Published on Wednesday, Jul. 30, 2008 12:00AM EDT Last updated on Friday, Mar. 13, 2009 10:09AM EDT
I don't understand the appeal of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and or the herd mentality that causes otherwise sane people to line up for hours to taste the latest food fad.
So when Beard Papa's - home of the "world's best cream puffs" - opened its first Canadian location last October, I didn't race out to Richmond to join the thousands of salivating fans who stampeded Aberdeen Mall. The franchise ended up smashing the Japanese company's North American records for first-month sales.
Now the wildly popular cream puffs have made their way downtown - a second location at the corner of Denman and Davie streets opened earlier this month. There are no lineups (at least not on non-event nights). And I have seen the light.
These are, hands down, the most sublime cream puffs I have ever wolfed back.
They say the secret is in the shell, a baked double-layer of soft French choux pastry on the inside and crispy pie crust on the outside. But I would argue it's the filling - a chilled, lightly sweetened blend of Madagascar-vanilla custard and fresh whipped cream - that bursts all over your fingers and wows on the first bite.
The éclair, coated in dark Bavarian chocolate, was so delicious I now also understand why customers are restricted to buying two dozen at a time.
Beard Papa's: 104-1184 Denman St.; 604-681-3163
Join the Discussion: