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This is my first attempt at writing a review off my new itouch!!! (I love it!!!)It may take me the whole night but I will get thru this...!!!
Took my friend here so she can try the heavenly strawberry croissants. She was thoroughly impressed!!! I also tried the chocolate croissant, which was good but I have yet to find a really great choco croissant. Please show me the way if u know of one!!! The cream pan was pretty good but ultimately the strawberry croissant is the way to go!!
The regular baker is back from vacay so I finally got to see their full display of desserts. Didn't get a chance to try Nick's Fave OJ this time. Hot dog pan looked good!!
Strawberry croissant is def ON list of fave desserts!!
I definitely have a lot of respect for those of u who churn out reviews off ur smart phones!!! It took me for ever to edit this review !!!
Strawberry Croissant = 5 stars!!!
As Steven N wrote earlier, once Nick H gets something like cream…
Read more »
Aieeeeeeeee! I die.
And if it's from sugar OD because of this place's cutesy and creamy and custardy and calorically insane cream puffs, then I die happy.
It's good that i can't tell you how expensive these little pieces of magic are but they are worth their weight in gold.
Those who comprehend the worth of a good pastry however will understand that these delicious, mind-blowing pieces of goodness are not cheap.
They have some of the most eclectic types of pastries and cakes but the only problem is whether or not you can get your hands on them.
Don't expect to come in any time after opening hours and get your grubby mitts on anything besides white/whole wheat bread; they run out before 12....
From the looks of it, Cream Pan may be some cutesy looking Japanese-French bakery. However, don't let that fool you into letting your guard down. Because once you do, that's when someone just swipes the uber famous "Strawberry Croissant" out from under you.
Because when it comes to this famous Cream Pan delicacy, customers will practically elbow drop you in line to make sure they get at least one (or 30 of them), so much that you'd swear it was the second coming of the Great Depression where people were literally fighting over the last loaf of bread. Literally, it's incredible, let me tell you.
Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way when I decided to do my "good deed of the day" at Cream Pan, and let some woman go in front of me in line. I should've expected something was up when 2 other people tried to pretend that I was talking to them, and subsequently tried to bum rush the line. Sure enough, that woman bought out the last 35 Strawberry Croissants - did you hear me? 35 STRAWBERRY CROISSANTS, and did it without flinching. I was seriously so appalled at that moment that I actually tried to make small talk and said "wow, you must be taking them to a party...that would be such a great thing to bring!" And then she just shot me this death glare making me think they were all for her gluttonous little self. Note - if you want to do your "good deed of the day," don't do it at Cream Pan. You'll just screw yourself over like I did.
Overall, the Strawberry Croissant is everything you'll hope for and more. However, I much prefer their regular butter croissants, as I'm a simple kind of gal. They are absolutely, positively, melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness, and I could eat about 10 of them.
Make sure you don't come in for lunch - because the cupboards are bare!
A few rows of custardy baked things, and a noodle sandwich to choose from.
My buddy got a cream bun and said it was no bueno - and this guy loves his baked goods.
I had the most amazing OJ of my life today. Never have I had anything that compares. The strawberry croissant was also the best I have had. Simply amazing. Awwww!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Strawberry croissants. That's what it's all about. I love me some strawberries, and when I first saw them, I was like... hmm, are three tiny slices of strawberries enough to make this much talked about croissant worth it? The answer is: hell yes.
Dude, I don't know what's in that cream. Crack perhaps? I'm craving more right now. It's the perfect amount of sweetness and it's rich enough that only one or two is enough... at one time. All I could think of when eating these lovely croissants was the word amazing. It's like Christmas in my mouth... strawberry Christmas.
The only reason it's not five stars is because I didn't try everything else and by the time I got there (3pm) it looked completely empty. The shelves were sad and bare and all that were left were some old looking sandwiches, half loaves of bread and a tray of strawberry croissants.
They said that by 9am they have everything out and by 11am most of the stuff is gone. The up side is that you can call ahead of time and order whatever you want and they'll keep it for you until you arrive. I think I'll do that next time because I don't like leaving strawberry croissants left to chance.
The Strawberry croissants here are to DIE for! =) U just GOTTA try them!
All the desserts here are not too sweet like other places, they taste just PERFECT! =)
The sandwiches & little lunch boxes are also very yummy too! =)
You GOTTA try this place out if you have a sweet tooth or if you LOVE desserts, this is the place 2 go =)
I'm pretty sure I could just give strawberry croissants as Christmas presents to all my friends and they'd totally love me and beg me for more.
Strawberries really aren't my thing, so thank goodness I read all the reviews before checking this place out or else I'd probably never pick it. Surprisingly, I didn't mind the strawberries at all. Past not yet ripened strawberries have scarred my psyche, but these were great! I got the croissants, cream pan, and azuki cream puff thingy, and salmon rice ball. I felt like Noah.. "two of everything please!"
UPDATE 10-23-09: I got the Linguini Marinada which includes a a red sauce with basil, garlic, and spices. It has pieces of salmon and asparagus and it's topped with a bit of melted parmesan cheese. Probably not the best pasta I've ever had but there was an abundance of salmon and for $6? It's worth it. I thought I saw a sign saying their hours were being cut down between 10/22/09-10/30/09 from 6AM-12PM.
I haven't been to Cream Pan in awhile but this morning was my first trip back. It seems like I've been missing out on a lot since I've been MIA! I was disappointed to see the lack of variety in pastries they had this morning. My coworker wanted "something fabulous" with fruits in it but all they had were the usual suspects (banana croissant, infamous strawberry croissant, and the blueberry croissant).
Here's what I've been missing out on. They now have ready-made pasta. I saw maybe 3 different marinara pastas and 1 alfredo one. They make a bunch early in the morning so I'm not sure how it'll taste if/when you eat it for lunch. They're individually packed too. They also have your various types of salads, sandwiches, and boxes of sushi rolls.
I definitely need to be making more frequent trips back because there's just way too much I need to try. SO much of them and so little of me. UGH!
Can ANY other place make a mean strawberry and custard filled croissant like Cream Pan can? If so,… Read more »
I'm not much of a sweet tooth person. I always thought, if I'm going to get fat, I'm going do it eating hearty, savory foods and drinkin' booze. I'm not going to waste unnecessary calories on sweets. With Cream Pan, I might make an exception to this way of thinking.
For the last week, all I heard from Nick H is Cream Pan this, Cream Pan that. Well, he finally got Cream Pan inside my head. If you are unfortunate enough to get inside my head, you know I'm going to do anything I can to get you out as soon as possible. There is no room for dialogue in my world. Only monologues.
So, only after one night of Cream Pan inside my head, I was ready to get it out. I decided I would take an early lunch and make the 16 mile trip from Mission Viejo to Old Town Tustin. 5 Tracks and 15 minutes later, due to avoiding the freeway lunch traffic, I was in the parking lot. I noticed that there is a Ballys right across from Cream Pan. For a minute, I thought about working out at Ballys after ingesting a lot of unnecessary calories at Cream Pan. I looked myself straight in the eye and laughed for even thinking such a thing on the eve of my weekend.
You might be asking yourself, "How does one look themselves straight in the eyes?" Well in my world, I'm somehow able to become another person that is me, but really not me. I swear I'm not crazy. Well, at least not yet. I like to think that I fit this description in the DSM IV. Sometimes, unconventional people are labeled as crazy when they're actually just creatively challenging the conventional wisdom with new ideas.
Anyways, moving right along. I walked in and started looking for a couple of things Nick H swears by. I saw the Strawberry Croissants $2.30 and the fresh squeezed OJ $3.00. I got them and also a Pork Katsu cold sandwich $6.00. I sat down and said to myself, "Lets see what this place is all about." I took a sip of the OJ. It was damn good. No question about it being freshly squeezed with good oranges. I will still debate with Nick H about it being "100%" hand squeezed tho. Have you ever hand squeezed oranges? It is a lot of effin' work. Hand squeezed with the assistant of a mechanical device, I will agree to. This OJ was 4.5 Stars.
The sandwich even tho it was cold, looked good. The bread was soft and moist, the veggies were fresh and crisp, and the pork katsu tasted quite good cold. This is a pretty good sandwich to take to the park, beach, picnic, etc. 4 Stars.
Now to my lunch dessert. The #1 thing Nick H has on his must have list at Cream Pan. That would be the Strawberry Croissant. First off, it was the best looking Strawberry Croissant I have ever seen. It was so pretty, I didn't want to touch it at all. First bite, I was in heaven. It was light, crispy, flaky, creamy and the perfect amount of sweetness to it. It does not get any better than this. Wow a hundred times. This was 5 Stars all the way.
Like the Governator would say, "I'll be back." This place does live up to the Yelp Hype. 4.5 Stars on this trip and I'm sure it will be a 5 Stars place for me one day soon. Thanks Nick H for getting Cream Pan inside my head. Now a moment of silence with myself because I got Cream Pan out of my system.
2 words: STRAWBERRY CROISSANTS!
The cream inside is sooooooo goooooood and creamy and delicious.
Get them before they sell out!
I went to a bridal shower not too long ago and was first introduced to the strawberry croissants there. My first bite into them and i was in love. They tasted like sex in a croissant. Srsly! Ok so maybe sex in a croissant doesn't sound appetizing but they were just damn good!
A week after I was de-virginized at the bridal shower, I headed over to Cream Pan at 10ish AM and was told the strawberry croissants were sold out! I looked at the front counter girl like she was smoking crack. In my head, I was thinking "noooo! how can you be so evil and deny me sex in a croissant like this?!" I think I gave the girl my best devil eyes because she looked scared and sheepishly explained that 10 mins before I walked in, some jerk-hole walked in and cleaned out their entire inventory of the strawberry croissants. Bastard! I asked the girl what time they usually get sold out and she said normally around 1pm but it just happened that the jerk-hole came in early and cleaned them out that day.
Since I was there, I decided to try out their tuna salad sandwich, ham & cheese croissant and apple croissant. The tuna salad sandwich and ham & cheese croissant were ok. Nothing spectacular. The apple croissant, however was VERY good. After I gobbled up everything, I vowed to come back the next day for my strawberry croissants.
The following day, I got smart and called in to make sure they had some. The girl who answered the phone asked me how many and I decided to go all balls out and had her hold 6 for me. She said no problem! I came in at 3pm that day and lo and behold! 6 glistening strawberry croissants sat patiently in a box waiting for me. :) I ended up eating all 6 over the next 2 days. Yes! Oink City, here I come!!!
The biggest tip I can give to those that want the strawberry croissant on their first trip, I'd call in ahead of time to have them put on hold. They are soo worth it!
PS. I docked off 1 star for having to come back a second time to get the strawberry croissants! I don't understand why they can't just make more if they run out?
Ok. I love sweets as much as anyone and I saw all of your great reviews and headed over to Cream Pan. However....
I got there and the new bakery/restaurant had flies in their display case. Yuk. The pastries looked very delicious but I couldn't bring myself to get anything because the flies were sitting on top of the croissants!
Sorry. The display cases need to be fully sealed so that doesn't happen! Also if that is happening in the front what the heck is going on in the BACK! Yikes!
i tried the azuki cream pan and curry pan. they were ok but...
IMHO (and i mean very humble) the cream to azuki and curry to bread ratios were not optimal for me.
i wanted more azuki than cream and more curry than bread.
but the azuki and curry flavor was good. just overwhelmed by the cream or bread. i also thought the pastry part for the azuki cream pan needed more salt.
Light, Flakey, Crispy, tasty and creamy. That sums up the banana chocolate croissant I had and the Strawberry Croissant I had. I stopped off here on Cherie T's suggestion and man am I glad I did. This place is relatively easy to find and has lots of parking. If you go in the morning it works out well. All I can say is yum.
Pro:
Great texture
Great taste
Con:
Love Handles from eating too many
a little pricey for what you're getting.
This time I tried the cream pan, raspberry cheese cake and the chocolate croissant. I must say my faves from this group is the cream pan and the raspberry cheese cake. The cream pan is better than the Vietnamese counterpart which has a custard filling that hardens when you cool it in the fridge. The cream pan's filling was light and creamy and stayed soft even when cooled. You have to cool it and eat it while it's cold. It makes it that much better and ever so delicious. The raspberry cheese cake looked almost like a cupcake with an inverted top. The outside is made out of layers of yummy crust which looks like croissant and the inside had a light and creamy cheesecake that had bits of raspberry folded into the cheesecake. This was delish...unfortunately I only got one and I almost ate it all without sharing with the hubby. The chocolate croissant was standard.
I ate all my purchase on the same day- 4 items...I felt guilty but then again the yummy experience was so worth it. I guess Im gonna have more gym time this week. UGH!
So excited to finally sample their delicious pastries...but as I walked in I found empty shelves and… Read more »
crispy, flaky, buttery croissants...mmmm sooo delicious. Just the croissant alone is yummy already. but adding fresh strawberries and a thin layer of custard, sprinkled with powdered sugar on top is even tastier!
Now I'm not the biggest fan of custard, but this one here, at Cream Pan, is light! the custard didnt overpower the buttery croissant so it was a perfect amount. I wish the croissant was bigger for the amount i paid. $2.50 for one was a bit pricey and u dont get much strawberries either; only 3 slices.
The banana croissant was good to. different form of croissant, had a thin spread of custard, but this one consisted drizzles of chocolate and decorated w/ a few slices of bananas. this was pretty darn good too. The chocolate made it tasted like iw as eating chocolate dipped bananas.
I have yet to try other pastries, but I will definitely come back here to get the croissants.
This is a must try place. Be sure to call in and make sure the croissants aren't sold out!
Super yummy deliciousness. Every family event, the sinful strawberry cream filled croissant things always *somehow* end up there. So good, they could make you cry.
Oh yelpers.....you tricked me! Or maybe I tricked myself.....
I finally had an excuse to be in Tustin before 4pm (when Cream Pan closes), so I drove like a mad woman to get to this place. It's cute, clean, and had some really friendly guests.
They'e got a NICE selection of breads, all home made and fluffy! Looked terrific, but since I'm on a low carb diet (why was I here then, right??) so I figured if I'm going to cheat, I might as well make it worth it. (BTW, I saw this EVERYTIME I come within a bee-line of a bakery)
So, I went for the strawberry cream croissant, a chocolate chip cookie, and an oatmeal raisin cookie. But they had an assportment of croissants (filled and plain), tarts, cheesecake cups, scones, muffins, etc.
Strawberry cream croissant: Very nice presentation. The croissamt is sliced in half, filled with cream, and three fresh slices of strawberry is neatly lined up inside. I think I may have been too hyped up for this one because the yelpers are ranting and raving - but I thought this was just OK. For me, it wasn't sweet enough. But I do like the fact that you can still taste the butter of the very moist and soft croissant.
Chocolate Chip Cookie: Poo-EY! That's all I'm going to say about that one.
Oatmeal Raisin: Thank goodness I ate this one after the monstrocity of the chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was moist, sweet, and chewy. It had both regular raisins and golden raising - JUST the way I like it!
For the three items my bill was just about $6.00. Not too bad - but I think they should have paid me to eat that chocolate chip cookie. If you know me, you know I don't throw cookies away - but this one, I gladly "hook shot-ed" into the garbage.
Trekked out here from Irvine on a Sunday afternoon. I wish this place was opened until a later time, though! It closes at 4pm! Anyways, I love the location since it's close to a lot of other restaurants (mostly Asian food places, I might add). I've been waiting for a while to come visit this bakery after reading all the great reviews about it!
I can see why people are so obsessed. I've been to my fair share of bakeries, and I can easily say that this one sits at one of the top spots in my favorites list.
From the recommendations on Yelp, I tried the Cream Pan ($1.50) and the Strawberry Croissant ($2.30). Plenty of items were actually still available since I guess there are less customers on Sundays, although many people still rolled in while I was there.
As for the taste, the Cream Pan was delicious! Served cold, it's a nice snack for hot weather, and the cream isn't too overwhelming, nor is it messy since it has just the right amount inside a nice soft layer of perfectly baked bread. The Strawberry Croissant was perhaps the best croissant I've ever tried! Tender flaky layers of dough wrapping slices of fresh strawberries which are coated in a nice cream. Powdered sugar is sprinkled on top, too, so it adds a nice aesthetic touch to the croissant!
I'd definitely visit again, even though I don't live in Tustin! I must say, the croissant is a tad more expensive than what I expected, but it's delish!
A must-try if you're a fan of baked goods! Hurry, though, the place is only open until 4pm!
An amazingly cute bakery, too!
I was first introduced to this place by my cousin... and let me tell you... she got me HOOKED! Their pastries may be a bit pricey for the amount, but the quality is definitely heavenly.
If you haven't figured it out by now... their Strawberry croissant is DELICIOUS! The croissant is crispy and melts in your mouth simultaneously with the cream and strawberries....mmmm.....
I also found out that their Banana croissant is just as good! It's pretty much the same thing except with banana's instead of strawberries and they add a layer of chocolate to it too... My boyfriend tried their Soba sandwich and found it to only be ok...
I have yet to try the rest of their bakery!
Given the last few trips I've made to Cream Pan, I would subtract one star because 2 out of 3 times, they were out of strawberry croissants (and mind you, I came in on a Saturday afternoon around 1:30pm, peak hours, no?)
But the minute I stopped into the store and managed to get a 1/2 dozen of strawberry croissants, some cream pan and some black & brown pastries (butter/sugar glazed croissants with black sesame seeds), those disappointing visits before be damned! I have not eaten one thing here that has left me disappointed. And the pastries are so good that I momentarily forget all things that bother me in life (e.g. student loans, dissatisfaction with work, terrorism, etc.)
Oh, and my boyfriend who studies at Chapman Law told me that the Chapman Coffee House sells strawberry croissants and the teriyaki and croquette sandwiches there - but at higher prices than Cream Pan. He says it tastes just like Cream Pan/heaven and thinks it might be the same owner.
Strawberry croissant FTW! Today I got the strawberry croissant (which I inhaled within 30 seconds,… Read more »
Yes, it was finally timee. All I've heard for years is how amazing the strawberry croissant is. I've been pretty pleased with Bon Epi's version but people still claim the strawberry croissant at Cream Pan is as close to heaven as possible. So Saturday morning the BF thought he was so amazing for having discovered a new bakery to try. Sorry BF, but this girl is more local than you and knows all. Kidding, but really I do know more places in OC than he does. I just don't like to share the knowledge =). So sure enough by 11am we were ready for breakfast. We walked into the adorable bakery with its glass cases, granite looking counter tops, and wooden shelves that, remind you this is also a Japanese bakery please don't forget. BF got excited because there were sandwiches that reminded him a bit of hometown Hong Kong with its crust sliced off so I suggested the sandwich, a hot dog, and of course the strawberry croissant. We also needed a wake up so we got two coffees and headed outside for a spot at a table under the umbrella. It seemed a bit quiet but since most of the shelves were a little bit empty by the time we got there I didn't worry too much. Shortly after we sat down, the "rush" came and indulged in their own yummies. Now back to the food. We started with the sandwiches which included a variety of egg, tuna, and ham. All yummy but I enjoyed the tuna the most, and I don't really eat tuna either. Next was the hot dog and it was ok. I've had better. The hot dog was a bit off. It wasn't bad but it wasn't the tastiest ever. I'd probably have really enjoyed it if I haven't had it a ton of times at 85 degree bakery. Finally, the strawberry croissant. The BF and I agreed, really yummy, not better than Bon Epi's but different. I know, both croissants with cream and strawberries. How can it not be the same? True but we couldn't not want either. Cream Pan's cream was a little more custardy and Bon Epi's was larger and had way more strawberries. But the croissant at Cream Pan's was a little flakier than Bon Epi's but smaller. And as I've said before (if you've read my reviews before) I hate comparing because everyone has their differences so really it was just delicious. Not better, not worse. I really want to try their other baked goods! and apparently their OJ =) Just wish they were open in the evenings. But I won't take away a star for my morning laziness.
One word, yum. I drove by it like 2 months ago and decided to go one day simple cause of the name and location (old towne tustin). Had strawberry croissants and blueberry too. Ama-zing! Went again to buy an individual one for bosses day and she liked it too. Calling ahead is a smart thing to do becasue usually there's no wait but sometimes there's the occasiona long line.
My family loves the rice balls they offer in the morning. You can't beat the fresh rice balls with shredded salmon and a seaweed skin.
i came here today around 12 PM looking for a sweet treat.
and to my dismay, less than HALF of their goods are left!
WTH!!!!
i went for a sugar donut and it was the worst donut EVER
really tough, way too chewy it was HORRIBLE! the dinky thing cost $1.... with that dollar i could have just gone to the bakery inside freshia and left wayyyyy more satisfied. their goods are way too overpriced anyway. not worth the drive from irvine.
and it's kind of unsettling to see this japanese bakery run by nonjapanese workers...
AVOID THEIR DONUTS AT ALL COSTS!
I've been to so many Asian bakeries. 85C in Irvine, CA. Goldilocks in Panorama City, CA. And the list goes on. So when I heard of this one, I thought it was going to be just another run-of-the-mill bakery. But man, I was wrong. First off, you know it's going to be good when Asian people and white people shop here. Second off, it shares the same kitchen as the cafe next door, Japonaise Bakery & Cafe. On another note, Japonaise Bakery & Cafe will close as of August 16, but not for anything bad - they're just renaming to Kappo Udon and concentrating on a Japanese menu. So no fear.
So I came here on a Sunday afternoon a few hours before closing. It's a bummer this place closes so early (4 PM). Anyways, people were trickling in every now and then, and Charlene P. and I managed to get in and out in a few minutes. We ordered the strawberry croissants ($2.30, and this seems to be a big item here) and the cream pan ($1.50). I saw an assortment of sandwiches (pork katsu), but I'll give it a go next time around.
We sat outside on their aluminum tables and feasted. SO GOOD! First the cream pan. The bread was so moist and delicious. The cream was not too rich, and had that milky-sweetness that I *heart*. There was a good balance between how much cream was inside, not too messy at all. The strawberry croissant should be the 8th Deadly Sin. That was ridiculously good. Although Charlene P. complained there was too much cream, I found the cream to be in justifiable amounts. Biting in to the soft croissant and getting some cream and strawberries in the mix was delightful.
This place is my to-go place for pastries. So good!
I'M OBSESSED! It's that good, Strawberry cream pastry....
I also like their plain sweet rolls 6 per bag on the table $3. I like katsu chicken & croquette sandwiches at $2.50 each, what a steal esp it's nicely packaged in a clear sandwhich box great 4 lunch on the go. They also have a cafe connected to bakery called Japonaise. I ordered Set A breakfast $3.50, it was yummy too
I'll definitely be back 4 more. Btw, location is also quaint near old town tustin, not the ghetto.
Forget dropping by the donut shoppe or the bagel place... you MUST pick up pastries from Cream Pan next time. Namely, get a dozen cream pans and two dozen strawberry croissants. You'll need this many because you will personally eat half of them before ever arriving. Nevermind that 36 pieces will set you back about $50, you will be a HERO amongst your co-workers and solifiy your place as the foodie guru of the place.
Read the other reviews here for a complete rundown on the place, but KNOW that their custard is light (as opposed to heavy American stuff), and not-too-sweet and 100% awesome.
This reminds me of Paris Baguette in the bay area with the beautiful prepared pastries and treats.
I got the creamy strawberry croissant to try. It was $2.50. Pretty fluffy but I wish they had more than just 3 thin slices of the strawberry.
Other pastry treats included sweet potato croissant, cheesecake, breads and butter/almond croissants.
Long waiting lines and a little slow in service. There is some seating area inside.
Looking at the ratings for this place, I was bound to come here sooner or later. Well, I guess sooner turned out to be today.
As I walked inside this small bakery, the first thing I noticed straight ahead of me was that their glass display case was completely empty. My whole body instantly filled with terror as I have been waiting quite a while to come here. But then I turned to the right and saw a few of those Strawberry Croissants that all you fellow Yelpers keep raving about, and my body was able to relax.
So I ordered one, and mmmmmmmmmmmm, you guys were right, it was delicious! Just the right amount of a light, decadent custard filling and 3 slices of strawberry inside a flaky croissant dusted with powdered sugar. It was perfect.
Cream Pan doesn't have a huge selection of goodies, but I also ordered a Cream Pan and their Multigrain loaf of bread. The Cream Pan is just a breadball with custard filling on the inside, but the outside bread tasted a little burnt to me. The Multigrain bread wasn't extraordinary or anything either.
I'll try more things next time (ooh, maybe the chocolate scone!) so that I can update this review, but for now, I can say that I'm a fan because of that Strawberry Croissant.
I've been coming to Cream Pan for a while since finding it on Yelp. While I never really understood how people raved about the strawberry croissants, I do enjoy their other baked goods - chicken sandwiches (you can ask them to heat it up), azuki cream pan, etc.
However, I recently had the banana croissant and wow...so tasty! The banana croissant has a layer of bananas on top with a little chocolate followed by a layer of custard. That, in combination with the flaky but chilled croissant, is absolutely delicious! Dammit, my diet's ruined!
I love this place. I took a friend here and now she's addicted and hooked on this place thanks to their strawberry croissant. I can't even describe why this place rocks so well besides listing the various items I have devoured:
1) Strawberry Croissant ---- oh so wonderful. oh so tasty.
2) Curry Pan -- delicious. the bread. the curry inside. so. wonderful.
3) Egg Salad Pan -- how do they stuff the egg salad and have it wonderful inside that fried bread exterior? How do they do that? Its a miracle. A delicious one.
4) Sandwich lunchbox with 4 different sandwiches inside. -- Everything, the tuna salad, the egg salad, the chicken salad, were all wonderful.
5) Salmon Onigiri -- wonderful, tasty, and not expensive. Hooray!
6) Chicken sandwich -- yummy too. But the salad sandwich lunch box was much better!
7) Bagel, untoasted, with cream cheese. Delicious bagel. Delicious cream cheese.
8) Tiramisu -- how can one not try this delectable dessert.
So here's the thing, if you come too late, there'll be less items in the menu. It's a bakery and so things run out after awhile. And that's understandable.
The strawberry croissant is very very delicious. As I sit here at home, thinking about all the delicious looking items that I haven't tried yet, I wish I lived closer so I can go there right now!! Why must you be so far away!?
Why!?
I can't believe it's been a little over a year since I last came here. I'm sitting back, reflecting on my old review and realized that I should've written that review under the Japonaise Bakery & Cafe listing. But forgive me, it was my early pubescent Yelp days and I was confused.
Last year, the pastries that I had in the cafe were somehow stale and didn't leave a lasting impression at all. This time around, we stopped by the Cream Pan section to give those strawberry croissants a try again. It was like night and day. The croissant pastry tasted fresh, light, and flaky. The sweet tartness from the strawberry nicely complimented the smoothness of the custard.
That creamy custard inside from that totally beats the crap out of the cream found in those pastries from Beard Papa's. It just had more flavor, sweeter, a bit more rich but not terribly sweet. On an empty stomach, I could probably "cream" about 5 of these suckers in one sitting. Yuk yuk!
So we went to this place for the first time and tried just about everything behind the glass… Read more »
JC introduced me to this place randomly by bringing me a strawberry croissant and I was hooked. The fried curry bread, red bean bread, banana chocolate croissants are also good, but nothing compares to the strawberry. However, in terms of non-bread items ... next to the cash register they have little onigiri. The salmon ones are awesome, albeit a bit expensive for one so small. They mix the rice with a bit of soy sauce, sesame seeds and salmon bits so it's all combined before shaping the riceball, as opposed to traditionally stuffing the filling into the middle of a ball of white rice. Definitely recommended you try one out!
On the weekends, it's best to go by 11am because things (like the croissants) run out quick.
I lucked out today from pulling an all nighter writing my final essays and I thought, hmmm, why not stop by Cream Pan while it's still early? (Early: 8:30am. I learned the hard way when I came here my first time at 2:30pm.. NOTHING left!)
I just finished eating my first ever strawberry croissant from Cream Pan.. and I can say.. that it was ridiculously freakin' good. So good I had to yelp about it right away! haha
From the first bite of the soft flaky croissant to the creamy custard and just sweet enough strawberries. Pure perfection. 5 stars alone for that heavenly puff pastry. (now $2.30) I would totally wake up early for this alone!!
I also picked up a chicken katsu sandwich ($2) which was very tasty! I liked how it was served on one of their bakery buns, which made it really yummy.
The bad: Fresh squeezed OJ ($3) it was EXTREMELY sour, so sour that after a few sips I had to put it back in my fridge.. I do usually appreciate fresh squeezed OJ, but this needs a spoonful of sugar and then some to be drinkable. Bad batch of oranges today? Either way, I probably won't risk the $3 on another cup.
I can now sleep happy, good night (or morning) yelp world!
small edit: eat your delicious strawberry croissants quickstyle! I gave one to my mama later that night and she told me it got soggy :( not as good that's for sure. I guess you can't really keep these as an after dinner dessert but you can enjoy them after lunch? or breakfast even? still good either way. :)
Two storefronts with a shared kitchen. The cafe is on the right and a bakery on the left. We love it here because the high quality food combines well with the casual atmosphere and subtle Japanese sensibility.
The food at the cafe is good but uneven when compared to the almost perfect baked goods. Tip: If you get toast with your breakfast, make sure to ask for some strawberry jam. It was divine.
let me tell thee the order of how i love thy pastries:
black & brown - gotta love toasted sesame!
raspberry cheesecake - rich baked cheesecake.
strawberry croissant - who hasn't said how delicious these things are. they go by fast!
banana croissant - as much as i love bananas, the strawberry croissant tasted way better.
melon pan - tastes similar to chinese pineapple buns.
cream pan - super creamy. i prefer the lighter flavor of the melon pan.
curry pan - too oily. curry was yummy though.
i have yet to try to yakisoba pan but it too looks delicious. must go back and try not to overbinge again.
I eyed this place frequently when I would visit Honda-Ya nearby but was always foiled by work hours or my insomniac schedule.
Believe all the hype surrounding Cream Pan. Everything is delicious enough to have angels chanting in the background when you take your first orgasmic bite.
The strawberry croissant is everything I thought it would be- perfect. Flaky, buttery, layers dusted with powdered sugar, filled with sweet cream and fresh strawberries. Amaaazinggg.
I was full from eating lunch at their Japonaise cafe but when I had my first bite of strawberry croissant, my inner hefer took over. I wouldn't dare say to the cashier that the two strawberry croissants, curry pan, cream pan, egg salad/tuna salad/ham sandwich and salmon rice ball were all meant to be consumed by the fat kid in me.
The curry pan is delicious and is even better when you pop it in the oven. Crispy, fried, panko-breaded outside and delicious curry inside. Heaven.
The cream pan has a soft, airy bun with sweet cream inside. Best cream pan I've had.
The salmon rice ball is ridiculously good. Not sure why as someone else said, because the ingredients are so simple: salmon, rice, sesame seeds and nori. I could have eaten ten of these in one sitting.
I took the sandwich trio which consisted of egg salad, tuna salad and ham as my lunch for work the next day. It's made with Japanese mayo which I prefer over American- it's sweeter and creamier. The bread was also crust-less and had the perfect light, texture. I remember actually feeling depressed after I was finished- even though I was still a little hungry, I didn't want to eat anything afterwards to lose the aftertaste in my mouth. It is that good.
My only regret is that I don't get off of work early enough to come here all the time. Seriously, if I was a bum I would be an everyday occupant. Go early for the full selection, and items like any of the sweet croissants are best enjoyed when you first get them. If you haven't gone, go!
Tustin, CA
Category: Coffee & Tea
Tustin, CA
Category: Bakeries
Irvine, CA
Category: Bakeries
Irvine, CA
Category: Bakeries
Costa Mesa, CA
Category: Bakeries
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