moist and chewy. This was a little dry when I tried it the next day. That is probably just because I left it too long. However, with no filling, the bun is bland, even with the hint of sweetness in the dough. I find that it is too big of a bun to be without filling as the topping does not provide enough flavour compared to the volume. Ahhh, that lovely surface area to volume ratio!

Next came the 蛋糕堡 (椰丝). It is by far my favourite Chinese sponge cake ever, minus the shredded coconut on top. The red bean cream is better than regular cream, not as overwhelming and with a nice red bean aroma. It can get a bit too much sometimes, though, so I generally leave the filling parts for Mom. Instead, I much prefer just the cake part. It could be a bit sweeter, but the lighter taste is definitely more refreshing. Often, I eat this too fast and start choking on the cake. That is usually uncomfortable, but the cake is clearly just too good to resist.

I brought the 三宝包 to school with me. This is only the second time I have had this bun. I have to say that although the concept is quite simple, if you break up the three little buns, each is just a simple mini bun with filling: taro, red bean, and custard. However, each of these pastes is one of my favourite bun fillings. T&T makes the sweetness level just right and there is a decent amount in each bun. I could definitely do with a lot more filling but it is better than some bakeries. The three stuck together is not the most creative either but there is just something about simplicity. It definitely adds to the cuteness factor for this bun. The bread for this manages to remain moist and chewy, even once I got back to Philly. I squish it a bit before eating the dough to bring out the sweetness and chewy-ness but it is definitely one of my new favourites.

Finally, my absolute favourite Asian bun of all time (at the moment at least and for the past year): 蛋皮肉松卷. I brought this with me to school as well, and ate the last half of it on the morning of my math midterm. I had left it in the fridge but because of the egg and Asian mayo, the bread remained generally moist and chewy. A bit more moist than usual, actually, which made it even better! The mayo (or maybe egg white sauce of some sort?) remains a mystery to me. I know it is used in Asian sandwiches but I have never managed to find it on any shelves available for purchase. Maybe T&T makes it themselves. In that case, I'm out of luck. The pork fluff with the mayo and egg is just so good. I cannot even begin to describe how nice a mix of savoury and sweet it is, together with the different textures and levels of chewy-ness. Absolutely gorgeous and a definite must-try!

Mon Premier Macaron - Saint Germain Bakery

March 4, 2012
Saint Germain Bakery, Richmond BC
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Coffee French Macaroon
Hazelnut French Macaroon
Pistachio French Macaroon
Chocolate French Macaroon
Strawberry French Macaroon
Lemon French Macaroon
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This post only came out today because it is Macaron Day! Too bad I am not home and thus cannot go get some free macarons around town.

When I first saw pictures of French macaroons, or macarons I guess, it was on Facebook and I had no idea what they were. However, what I did know was that I wanted to try some of those incredibly colourful and delicious-looking sandwich things. I am always attracted to rainbow colours so it is not surprising I have a soft spot for at least the visual appeal of these little confection goodies.

I asked Mom (once I found out what they were called) whether she knew about them and whether she had ever tried one. To the first question, she answered yes, which made me wonder why she never told me about them, being a food fanatic herself. To the second however, she said no. That is probably why I have never heard of macaroons before.

Before returning home for spring break, I found out online that Saint Germain Bakery in Aberdeen Centre sold macaroons. Mom said she saw them before, except they were mini ones. That suits me just fine though! So I made it my business to go there and get macaroons - my first ever. They were cheaper by the dozen and since I had no flavour preferences, having never tried any before, we got a dozen with two of each flavour.

My favourites so far are coffee, chocolate, and pistachio. They had full flavours. The different creams on the inside were also great with a rich and dense flavour. The strawberry, lemon, and hazelnut were okay. I did not quite like the strawberry jam as it is nothing new. I could not figure out exactly what the lemon filling was but lemon to me should be light and refreshing. This was just a bit too heavy for me. The hazelnut did not have a very distinct flavour. It is hazelnut after all. It was good but nothing special.

Though these are the only macaroons I have ever tasted, I know from my online searches that they should have a hard shell with a soft, moist centre. I do not know whether it is because these were not freshly made everyday but the inside was definitely not moist, not even the coffee one which was never put in the refrigerator. I do hope to go to some other bakeries around town this summer and try out other macaroons. Mom did not particularly like the texture but perhaps she will like the ones with moist centres.

Nostalgic Place and Taste - 美心饼店-Maxim's Bakery

March 9, 2012
美心饼店 - Maxim's Bakery, Richmond BC
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栗子包 (Chestnut Bun)
吞拿鱼丹麦酥 (Tuna Fish Danish)
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This bakery has been here since we came to Canada I think. At least I do not remember it ever not being there. We used to get curry buns and egg tarts and my old favourite, the pineapple and cherry danish, from there when we lived in our rented townhouse. Ahh, those good ol' times. They closed down a couple of years ago but reopened and every now and then, Mom and I would drop in to take a look as we got tired of shopping and looking at clothing racks.

This time, I especially was not in a shopping mood so off we went inside the bakery. What did we find? Some nostalgic, new bakery items that are absolutely scrumptious. Well, at least these specific ones were not available at T&T, where we get most of our delicious Asian bakery goodies.

First, we spotted the 栗子包. Chestnut paste cake was what we started with (along with Black Forest Cake) in T&T bakery way back when. Chestnut paste is just good. End of story. However, Auntie discovered last year that Maxim's had a better cake than T&T. This time, it was not a cake but a bun. Moist and chewy break rolled up with my favourite chestnut paste in a butterfly shape. It looked delicious and tasted great, too! I can just never get enough chestnut stuff!

Next, Mom wanted to try the 吞拿鱼丹麦酥. I am still not a big fan of tuna, but the way the made the tuna salad with canned tuna and mayonnaise is exactly like what Mom used to make ten years ago. It tastes good now because it reminded me of something so long ago, even though I didn't care for it much back then. The glaze on the top gave it a nice sweetness, though I have never been a fan of layered pastry dough and danishes (I like danish fillings, not the dough). Perhaps this is not close to my favourite bakery goodies but it was nostalgia seeping through and through.