Oh My Pan Bakery & Tea
Black Sesame Twist
Matcha, Red Bean, Taro Bun
Red Bean Honey Bun
Hokkaido Cream Cake
Chocolate Crunchy Cake
Volcano Strawberry Toast – Brick Toast, Fresh Strawberries, Crème Chantilly, Vanilla Ice Cream, Vanilla Sauce, Homemade Strawberry Sauce
Originally opened in San Gabriel around 2011 and since expanding to Pasadena it was following Dinner at Mama Lu’s Dumpling House that something sweet was sought from Oh My Pan Bakery & Tea, the strip-mall space not particularly busy on Thanksgiving at 7:30pm though several tables were occupied by young Asian folks, most of whom were busy with books or computers while sipping Milk Tea.
Listed at 801 East Valley Boulevard and bigger than it appears from the street, an L-shaped room surrounding the counter and kitchen with shelves lined by Breads both savory and sweet, it was after perusing the options that six items were selected, the first five presented immediately while servers warned the last would take approximately twenty minutes to prepare.
Family owned and known for making everything on-sight, the LA Times having once called their Taro Bun the Valley’s best, it was beginning with a version stuffed by Red Bean that first impressions were formed, the dough itself soft and lightly sweet while Paste was thick but not sticky, a follow-up infused with Matcha performing even better as both Red Bean and Taro were spread thin and thus not quite as overwhelming of the Bread’s subtleties.
Low priced in comparison to traditional European Bakeries and even most Artisanal Doughnuts in 2018, a soft spiral with lots of Black and White Sesame enjoyed next for just $1.60, it was here that two chilled items featuring Cream took center stage, the “Chocolate Crunchy Cake” living up to its name with Cocoa Buttercream and thin sheets of Feuilletine inside while a $1.80 Hokkaido Cream Cake ate like a cloud of Angelfood balanced atop Chantilly Cream.
A bit confused by the slow expediting of Beverages, a youngster’s Tea arriving only two minutes before the dine-in only finale, suffice it to say that Oh My Pan’s Volcano Strawberry Toast lives up to both the hype and $10.95 price with Jenga-style Bricks nicely toasted and stacked beneath a giant ball of Ice Cream and plenty of Sauce, the fact that it is virtually impossible to cut with provided Plasticware besides the point as a better bet is simply toppling the tower and using individual slices to scoop and sop by hand.
www.ohmypan.com
