41 replies to this topic

[sanrensho]

I have it on good authority that the Beard Papa location at Aberdeen Centre is now open for business. Actually, I received a box today from my parents.

My expectations were overly high from reading all the hype, but these were very nice and what I expect from a Japanese cream puff (filled with lightened pastry cream, NOT whipped cream). The crunchy shells are also a nice change from the standard choux dough.

I imagine that Chocomoo will be all over this.

http://www.aberdeenc.../activities.php

[MissMegan]

You've just made my week! I was addicted to that place when I lived in Japan. I guess now I know what I'm up to this weekend - yippeeeeee!

[Kentan]

Beard Papa cream puffs are seriously addictive. There was a small shop right next to the Shibuya train station in Tokyo that I used to frequent, probably waaay too much. They always had a lineup no matter what time of year.

Sanrensho, I guess that pastry cream is basically whipped cream + custard? The website says the filling is whipped cream and custard, but the ingredients look the same as pastry cream - see #1 and #2 under "About our sweets":
Beard Papa website

Whatever the ingredients, they're awesome.

Edited by Kentan, 12 October 2007 - 05:18 PM.

[prasantrin]

Beard Papa cream puffs are seriously addictive. There was a small shop right next to the Shibuya train station in Tokyo that I used to frequent, probably waaay too much. They always had a lineup no matter what time of year.

Sanrensho, I guess that pastry cream is basically whipped cream + custard? The website says the filling is whipped cream and custard, but the ingredients look the same as pastry cream - see #1 and #2 under "About our sweets":
Beard Papa website

Whatever the ingredients, they're awesome. 

The newer seasonal cream puffs (in Japan) usually have whipped cream filling. Maybe that's what they're referring to? They suck! I miss the custard seasonal ones.

[Peter Green]

Does the advertising at the Vancouver shop say that they're "light and healthy" like in Bangkok and Seoul?

[sanrensho]

Sanrensho, I guess that pastry cream is basically whipped cream + custard? The website says the filling is whipped cream and custard, but the ingredients look the same as pastry cream - see #1 and #2 under "About our sweets":

I make pastry cream quite a bit, and the filling sure seemed like it was lightened with whipped cream.

I just stole another quarter of a puff from my daughter, and I have to say that I really like how the shells stay nice and crispy. I wish I had the recipe/technique, because it would make it a lot more feasible to bring filled puffs to friends (no soggy shells).

[MissMegan]

I have just returned from a trip to Richmond and Aberdeen Centre and YES, Beard Papa is most definetly OPEN. They just have their regular cream puffs right now, but it looks as though the other flavours (matcha, chocolate, earl grey, etc) will all be Coming Soon, as well as their cheesecake sticks, chocolate lava cakes, and eclairs. Mmmm, heaven!

The cream puffs. incidentally, were divine! Just as I remembered them from Japan - excellent. Although they do have a 2-dozen / person limit on them at the moment.

If anyone does figure out the trick to that crispy puffy shell goodness (their literature says it's "choux pastry on the inside, pie crust on the outside") I would be *very* interested in hearing it!

[jahvay]

I remember when Carmelos used to stuff croissant with pastry cream, and dip them in chocolate. This was good.

[PaoPao]

We happened to be at Aberdeen Center Sat, my bride wanted to see Daiso (the $2 Asian store) so as I was walking around and saw the buzz.

When I got there and decided to get in line there must have been 100 ppl ahead of me. After 30 min. I was able to get a dozen. Unfortunately they were not selling the "Who's your Papa" T-shirts yet. Between the two of us the dozen only lasted till the next morning.

I asked my chaquita how many she had eaten of the now empty box. She replied "half". I then clarified you mean 6? She said no, half of just 1 ... chock up 11 for me then , but damn they are good.

I remember what must have been the owners, two guys in suits with their mouths wide open taking pictures of the mad rush and huge line-up.

[Kentan]

If anyone does figure out the trick to that crispy puffy shell goodness (their literature says it's "choux pastry on the inside, pie crust on the outside") I would be *very* interested in hearing it!

If I remember correctly, in Japan they would be filling the shells with the choux pastry as people ordered. That would certainly lengthen the time that they stay crispy after purchase...not that I ever had any just sitting around. But is that the way it's done here?

[Kentan]

If anyone does figure out the trick to that crispy puffy shell goodness (their literature says it's "choux pastry on the inside, pie crust on the outside") I would be *very* interested in hearing it!

If I remember correctly, in Japan they would be filling the shells with the choux pastry as people ordered. That would certainly lengthen the time that they stay crispy after purchase...not that I ever had any just sitting around. But is that the way it's done here?

I just found the other part of the answer here: Article on BP cream puffs

"The shell itself is of a high order. It has two tiers: the outer tier is made of pie crust for crunch, while the inner is a pate á choux pastry that puts a chewy hold around the custard."

It sounds like a painstaking process!
"...making the cream puffs involves 10 steps, beginning with beating egg yolks with sugar to an ideal texture, then hand-scraping expensive Madagascar vanilla bean from stubborn pod to luscious pulp (it takes about 30 beans for one cream puff), and ending when a secret blend of ingredients."

Cream puff....craving....beginning...

[sanrensho]

It sounds like a painstaking process!

It might not be that bad, although extra work for sure. There are quite a few Japanese recipes for crunchy (saku saku) puffs, and most seem to involve folding squares of pie dough over the choux pastry.

http://plaza.rakuten...y/200701180001/

I'll have to try this some time. The filling is a breeze, I actually prefer a slightly more assertive vanilla flavour since I started working with actual beans instead of extract.

[chocomoo]

*snip*
I imagine that Chocomoo will be all over this.

Normally, yes. But not when I have to stand in line for an hour! Plus, I'm going to Hong Kong & Japan soon, where there are Beard Papa shops everywhere

[fud]

I'm amazed at how popular this place is! 40 minute line-ups for cream puffs?

I will say they are pretty tasty but definitely not worth waiting in line for. I'm sure as the "hype" dies down so will the lines. My friend was at beard papa in Hong Kong 2 years ago and she said the hype had already subsided there.

Has anyone looked at the franchising information? It's pretty steep - again for ceam puffs!

[sanrensho]

Normally, yes.  But not when I have to stand in line for an hour!  Plus, I'm going to Hong Kong & Japan soon, where there are Beard Papa shops everywhere 

Does this mean we can look forward to a future sweets/pastry report?

[chocomoo]

Maaaaybe...if I'm not too lazy! I'll also have to see whether my parents & sister will be patient enough to let me take pictures before they eat the pastries!

I still haven't posted my Toronto pastries report (5 pastry shops in 1 day! For the record, my favourite was Clafouti)

[Kentan]

Beard Papa's appears in the Vancouver Sun:
Record-breaking start for cream puff vendor

"...even though the company's head executives in Japan originally thought the Vancouver market was too small to support a store, Richmond has broken all its North American records for first-month sales, including those for New York and Los Angeles."

"Sometimes they put out a sign that says, 'From this point, the wait is two hours.'"

Man, are we cream puff obsessed here in Vancouver or what!

You can see a video of the lineups if you go to the Vancouver Sun site:
Vancouver Sun

[Daddy-A]

I enjoyed a couple of these yesterday. The standard Puff is really nice. Light, airy ... everything a cream puff should be. The Macha Puff was like eating a mouth full of eggy grass. I really don't get Macha ... but I'm sure others would.

But at the end of the day, these are just cream puffs. Nothing to justify huge lineups.

What Beard Papa is selling is hype. There are line-ups because we are told there are lineups. Then, like sheep, the general public says "Wow, they must be good if there are lineups" and rushes off to fuel the hype.

Brilliant. Wish I'd thought of it.

A.

[merlin]

Sounds like the Asian equivalent of the Krispy Kreme phenomenon

[Daddy-A]

Sounds like the Asian equivalent of  the Krispy Kreme phenomenon

That was the EXACT comparison I made.

A.

[Vancouver]

Yum....Matcha Krispy Kreme. I see the lines forming already!

[Panda]

Another reason to go to Aberdeen. I'll try going in the next week or two and hope the lines die down. I think I'll try everything but pumpkin, just not a fan.

["T"]

Another reason to go to Aberdeen. I'll try going in the next week or two and hope the lines die down. I think I'll try everything but pumpkin, just not a fan.

My sister brought a doz over tonight for our yearly Oyama cassoulet night. An odd choice for dessert but whatthehell. We all thought they were good but not worth the wait. Dinner on the other hand was great along with the wines. Conde de Vimeoso 2004, Baron deOna Riserva 1998, Ch d' Aydie2000and a Selvapiana Riserva Bucerhiale 2001 finishing with Talisker 10 and Couer de Lion Calvados xo. Glad i have the day off on tuesday.

[canucklehead]

I think the Beard Papa is a fun little phenomena - people like them and they are pretty tasty. Are they worth a 2 hour wait? Well, very few things are worth a two hour wait - but you know - they are a fun little treat. People wait in line for hot dogs at Pink's in LA, so why not fresh cream puffs in Richmond?

Sometimes embracing the silly is part of enjoying food.

[Kentan]

Just saw the #98 B-Line bus all covered in Beard Papa advertisements. I'm sure they bought the ads before the store opened - they certainly don't need any more publicity!

[BCinBC]

I finally had a Beard Papa puff. Very good custardy filling and chocolate topping. And I didn't even have to wait in line. All good.

And I hope the hype is still going to encourage them to open more outlets.

[Panda]

Just wish they'd get those other flavours out.

[twinkienic]

I think they do have the other flavours out (unless they stopped making them). Last time I went about a month ago, I bought some matcha flavoured cream puffs. They had a schedule posted showing which flavours they would be making on each day. They still didn't have some of their non-cream-puff goods yet though.

[Panda]

I think they do have the other flavours out (unless they stopped making them). Last time I went about a month ago, I bought some matcha flavoured cream puffs. They had a schedule posted showing which flavours they would be making on each day.  They still didn't have some of their non-cream-puff goods yet though.

I went on Wednesday and tried their chocolate. You're right about the schedule. It looks like it's a 3 day for each flavour rotation.

[twinkienic]

How was the chocolate? I'm keen to try the earl grey. For some reason, I'm always a sucker for tea-flavoured goods.