Arriving hurriedly at Puffy in World Square at 8.45pm on a Monday night we didn’t hold much hope of getting our hands on one of these very famous and popular custard puffs. Indeed, the lone staff member did look as she was about to close but we were in luck. They had some vanilla puffs left! My favourite flavour-surely it was meant to be.
To say that I have low expectations is sadly true. I had a less-than-lovely experience buying the puffs from Barbys where they gave me two wrong flavours, one being the love-it-or-hate-it Durian (I’m with the hate).
Inspecting the vanilla puff, I see that there’s a large hole in the top from where they fill it (first pic of the puff above). Is it supposed to be that large a hole I wonder?
I cut open the puff am a tad disappointed, there’s no vanilla bean specks but the custard oozes appealingly and its filled about 3/4 full. I take a bite and this puff is very good, crispy with crumbly biscuit topping but with a plain vanilla custard which could be a bit more exciting. It actually tastes a lot like the custard you find in supermarket by the carton. Nevertheless, it soft and sweet and has a melt in the mouth loveliness even at the end of the day when a lot of baked goods lose their mojo.
Vanilla custard puff $1.60 each or 6 for $9
P.S. Although these could do with some real vanilla bean and a little more filling, I find myself craving these badly for the next few days!
Puffy
Shp9/ 644 World Square Shopping Centre
Lower Ground Floor
Cnr George, Liverpool, Pitt & Goulburn Streets, Sydney
Open until 9pm
13 Comments | Add your own
I tried these for the first time last week from that store. They had tormended me for months.
I found them quite nice, yes. But I ate too many and they became not nice. Curses. Defeated by thine puffed good once again.
What, what are these things? I am quite perplexed. I have never heard of a puffy. Nor custard you can buy in a carton in the store. Are these things that have yet to permeate the shores of the US?
I’m confused.
~Rachael~
Hi Jobe-I can see why you ate so many at once go, they’re so deceptively light and fluffy. If I had bought more, they would’ve certainly been consumed!
Hi Raquel-I think puffs originated at a company called Beard Papa in Japan, hence why their stores are in the Chinatown areas. I have heard that they do have Beard Papa in New York. Perhaps they’ll come to the Chinatown nearest to you soon. If they do, they’re well worth trying!
hehe i prefer beard papas in chatswood but its always such a treak to get there that i settle for puffy at world square
Hi Chocolatesuze-I’m yet to try Beard Papa’s puffs but I had heard too that they’re better than Puffys. I will definitely give them a try next time I’m in Chatswood!
I saw a “Puffy” at Box Hill here in Melbourne recently. Now i know what a puffy is, i really want to try one!
Hi Nic-they’re definitely worth a try. I think there are also Beard Papa’s in Melbourne which a lot of people say are better so you could always try both!
Have you tried those little “Emperor Puffs” in Chinatown? They’re sold from a little hole-in-the-wall type place and there is often a queue for them, snaking its way through Dixon St. Emperor Puffs are fun to eat and pretty darn tasty. The batter is almost waffle-ee; not crumbly like the Puffy. You get five for $1.00. Here’s a lovely pic of them: http://sh1ft.org/shutterbug/archives/2005/12/emperors_puffs.html
**Less than 24 hours till our Iron Chef dinner!**
Hi Angela-Yep I tried those a while back, mainly because I saw the huge queue lined up for them!
Yes I agree they were very waffley and the custard was more eggy than Puffy’s. I really like the contrasting textures in the Puffy though and I’m hopefully going to try Beard Papa’s soon.
Yes I am sooo excited!!! I’ve got a long day of work before but then Thursday off so I’m determined to have the best time. See you there
I just spotted a Puffy in QV at lunch time and couldn’t help myself! I managed to get it all the way back to the office before i ate it (though i dropped it (in it’s bag, don’t worry!) because i had too many things in my hands, and i only mushed one side slightly!). I too tried the vanilla custard puff - but i seemed to have been lucky and scored vanilla bean specks! It was really delicious, but the custard wasn’t really thick enough to stay in the puff, so i ended up with much of it on my hand. A good look while sitting at my desk! Would definitely have it again, though maybe save it for when i’m at home and can make a mess of myself in private!
Hi Nic-hehe that sounds cute!
Ooh looks like they’ve started using vanilla bean but that the custard is runnier (ours wasn’t very runny). We’re going to try Beard Papa soon which is supposed to be good too!
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