Michelle D.
Yelp
I barely ever explored this part of town, and weirdly, I was working on an assignment when I came across this bakery. I'm surprised by how beautifully organized it is. When you walk in, you're immediately greeted by a short stretch of glass-doored refrigerators filled with dozens of beautiful cakes; some have customized decorated, some templates. On your left is a self-serve coffee area. However, you have yet to see anything. Walk inside, and you'll find a galore of sweets and baked goods. You will discover another glass-doored refrigerator with shelves fully stocked with colorful puddings (the solid kind made with agar or gelatin, not the custard-like), flans, and arroz con leche (rice puddings). Then at the back were glass-doored shelves loaded with pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread). It wasn't until I visited this store that I learned more about pan dulce, and I was amazed by how it's an entirely different world of dessert and baking to explore. In my excuse, I bought three different pans, claiming it was part of my work-related experiment for the experience, and arroz con leche (cause rice pudding is one of my favorite desserts).
First, looking at each bread's sturdiness and shine, I assume a ton of butter goes into the dough. They have a thicker, almost flakier texture than the airy bread I usually get from Asian bakeries. But compared to European bakeries, they are way sweeter and more buttery, although not greasy.
I had fun trying all three because I bought them without knowing what they're called or what's filling, and I just googled it while I munched. The first one was a pumpkin empanada. This was my favorite of the three that I tried, as it was not too heavy. The size was decent, too (most of them are HUGE). The pumpkin filling could have been more sweet, smooth, and nicely spiced with cinnamon. I couldn't identify the second bread I tried, but I got it thinking it was healthier as it was sprinkled with oat flakes and visually had a grainier texture. How wrong was I? It was heavily filled with milk-based thick cream. The milk strong was way too strong; I couldn't finish it. The third one, I think, was Barquillos, a cone-shaped bread loaded with vanilla custard. I love how it was not dusted with sugar or glazed with anything, as the custard was sweet already. It was quite an indulgent bread to have. The rice pudding was really sweet, but I love rice pudding.
Food presentation was fantastic. Price-wise, it's cheap. For all these large pieces of bread and a generous cup of rice pudding, I paid less than $8. However, after tasting the amount of sugar and butter that goes into it, I strongly recommend eating it in moderation.