On one of the previous first few morning spent in Saint Paul Justin and I ventured for some tasty treats to bring to my parents' hotel for breakfast. We wanted my parents, (who graciously stayed in the Cities for several days and nights to assist in the assembly of a living space rather than hard wood floors and white walls,) to experience the food bliss that can often be found in the Twin Cities.
As New York City natives, my parents (much like myself at first) had little faith in Midwest cuisine and so we set off to prove them wrong. Our first mission: delectable breakfast pastries from Trung Nam Bakery (not to be outdone by Bread and Chocolate which I will compare and contrast in a later entry.)
I still do not completely have my barings in the cities, but it seems that Trung Nam is not exactly close to my new place of residence. Believe me however, that the drive is worth every cent of gas milage. I am guessing that Trung Nam does not need this (free) publicity on my blog, evident by the amount of dwindling pastries by 8am! I mean it, get there early.
As New York City natives, my parents (much like myself at first) had little faith in Midwest cuisine and so we set off to prove them wrong. Our first mission: delectable breakfast pastries from Trung Nam Bakery (not to be outdone by Bread and Chocolate which I will compare and contrast in a later entry.)
I still do not completely have my barings in the cities, but it seems that Trung Nam is not exactly close to my new place of residence. Believe me however, that the drive is worth every cent of gas milage. I am guessing that Trung Nam does not need this (free) publicity on my blog, evident by the amount of dwindling pastries by 8am! I mean it, get there early.
The store seems big for such a small selection and the tables and chairs were all but vacant - I suppose this was because of the nature of the hour. The real star of the show is the small bakery case located by the register. It was scantily filled with different kinds of French pastries, ranging from almond to cinnamon, to raspberry, to chocolate. There is even plain for the less adventurous. Now you might be thinking, "Trung Nam certainly isn't French" and you're right, it's not! In fact, Trung Nam is Vietnamese, however don't let this steer you away from their baked goods - apparently the Vietnamese learned from the French and there is now a heated debate amongst who makes baked goods better, no kidding!
We picked out four croissants, though my memory is not positive anymore on the flavors, I believe we purchased two cinnamon, a raspberry, and an almond. They were the most delicate, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastries that I have ever tasted and were worth the early morning hassle.
We picked out four croissants, though my memory is not positive anymore on the flavors, I believe we purchased two cinnamon, a raspberry, and an almond. They were the most delicate, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastries that I have ever tasted and were worth the early morning hassle.
I have never been to France but I have been told that Trung Nam could be matched against the best and I do not doubt this claim for a second. My parents, who are no strangers to bakery finds, could not have agreed more. Our only regret was only buying four items and not the entire lot.
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