Fresh-baked Cream Puffs à la Minute

 
With its first European store trading in London's Oxford Street and a second unit opening soon in a suburban London location, the oddly named Beard Papa brings a new slant to impulse sweet snacks, a market mainly dominated to date by doughnuts, waffles and cookies. The concept, developed in Japan 10 years ago, is based around baking and filling a crunchy style of fresh-baked choux bun by injecting whipped cream custard. The resultant cream puff provides an indulgent but relatively light and fresh-tasting sweet with preservative-free ingredients, including the custard which is made from natural-grown vanilla beans.
 
Raw dough is proved and baked in a bank of computer-timed convection ovens behind the service counter, in batches matched to demand. There is a choice of three buns - original cream puff, cookie cream puff and cornet - plus a varying daily choice of custards. These are sold at £1.29 or 1.39 each or in discounted packs of 5 and 10, while a display case holds a small range of other sweet items, notably eclairs, cheesecake slivers and Japanese-style tiramisu, all at £1.75 each. The freshness and visual appeal ensures a steady stream of office workers, shop staff and tourists into the store which has seating for about 20 people and also offers coffee.
 

 
www.beardpapa.co.uk
 

 
| 15 April 2008 |