Sayanora, Krispy Kreme

Mahoroba Japanese Bakery (4900 Freeport Boulevard) has been open for just over a month, and I’m already addicted. Their pastries look a bit like doughnuts but are more like sweet yeast rolls with fillings. I asked employee Michael Lee about their best sellers so far.

“The most popular is the Kobe Cream Delight ($1.20). It’s a very traditional pastry from Kobe filled with a vanilla custard.

“The an pan bun ($1.40, also called tsubu-an) is probably the second most popular. It’s filled with sweet red beans that are chunky, vs. the koshi-an, which has a more smooth bean filling.

“The most popular with Americans are the sweet pastries, like the an pan man choco ($1.40). It’s decorated to look like the face of a Japanese cartoon character and filled with a rich chocolate cream, like pudding.”