Beard Papa Sweets Cafe

[torakris]

According to my girlfriend, mothers would purchase "shoe creams" for their children as a less expensive option to more expensive pasteries on trips to bakeries, supermarkets, and department stores.

do the japanese actually spell it "shoe" cream? when i first read your post, i was a little put off as i was just reading how everyone thought the flavor could use a little push...i mean if you're infusing shoes in the cream...hehe

"choux" meaning "cabbage"

In Japnese they are called シュークリーム

shuu kuriimu

pronounced like shoo-koo-rhee-moo

[mjc]

This flavor issue concerning the vanilla custard is an intriguing. Out of curiosity... do you think the weak flavor might instead be a more subtle flavor? Is the vanilla actually weak or is there a lack of sweetness? If there was more sweetner do you think the vanilla flavor would be enhanced?

My point is that perhaps in the US we have come to expect a more dramatic flavor in our desserts (flavors that are magnified and enhanced by sweetners (sugar) and/or salt (in other foods).

mascarpone

You could call a weak flavor a subtle flavor. I think you are right that there are probably cultural differences of opinion in how strong a flavor should be. I think subtle flavors have their place as do bold flavors. I personally don't want a flavor to hit me over the head, but I want to know its there. I think that when an item in a dessert is supposed to taste like something, you should be able to taste it. Sometimes you might taste it, and not be able to figure out what it is, but you should hopefully be able to find it.

I'd say the pastry cream in these puffs is definetly not overly sweet and the vanilla flavor is very sublte. I don't like things too sweet and I don't think that adding more sugar would make the cream any better or more flavorful, it would make it worse.

I agree with suzanne that vanilla is one of the pastry chef's tools for enhancing flavors (like salt), but it also has of course its own great flavor. I think when you have a pastry cream with a lot of vanilla beans it just makes the flavor great--but that I suppose is very American of me.

I also think that a big part of the reason this cream only has a few vanilla beans in it, is that vanilla is incrediblly expensive.

Edited April 7, 2004 by mjc (log)

[mascarpone]

Hi Torakris,

According to my girlfriend, mothers would purchase "shoe creams" for their children as a less expensive option to more expensive pasteries on trips to bakeries, supermarkets, and department stores.

do the japanese actually spell it "shoe" cream? when i first read your post, i was a little put off as i was just reading how everyone thought the flavor could use a little push...i mean if you're infusing shoes in the cream...hehe

"choux" meaning "cabbage"

In Japnese they are called シュークリーム

shuu kuriimu

pronounced like shoo-koo-rhee-moo

Arigato gosighmasu.

I would be very interested to know your opinion of the taste of the custard creme of the シュークリーム at Beard Papa. Was it lacking flavor...oishii-kata? What is your opinion of the sweetness and vanilla flavor issue?

mascarpone

Edited April 7, 2004 by mascarpone (log)

[mascarpone]

Beard Papa Custard Cream Puffs are also available after 3:00 PM daily at Zaiya Cafe at 41st Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues.

Edited April 7, 2004 by mascarpone (log)

[torakris]

Hi Torakris,

According to my girlfriend, mothers would purchase "shoe creams" for their children as a less expensive option to more expensive pasteries on trips to bakeries, supermarkets, and department stores.

do the japanese actually spell it "shoe" cream? when i first read your post, i was a little put off as i was just reading how everyone thought the flavor could use a little push...i mean if you're infusing shoes in the cream...hehe

"choux" meaning "cabbage"

In Japnese they are called シュークリーム

shuu kuriimu

pronounced like shoo-koo-rhee-moo

Arigato gosighmasu.

I would be very interested to know your opinion of the taste of the custard creme of the シュークリーム at Beard Papa. Was it lacking flavor...oishii-kata? What is your opinion of the sweetness and vanilla flavor issue?

mascarpone

are you asking me?

I have never eaten cream puffs at Beard Papa (no stores are close to my house) and actually at not really a cream puff fan. I have eaten cream puffs here in Japan but have never eaten one in the US so I have nothing to compare to. They vary widely here, I have had some that have a wonderfully intense vanilla flavor and others that have no flavor at all. As with most sweets in Japan I am pretty sure they will be quite a bit less sweeter than their American counterparts.

[mascarpone]

Arigato gosighmasu! Torakris!

[Suzanne F]

This flavor issue concerning the vanilla custard is an intriguing. Out of curiosity... do you think the weak flavor might instead be a more subtle flavor? Is the vanilla actually weak or is there a lack of sweetness? If there was more sweetner do you think the vanilla flavor would be enhanced?

My point is that perhaps in the US we have come to expect a more dramatic flavor in our desserts (flavors that are magnified and enhanced by sweetners (sugar) and/or salt (in other foods).

mascarpone

You could call a weak flavor a subtle flavor. I think you are right that there are probably cultural differences of opinion in how strong a flavor should be. I think subtle flavors have their place as do bold flavors. I personally don't want a flavor to hit me over the head, but I want to know its there. I think that when an item in a dessert is supposed to taste like something, you should be able to taste it. Sometimes you might taste it, and not be able to figure out what it is, but you should hopefully be able to find it.

I'd say the pastry cream in these puffs is definetly not overly sweet and the vanilla flavor is very sublte. I don't like things too sweet and I don't think that adding more sugar would make the cream any better or more flavorful, it would make it worse.

I agree with suzanne that vanilla is one of the pastry chef's tools for enhancing flavors (like salt), but it also has of course its own great flavor. I think when you have a pastry cream with a lot of vanilla beans it just makes the flavor great--but that I suppose is very American of me.

I also think that a big part of the reason this cream only has a few vanilla beans in it, is that vanilla is incrediblly expensive.

As I recall from my one and only visit there on Opening Day, they had signs and flyers making a big deal about how expensive the vanilla is, but they use it anyway. Which is why I was so disappointed that I could barely taste any vanilla at all (although yes, the Breyers-ish black specks are quite visible). It was way below "subtle" to the point of "is any there at all?"

[Amuse Bouche]

Am I missing something? Because I keep hearing that Japanese desserts are not as sweet as American desserts, but that hasn't been my experience at all. Maybe I just prefer less-sweet American desserts, but I think that a lot of common flavors in American desserts (chocolate, citrus, even cinnamon or nuts) serve to cut the potential sweetness a bit with other flavors, such as bitterness or sourness. Again, I'm not in the habit of buying Chips Ahoy (or Magnolia Cupcakes for that matter) but these Beard Papa cream puffs taste pretty darn sweet to me. And since the other flavors are so subtle, that's all I get, just sweet.

[torakris]

Well I had my first Beard Papa cream puff a couple days ago (Yokohama station location), they were offering matcha(green tea) flavored ones as well as the originals so I went for one of those. It was filled with a matcha flavored custard and sprinkled with powdered matcha. It was pretty good, but like I said before I am not a huge cream puff fan and couldn't really tell the difference betwen that one or any others I have eaten.....

It was a nice mid day snack at 136 yen ($1.24), the matcha ones were a little more expensive than the regular ones.

[mascarpone]

Arigato gosighmasu Torakris.

I would be very interested to know your opinion of the taste of the custard creme of the シュークリーム at Beard Papa. Was it lacking flavor...oishii-kata? What is your opinion of the sweetness and vanilla flavor issue? Would you say, even though you are not a fan of シュークリーム that Papa Beards is similar to other types of Cream Puffs in Japan? (I hope this does not cause you to run out and eat Cream Puffs from all over Tokyo ).

mascarpone

[torakris]

I wish I could comment more on the flavor, unfortantely since it was matcha flavored, the matcha was all I could taste....

[mjr_inthegardens]

According to http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2004/08/...ds_downtown.php

Beard Papa Japanese Sweets Cafe is opening a location near NYU.

I suspect many of egullet's NY crowd are black-wearing, cafe-haunting downtown sophisticates, so this should be good news.

-mjr

[Daniel]

I suspect many of egullet's NY crowd are black-wearing, cafe-haunting downtown sophisticates, so this should be good news.

-mjr

" I see a cream puff and i wanted painted black"

[mpav]

Excellent news about the Union Square Beard Papa. I saw some beard Papa bags at a street fair on Lex in the lower 40s two weeks back. I think a local coffee shop brings them in. Union Square sounds like a better option.

[foodexile]

Although, I don't think it's really Union Square.

It's at St. Mark's or so and Broadway.

Right?

[foodexile]

Correction to my correction.

St. Mark's doesn't intersect with Broadway.

I meant Astor Place.

Please tell me I'm right this time.

[mascarpone]

Excellent news about the Union Square Beard Papa. I saw some beard Papa bags at a street fair on Lex in the lower 40s two weeks back. I think a local coffee shop brings them in. Union Square sounds like a better option.

The place that has Papa Beards Cream Puffs in the East Forties is called Cafe Zaiya on 41st between Fifth and Madison Avenue. It is a Japanese cafe that has sushi, bento boxes, steam table and other dishes made to order as well as many different sweets. The place is packed with Japanese office workers around luch hour. I would recommend the Japanese style "Light" cheesecake.

[cakewalk]

I bought one of these yesterday, since I was walking down Broadway and there was hardly any line at all (I guess all the upper west siders were in the Hamptons or something?). Anyway, the pastry part was really good, I liked that a lot. Flaky and crispy (Can it be both? It was.), a bit sweet, very good. The cream took some getting used to. It was much less sweet than I thought it would be, so the first bite was a surprise. Once I got used to that, I thought it could use some more flavor, more vanilla (much more, in fact.) But it wasn't bad. And it really is messy. Not the sort of thing you can eat while strolling down Broadway without making a bit of a mess of yourself. I think it would be better with some nice chocolate squiggles across the top, but I think everything is better with chocolate.

I don't have any comparisons to make, since this is the first time I ever ate a cream puff! But I remember that when I was about 10, my friend Beverly and I tried to make cream puffs (her parents were out and we were in her house and we were bored), but the only thing we succeeded in making was a mess! (And Beverly got in trouble.)

[mascarpone]

I have nearly mastered the technique of walking down the street and eating a Papa Beards Cream puff without dropping it all over the sidewalk.

[alacarte]

Correction to my correction.

St. Mark's doesn't intersect with Broadway.

I meant Astor Place.

Please tell me I'm right this time.

you are correct -- according to the Salli Vates blog page (which I do enjoy):

  Who knew that cream puffs would become such a sought-after treat? The line at Beard Papa's Fresh 'N' Natural Cream Puffs (2167 Broadway, 212-799-3770) continues to grow. The store owners must have realized that the line will eventually reach the southern tip of Manhattan, so they have wisely decided to open up at Broadway and Astor Place.

[Catherine Iino]

Has anyone come up with a recipe approximating the Beard Papa shells? I have to make dessert for an Asian-themed meal that my cooking club is doing, and I'm not a big fan of really Asian sweets. I am a big fan of cream puffs.