I�ve always found Chinese bakeries quite amazing. How to do they manage to offer such a wide variety of products and sell them goods for such low prices?? Every time I pay $5 for a milkshake or slice of cake, I get this awful guilty feeling in the gut of my stomach thinking that I could have bought at least three baked goods from a Chinese bakery at that price!
In the past week, I found myself visiting I Fu Tang in Rowland Height�s Diamond Plaza rather frequently. The other day I had a Crispy Cake ($1.50) for an after dinner and dessert snack. Isn�t it curious looking?
It was great fun to bite into, first you encounter the soft, delicate vanilla sponge cake featured in many Asian bakeries, then, a thin layer of cream. But only just enough to bind the layers upon layers of crisp phyllo dough. It�s such a simple concept, wrapping sponge cake around phyllo, but alas it�s treat that�s greater than the sum of its parts. To make things even better, it�s only a tad sweet, so you don�t even feel like it is dessert!
For breakfast the next morning, I had the Pumpkin Bun ($1.75). I didn�t expect any filling inside the bun so pleasantly surprised to find a whole mountain of whipped cream cheese inside. Oh man it was sooo good, especially when toasted, the fluffy cream cheese almost melting into the warm bun, with just a the lightest pumpkin flavor.
The top is brushed with this thin custardy layer and sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg. It turned all crazy crusty after being toasted and I couldn�t get over the trio of textures: a thin nearly cracker like crust, a soft yeast bun and the fluff of a nearly savory cream cheese.
By far the most intriguing pastry to have at I Fu Tang is the mochi bun. This simple, straightforward bun studded with beans harbors the most wonderful secret ever: a layer of chewy mochi! I love mochi and I love bread even more, so it was truly a great day when I found the both together.
The top crust of the bun is also worth mentioning, I did a post on a mochi bun from different bakeries before, but I Fu Tang is the only bakery who does something magical to their bun that�s similar to Panya�s Hokkaido Bread. You end up this thin custard-like/sweet/barely crusty top that�s truly the conglomeration of all things wonderful.
If you get the red bean mochi bun (pictured), mashed azuki beans are layered upon the mochi. With the taro mochi bun, it�s a layer of whipped, sweetened taro. You can�t go wrong with either bun, but I prefer the red bean one more because the bun top is studded with lots and lots of beans! And who doesn�t like red beans? :)
I Fu Tang Bakery
1380 Fullerton Rd Ste 101
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 581-0888
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