Quest for Atlanta's Best Egg Tart

After asking some of our friends on Facebook about future posts, we received a challenge from a friend asking us if we could find the best Asian egg tart in the Atlanta area! Of course, we couldn't turn down such a challenge. ;)

If you're Chinese and/or well-versed in Chinese cuisine, you are probably familiar with these scrumptious treats. If not, they're often referred to as 蛋挞 (or dan taht). They're famous for 2 components: the crust and egg custard. The crust is often flaky, but may also come in the shortbread variety. The custard within must be smooth and sweet with a slight eggy flavor. They are available at Asian bakeries, but may appear in restaurants serving Dim Sum. For this article, we only included bakeries to save time.

We did some researching online and thinking about our favorite bakeries around town, and came up with a list of bakeries to check out. Hopping into Grace's car, we drove around town to pick up the pastries and reconvened to taste them all during a rainy Saturday afternoon. Luckily, most of the bakeries are situated on a one-mile stretch of Buford Hwy, and only one was located in Duluth.  Unfortunately, a couple of popular Asian bakeries we stopped by did not offer egg tarts.

We ended up with 5 contenders for the title of "Best Egg Tart of Atlanta." The bakery addresses will be listed at the end of the blog post.

Who shall win?

For each tart, we evaluated cost, appearance, crust quality, crust to custard ratio, and custard quality and taste.

CONTESTANT #1 - Sweet Hut

Sweet Hut Egg Tart
Price: $1.30

Sweet Hut is a very popular Asian bakery that needs no introduction, so let's move on to the tart. As you can see, this tart exhibits beautiful browning of the custard. The crust was flaky and the custard was very pleasant - it was not overly sweet, was very smooth, and possessed a light eggy flavor.

Unfortunately, the crust to custard ratio was WAY off. When the pastry was cut in half, there was an overabundance of crust and a very scant amount of delicious custard. We estimated that it was about 2/3 crust and 1/3 custard. After eating, it left us wanting more custard and feeling disappointed. WE WANT CUSTARD!

CONTESTANT #2 - Honey Bits

Honey Bits Egg Tart
Price: $1.19

Honey Bits is a quiet place tucked away on the opposite side of Buford Hwy and a very short distance from Sweet Hut. It is certainly less well known than other bakeries, but the quality of their baked goods are comparable to others around town. Luckily, we were able to grab the very last egg tart.

Out of all the tarts, this was the cheapest, BUT definitely did not taste or look "cheap." The appearance is more similar to the traditional egg tart with its yellow custard. In terms of size, it was the largest of the group. The crust was browned, with a spot that was slightly burnt, but was flaky. The custard was perfect - smooth, creamy, not overly sweet, and slightly eggy.  Also, THERE WAS SO MUCH CUSTARD.  We were ecstatic as we love us some custard.  Definitely would recommend this one.

CONTESTANT #3 - 720 Bakery

720 Bakery Egg Tart
Price: $1.28

720 Bakery was our only contestant outside of the "Chinatown" area. Located in Duluth near Gwinnett Place Mall, this bakery has a lovely outdoor shaded patio for patrons to enjoy their delicious goodies. This place also sells other Asian snacks such as zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), which they allowed patrons to sample.

Similar to the Sweet Hut tart, the top of the tart is on the toasty brown side. The crust was of the flaky pastry kind, but was a bit soft and less flaky than the other competitors. However, it was a bit easier to eat and left less crumbs all over the the table and on our shirts. There was a satisfying amount of custard inside that was smooth and had the right amount of sweetness and egg flavor. Good job, 720 Bakery!

CONTESTANT #4 - Paris Baguette

Paris Baguette Egg Tart
Price: $2.25

Both of us love this adorable bakery franchise specifically for their Velvet Ice Tea (which is absolutely delicious in case you were wondering). However, they surprised us with the most expensive tart out of all the places we visited. At $2.25 per tart, we certainly expected their tarts to be better than or at least comparable to the others. It was not.

Visually, it looked appetizing and appealing. It certainly contained enough custard and the custard was smooth, but the egg flavor was hardly detectable. The eggy-ness was overpowered by a very strong, strange flavor in the crust. We believe said flavor was that of a non-stick spray, like PAM. Maybe it was just this batch that we had, but the strong non-stick spray taste in the crust prevented us from enjoying the tart as a whole. This tart was shocking for all the wrong reasons - expensive price with depressing results. Lamesauce.

CONTESTANT #5 - Hong Kong Bakery

Hong Kong Bakery Egg Tart
Price: $1.39

Located in the same shopping center as Sweet Hut, Hong Kong bakery is an old school Asian bakery, without the unneeded bells and whistles of modern bakeries. It's the type of place where you run in, get your goods, and go without a hassle.

This tart is a perfect example of a traditional Asian egg tart that most people are familiar with.  The smooth, very yellow custard and wavy pastry crust are textbook and reminded both of us the little custards being pushed around on Dim Sum carts. The crust was VERY flaky and there was a fair amount of custard within it. Although the custard was smooth and not very sweet, the egg flavor was VERY strong and a little too eggy for our taste.

AND OUR WINNER IS...

720 BAKERY!

YAY!!!

After risking high cholesterol for the sake of this activity, we have determined that 720 Bakery had the most enjoyable egg tart experience. This tart is aesthetically pleasing, average-priced, convenient to eat, and delicious. For a bakery that neither of us had heard of before, we were pleasantly surprised. Honorable mention goes to Honey Bits, whose tart wowed us with value and taste. 

We hope this post has given you all some insight into the egg tart scene. The results of our little competition threw us a curve-ball. Our favorite bakeries disappointed us in this category, whereas lesser known bakeries outshone them. So the moral of the story is: Don't be afraid to try new places or places that are not as popular, but also keep in mind that you shouldn't judge the quality of a food institution by one product on their menu. As for us, we've added a few new bakeries into our circuit. Well, we have got to go exercise a little of this cholesterol down. See y'all next time!

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LIST OF BAKERIES

Bakery	Address	Website
Sweet Hut	5150 Buford Hwy Doraville, GA 30340	http://www.sweethutbakery.com/
Honey Bits	5231 Buford Hwy NE, Doraville, GA 30340	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Honey-Bits/1417649145125121
720 Bakery	3675 Satellite Blvd, Duluth, GA 30096	https://www.facebook.com/720bakery
Paris Baguette	5252 Buford Hwy Doraville, GA 30340	http://www.parisbaguetteusa.com/
Hong Kong Bakery	5150 Buford Hwy NE Atlanta, GA 30340	https://www.facebook.com/ATL.HKBakery

Disney World - Hollywood Studios Taste Test

DAY 2 - Hollywood Studios

As with Magic Kingdom, dining options for Hollywood Studios vary in price range. Some of the sit-down eateries are pricey, but offer unique experiences. If you plan to take advantage of these restaurants, you may need to make reservations the night (or several nights) before, especially on a busy weekend. Again, we winged it and decided where to go eat while we were waiting in line for rides. 

There are some notable differences between Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios is designed for an older demographic. The rides can be a little bumpier at this park, so don't stuff yourself silly if you're considering riding the Tower of Terror, Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, and Star Tours.  Also, there are also more beverage options of the 21+ persuasion, if you catch our drift. Personally, we aren't big on alcohol, but those who are well-versed in this department (or extremely stressed and exhausted parents) may appreciate it.

LUNCH: ABC Commissary

This is a cafeteria-style facility that is dedicated to the American Broadcasting Company (owned by the Walt Disney Company). Decor consists of images from your favorite ABC shows, autographed photographs of their casts, and "America's Funniest Home Videos" playing in the background. You could tell quite a few people were watching it from the collective gasps and periodic coincident laughter. 

1/3 lb Angus Cheeseburger with Sriracha Aïoli and Fried Shrimp
Price: $11.49

The cheeseburger was topped with 2 fried shrimp and served with a large amount of veggie toppings on the side - lettuce, tomato, and raw onion, and pickles. However, the onions were a little on the floppy side. Sides include fries, steamed broccoli, or apple slices. The burger patty within was lightly covered with the Sriracha aïoli, which had a delightful spicy tang when tasted alone. Unfortunately, this deliciousness was drowned out when veggies were added, much to our disappointment. Less veggies may allow you to taste the sauce while eating. Or if you're bold enough, ask if you can get the aïoli on the side or get extra. You never know! We removed our fried shrimp and ate them alone. As Tiff previously mentioned in the Magic Kingdom post, they're nothing special, but they may have been delicious with the aïoli (another reason to ask).

The other components of the burger were unremarkable, but not unpleasant. The burger had a good texture with no odd grittiness or weird chewy bits. And the cheese - well to be honest, we forgot there was even cheese in the cheeseburger. They put the slice under the patty, which goes against everything we learned as children, but whatever. The bun was a bun. Altogether, it was a very standard cheeseburger. 

SNACK: Joffrey's Coffee Cart

As one may expect, snack carts and refreshment stands are everywhere inside a theme park. They are literally a stone's throw from each other and sell a range of goodies from Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream and pretzels to frozen chocolate-covered bananas to Star Wars-themed alcoholic beverages with a light-up Death Star or other novelties. 

Frozen Cappuccino
Price: $5.39

Joffrey's Coffee and Tea Company have a number of coffee stops around Disney World. At one such refreshment stand, Grace purchased a frozen cappuccino. It tasted like a cappuccino that you would get from a machine, turned into a cold, creamy, and fluffy slush. It was not overly sweet and was very refreshing on a hot summer day in Florida.

As a side note: there are plenty of ways to stay hydrated throughout the day for FREE. Water fountains are available all over the park. However, the water is lukewarm and tastes absolutely DISGUSTING. No offense, Florida, but your water is gross. There is some good news though! If you want water with ice, just go up to any stand or restaurant and ask for a cup of water. Disney staff is more than happy to oblige and it won't cost you a dime. We guarantee it tastes a lot better than the water fountain (and it's actually COLD). 

DINNER: Min and Bill's Dockside Diner

On the shores of Echo Lake, you'll find this vessel docked, with its crew peddling the day's "catch." Ironically, despite the decor, this food stop does not serve seafood. Actually, the menu here is fairly sparse compared to that of other places and not particularly specialized. The menu offers the famous smoked turkey leg, hot dogs, and variety of drinks.  Our theory is that the confines of the boat facade limit the variety of food that can be prepared within. Although the menu did not have any particular razzle dazzle, the food offered is nevertheless pleasant.

What this "quick service restaurant" lacks in food offering, it more than makes up for in ambiance provided by the surrounding attractions. Opposite of the diner's generous outdoor seating area is Center Stage. Throughout the day, Center Stage had been the spotlight for Star Wars weekend. But after the celebrities had long gone home, the DJ took the stage and threw down some groovy beats. Behind him, the jumbo screens complemented the music with a cool light show. All of this contributed to the exhilarating reminder that summer is here (FINALLY) and it's time to have fun!

The diner, illuminated at dusk

GRACE

In my youth, I was fortunate enough to live within "reasonable" driving distance from the cultural mecca that is Disney World. So when my cousins came to visit from Taiwan, the natural choice for a road trip was to visit "the happiest place on earth." Displayed below is a picture of me on said trip at age 11 - my awkward preteen phase. What you cannot see in the picture is that all five of us are sitting in Tomorrowland, each wielding our own jumbo turkey legs. Fast-forwarding to the present day, I decided to relive the nostalgia and get one for old time's sake.

Grace circa 2001
(Ain't she cute?)

Smoked Turkey Leg
Price: $11.79

It was just as delicious and jumbo as I remembered. The meat was evenly salty, which makes me believe they brine the leg before smoking it. All in all, it's everything you would expect a turkey leg to be. No surprises here. Cautionary Statement: these things are massive. I walked by a little girl holding one up, and it nearly eclipsed her head. If you're a small person (like me), DO NOT attempt to finish it on your own. You may end up regretting your recent life choices if you decide to board one of the rougher rides immediately after consuming the whole thing by yourself. It's a whole lot of meat. Plan accordingly.

TIFF

Frankfurter in a Pretzel Roll
Price:  $8.59

As I wasn't feeling the Smoked Turkey Leg, I decided to roll with the Frankfurter in a Pretzel Roll. On the menu, it was described as coming with Dijon mustard and a bag of chips. However, no Dijon mustard was anywhere to be seen on my tray when it was handed to me. I didn't bother to ask for it as the cashiers were slammed and opted to just use regular mustard packets that were available by the straws and napkins. The pretzel bread was perfectly salted and soft. The frankfurter within was nothing special. However, as I got down to the bottom of the pretzel dog and took my last bite of the frankfurter, imagine my surprise as I found a massive amount of Dijon mustard in center the remaining piece of pretzel bread. I was very confused as I had imagined the Dijon coming in a small container for optimal dipping and application for each and every bite. Perhaps I was eating it incorrectly, but the Dijon mustard end was on the inside of the sleeve it came in. My other theory is that it serves as a filler after the hot dog is eaten. I do love me some mustard, but those who do not like mustard may need to steer clear (or not eat the bottom).

Would we prescribe it?
If you have an appetite for hamburgers, hot dogs, and turkey legs, you may do well by "winging it." However, we were left longing for more and looking enviously at people heading into various restaurants, such as the 50's Prime Time Cafe. We highly recommend looking over menus on their website or Disney World app and booking a reservation at one of the park's iconic restaurants. You'll be glad you did.

Also, we were unable to make it to the Rebel Hanger (much to our sadness), which is only open until June 14th. If you have an opportunity to eat there, DO IT! Their Star Wars themed food looked AMAZING.

Health note: You may be thinking to yourself, “These two are doctors. Aren’t they supposed to have role model eating habits?”  To be honest, we were not particularly counting our calories as we were on vacation. Who DOESN'T just snack on junk and eat whatever they like while on vacation?  Also, most of the food options did not scream “balanced diet.” Vegetables are not served with every meal option (potatoes and corn DON'T count), and most of the fruit at the parks were apples dipped some sugary confection and made to look like Mickey Mouse.

Look at all that sugar!  Mmmmm....

 If you’re looking to eat healthy, this is another area that may take some planning. Certainly there are places that serve some delicious sounding salads. If that's your jam, go for it!  Unless you have certain health conditions that require some dietary restrictions, relax - you're on vacation! A day or two of junky eating won't kill you. Everything in moderation!

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Disney World - Magic Kingdom Taste Test

Ah, the wonder of Disney World - famously known as being "The Happiest Place on Earth" and for its memorable characters and rides.

Among all the families toting around children fully dressed in "Frozen" attire and the seemingly endless lines to favorite attractions like "Seven Dwarves Mine Train", there are a NUMBER of restaurants and food stops featuring various ingredients and some dishes based on Disney movie classics.

Before our trip, we looked at various Disney food blogs and Pinterest boards to see what our food options would be.  We briefly went over what looked good and decided to wing it when we got there, as many of the restaurants needing reservations were on the pricey side.  So you can say we just let our stomachs be our guide.

We planned a 2-day trip at Disney - 1 day at Magic Kingdom and another at Hollywood Studios (previously known as MGM Studios when we were youngsters).

DAY 1 - Magic Kingdom

LUNCH: Golden Oak Outpost, Frontierland

Within this quaint outpost lies specialty waffle fries, including Brown Gravy and Cheese, BLT, and Barbecue Pork and Coleslaw. After shamelessly spying on previous customers' orders, we both decided on the BBQ Pork option. They come with your choice of apple slices or baby carrots. 

Barbecue Pork Waffle Fries
Price: $7.99

As it came out of the window, our first thoughts consisted of "WOW!!  THAT'S A LOT OF FOOD!"  The dish was COMPLETELY filled to the brim with waffle fries, barbeque pork, and coleslaw.  As we walked around looking for a table, it was a daunting task to ensure that nothing fell off.  One wrong move could have meant spilling the fry boat's precious cargo all over the sidewalk, which would then be followed by ugly sobbing in front of numerous passersby.  Thankfully, everything stayed together and all was right in the world.

Pile on that deliciousness!

The waffle fries were cooked golden brown with a gentle crisp. If you are used to getting Chick-fil-A waffle fries, know that the Golden Oak Outpost version is crispier than Chick-fil-A's.  The advantage is that these sturdier waffle fries are the perfect load-bearing construction needed to support the mountain of barbecue pulled pork and coleslaw. You will definitely need a fork to manipulate this mass of awesomeness. The perfect bite is a little of everything (as seen in the picture above), which is necessary to appreciate every delightful aspect of this dish - the crunchiness of the fries, the saltiness and tangy flavor of the BBQ sauce, the tenderness of the pork, and the creaminess of the coleslaw.

SNACK: Aloha Isle, Adventureland

As the Floridian heat and humidity rose, we got pretty hot and thirsty.  To be honest, the water from the water fountains is NOT all that refreshing or tasty.  Pinterest inspired us to search for the Dole Whip Float, which consists of the infamous Pineapple Dole Whip and Pineapple juice.  Luckily, it was not hard to find.

Dole Whip Float
(Ignore Tiff's face as she was unaware that Grace was taking pictures)
Price: $4.99

As mentioned previously, this tropical fruity treat is made up of two parts: pineapple juice on the bottom and a swirl of their signature pineapple Dole Whip on top. The Dole Whip is available by itself, but we strongly recommend the float (and we mean STRONGLY RECOMMEND). Here’s why: the two different components have opposing flavors. The Dole Whip is a smooth, pineapple soft serve that is very sweet. The pineapple juice is super tangy and tart - possibly too tart by itself. But at the juice-whip interface (AKA the horizon of magic), the sweet and tart meet and give meaning to the phrase “the world, for once, in perfect harmony.” Obviously, we love this refreshing, frosty concoction.

A fair warning though - the Dole Whip started melting at an alarming pace just minutes after it was handed to us. Was the Dole Whip not frozen enough? Was the blazing Florida heat too much to handle? Both? Neither? We may never know.....


DINNER: Columbia Harbour House, Liberty Square

While spending almost 2 hours in the “Seven Dwarves Mine Train” line, we had decided that our final meal for the day would be at the Columbia Harbour House, which offers a number of seafood options, including Seafood Macaroni & Cheese and Salmon.

This and other cafeteria-style places of mass food distribution are a testament to what efficiency and crowd control should be. Food is the one thing you won't have to wait a "bzillion" years for (I'm lookin' at you, Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Toy Story Midway Mania!). Special thanks to the workers who direct the lines for not letting us get hangry. It had been a long day, and we just needed to sit down and recharge.

GRACE 

Seafood Macaroni & Cheese
Price: $13.79

This dish was probably one of the more expensive items on this menu, which I think was justified. There was a lot of shrimp and lobster meat (around 6 lobster claws worth of meat) in it. I was actually surprised at the amount of seafood it had. The panko-style bread crumbs on top added a nice, crunchy texture to an otherwise soft dish. That being said, I was not impressed with the mac ‘n’ cheese part of it. As a sharp cheese kind of girl, I was hoping it would be less bland. But that’s a personal preference. They are making this food to for hundreds of people everyday and have to cater to the average taste buds. Overall, this was a good choice, but not to die for.

TIFF

Fried Shrimp Platter
$10.99

As I had already had my share of cheesiness (thanks to extremely cheesy Waffle House cheese eggs from the day before), I opted to get something more on ordinary side.  This particular platter comes with cocktail sauce, a side of coleslaw, and your choice of apple slices, fries, or steamed broccoli.  As Grace had a hankering for fries, I opted for the fries to share.  The plate came with around 6 golden brown fried shrimp along with a generous heaping of fries.  The crunchiness of the shrimp was FANTASTIC and the flavor was what you’d expect from fried shrimp.  The fries were hot and crispy - just the way I like it.  The coleslaw was just.....coleslaw.  My mind wasn't particularly blown by this dish, but it was a nice meal to have after a long day.

Would we prescribe it?
ABSOLUTELY!
Most of the food we ordered was above and beyond what we were expecting.  Prices were pretty reasonable (when compared to other Disney menu items) and the amount of food you got was fantastic.  Overall, everything was delicious!!

As you can see, not booking a reservation at one of the more expensive sit-down restaurants won't make or break your Disney World culinary experience.  You can still enjoy what Magic Kingdom has to offer food-wise and still have time to make it to your FastPass time window without a sweat.  Plus, you'll have some extra cash in your pocket for more food and/or souvenirs.

Tune in next week for our Taste Test of Disney World's Hollywood Studios!
(And if you caught some of our Disney references throughout this post, you, my friend, are an awesome human being!)

      

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