Hot, hot buns

When SN&R last wrote about Mahoroba Japanese Bakery, Ann Martin Rolke raved that “Mahoroba Japanese Bakery (4900 Freeport Boulevard) has been open for just over a month, and I'm already addicted” (see “Sayanora, Krispy Kreme,” SN&R Corner Table, September 17, 2009). Having just celebrated its five-year anniversary, the bakery seems to have picked up huge swarms of similar addicts over the years. On a recent Saturday, the pastry spot was abuzz with customers trying to get some of the shop's most popular doughnut-esque pastries. And for good reason: The cream-cheese-filled pastries I sampled were like a slice of heaven for a Chinese Jew such as myself—imagine the flavor profile of a bagel with cream cheese, but with the soft, fluffy texture of a Chinese-style baked pork bun. Also amazing: a curry pastry (sort of like if the aforementioned bun was filled with a Japanese curry) and a green-tea one (featuring green-tea-flavored cream cheese inside).