The Best Little Bakery in Chinatown

Long time no see my friends.  It’s been a very busy/intense early 2010 and it seems I have some catching up to do.  Sooooo with no further ado, I would like to sing the praises of a somewhat hidden gem in Chinatown, known as the Crown Bakery. In late December, after several days of rhinovirus wreaking havoc on my sleep and general outlook, I finally decide to call on the powers residing in Chinatown to aid me in my time of need.   T&T Ginseng was in order with a stop at Pho Saigon 8 for a pho-lunch with my ph-riend Kyle.  Nothing says GTFO to a cold like a steaming hot bowl of large #16… and some appropriately chosen Chinese herbs!  Your days were numbered you microscopic lung irritating, sleep depriving, snot producing microscopic monster!  Ha!  Or so I thought.  That was one tenacious virus!  However, one might say I would have never known the bliss of my first taste of white bean paste filled donuts (sooo good!) without it – or at the very least I would have been living my life in a pastry deprived darkness for a longer period of time.  So thank you nasty little virus?!

Anyway, in addition to the many fine pastries they have a fine selection of hot teas and coffee drinks which they will serve to you on a silver platter! as pictured above.  (It’s quite lovely DAH-ling!)  Additionally, the atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly, making it a nice diversion from the usual Vegas activities.  Because the Crown Bakery is a Korean bakery the pastries are not the usual cupcakes and bearclaws, however they are plentiful:

What’s even better, Crown Bakery’s tagline is “We Bake Happiness for Happy People”!  How awesome is that?  And it’s totally true !  AND in their own words “Yes, we are different than what you are used to be. Our pastry is always fresh and tastes good, light, not too sugary, and not too pricy.”  I LOVE pastries that are different than what I used to be! So delightful!

In all seriousness, if you are in the mood for a little something different (and sweet) and a friendly place to relax with some tea and friends, a visit to Crown Bakery should be at the top of your list.

For all you TCM folks out there – nothing says phlegm-be-gone like a white bean paste filled donut and Chuan Bei Mu.