As a food blogger I sometimes get caught up in the excitement of new restaurant openings, which happens enough in NY to always keep you on your toes. As a result, occasionally the value of writing about old places is overlooked. What’s more valuable than a tried and true place or product that my family has been eating for almost two decades?
I have so many memories of Yeh’s Bakery 5725 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355, a no frills Chinese bake shop outside of the main traffic crazed part of Flushing. The Chinese name translates to “red leaf” (you can spot the store by the red leaf logo on their yellow awning) and they have a limited menu. What they lack in flair they make up in reputation. My birthday cake nearly every year for about 10 years was the strawberry cake from Yeh’s, a tradition that ended after I developed an allergy to food coloring. (If you don’t want a whole large cake, they make a similar strawberry cake as a roll cake that is just as good.) I’ve asked if they can make it without the food coloring and sadly, they cannot.
My late uncle Chester used to buy their Boston Cream Pie (Chinese version, a much more light and airy version than the American version) whenever he came to visit from New Jersey.
Ultimately, the MVP of Yeh’s is their Curry Pastry or Ga Li Jao. I remember when they were 70 cents and then 90 cents and now $1.00 (still a steal). These very, very curry and onion-y, beef-filled, flaky-doughed pastries are addictive and satisfying. The crisp outer layers hold tight to a doughier inside giving each bite both spring and substance. Two of these easily make a great breakfast. One can be a snack for any time.
They also sell a chicken roll, but the curry beef is the way to go. Regularly my family will purchase a large box and gorge. I can’t say for sure that my nostalgia doesn’t play a part in my endearment of these treats, so you can rely on Lon’s objectivity. Let’s just say one of the first things Lon learned how to say in Chinese is “ga li jao.”
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Awe, I thought you had a recipe for this hahaha. I LOVE their Boston Cream Pie! After reading this review I’m dying to try one right now! Yum! ^_^
Alice, I wish! =)
Hi Jessica! My father used to buy the Boston cream pie on a monthly basis. So light and flurry. It’s like eating air! We could finish the entire box in just two days! Have you tried the matcha cake as well? Pricey, but I do prefer their cakes over Taipan or other Chinese bakeries’ denser versions. How’s your kiddo doing? 🙂
Yum–these are my favorite!
I’ve tried the matcha and love it too but they weren’t sure if there was food coloring in it so I haven’t been able to eat it for a long time. Caya is going to be one in 2 weeks! Crazy!!