The legendary Japanese chain known for its heavenly cream puffs has only a handful of stores where you can pair pastry with an icy treat.
Japanese cream puff (“choux cream”) specialty store Beard Papa’s has got to be home to one of the best scents on this planet. Whether you’re strolling leisurely while shopping or rushing through a train station, you’ll know immediately when you’ve stumbled upon a store location by the heavenly aroma suddenly wafting everywhere around you in the air.
Despite being famous for its pastries, the chain began selling frozen custard soft serve ice cream at a select few of its locations several years ago, with the fourth and latest location in Aichi Prefecture being added to the lineup last July. However, while there are now locations in Osaka, Hyogo, and Aichi prefectures in western Japan, the store in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture remains the only one in all of eastern Japan.
▼ This promotional visual at the Saitama store proclaims that the soft serve “can only be eaten here in all of eastern Japan.”
Saitama is easily accessible from the heart of Tokyo, so we decided to pay this branch a visit to enjoy its special menu item, eventually arriving at Tobu Railway’s Takasaka Station via the Tobu Tojo Line. This is the closest train station to the Peony Walk Higashimatsuyama shopping center where the branch is located. Even so, it’s still either a 20-minute walk or a 10-minute bus ride to get there. On this particular day, we elected to get some exercise in by walking since the heat was relatively low by Japanese summer standards.
Once there, it was easy to locate the store on the first floor of the mall. It looked just like any other Beard Papa’s location upon first glance…
…but there was a unique sign out front displaying its status as the only shop in the eastern Kanto region selling the custard soft serve. You can purchase a cup of it by itself for 330 yen (US$2.09) or as a “cookie choux soft serve” for 360 yen.
While the frozen treat was definitely tempting on its own, it was a no-brain-freezer for us–we wanted to try it alongside the puff pastry that Beard Papa’s is famous for.
The tantalizing treat that was handed to us looked like it was in serious danger of a meltdown, so we got to work on it right away. Thank goodness the temperature wasn’t obscenely hot on this day or we couldn’t have imagined how quickly we’d be holding nothing but a soggy pastry shell.
Of course, we had to sacrifice a few seconds in order to document the impressive, undisturbed visuals.
The soft serve was luxuriously creamy and rich. It really hit the spot but also didn’t feel heavy inside the mouth.
The combination of soft serve and puff pastry base made for an exquisite pairing with intermingling smooth and flaky textures. We’re sure they would each taste divine on their own, but something about the two of them together seemed to elevate their respective flavors even more.
It’s already been a year since Beard Papa’s added its latest store selling the frozen custard soft serve, and we think they’re long overdue to add another. We know that you’re always busy adding delicious new menu items, Beard Papa’s, but we’d love for you to expand the ones that already exist, too!
Store information
Beard Papa’s Peony Walk Higashimatsuyama branch / ビアードパパピオニウォーク東松山店
Address: Saitama-ken, Higashimatsuyama-shi, Azuma-cho 4-3 Peony Walk Higashimatsuyama, 1st floor
埼玉県東松山市あずま町 4-3 ピオニウォーク東松山 1F
Open: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website
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