December 21, 2012
Beard Papa’s, Richmond BC
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Mont Blanc Cream Puff
Black Sesame Paris Brest
Green Team Cream Puff
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After filling ourselves with delicious and comforting Korean BBQ, Mom and I needed some dessert. The gelato and frozen yogurt in the Dining Terrace looked appetizing but the prices were far from appealing. So, as we made our way around Richmond Centre, we stopped by Beard Papa’s. I used to not like cream puffs, because I am not a fan of pastry shells. However, the flavoured cream fillings drew me in, as did the extremely sweet and cloying aroma that wafted into our faces as we passed.
The seasonal special, Mont Blanc Cream Puff, was gorgeously divine. The pastry was light and flaky and tasted at least okay to me. The vanilla filling was splendid, though, as was the chestnut cream on top. Both were sweet but light and stayed true to their flavours. The chocolate covered chestnut on top was creamy and tasty, offering a harder texture than the rest of the cream puff.
The Black Sesame Paris Brest, one of their daily special flavours, was also great. The spiral donut shaped treat had a doughy shell that was quite thin and slightly crisp and chewy. I much prefer this to the puff pastry of the cream puffs. It is a much denser treat. Most of the it was the black sesame cream filling that was sweet but not overwhelming. The roasted black sesame flavour really came through.
Finally, the Green Tea Cream Puff was actually the most disappointing. Not only do I not have a soft spot for puff pastry, the filling did not taste strongly of green tea. It was green but did not have too much sweetness or bitterness. It was just creamy.
I do regret not having tried Beard Papa’s sooner. Every time I ate it before, someone had bought it for me and thus was not as fresh and not as good. Now I know this place will be a must-go whenever I return home.
