Instantly Instagrammable Asian desserts are ‘an adult acquired taste’

By Sono Motoyama Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PITTSBURGH My Japanese grandmother lived on the opposite coast when I was little I only met her a couple times but she would annually send a box of homemade Japanese treats including red bean-stuffed buns As a kid growing up in a New York suburb these were not exactly something I yearned for I likely no definitely would have been happier if she sent us Twinkies and Hostess Cakes Apparently now though Japanese red bean is having a moment along with other Asian desserts A twentysomething acquaintance disclosed he enjoyed Asian desserts because they don t feel like they re without delay going to give you cavities Though he admitted that red bean was an adult acquired taste like coffee On social media you can see an eye-popping array of Eastern desserts including mochi in all the colors of the rainbow the cutest little animal-shaped dessert buns and yes red bean-filled taiyaki Mango Mango in Squirrel Hill Forbes Ave Sono Motoyama Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TNS Kyo Matcha Forbes Ave Sono Motoyama Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TNS Sumi s Cakery in the Strip District Sono Motoyama Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TNS Show Caption of Mango Mango in Squirrel Hill Forbes Ave Sono Motoyama Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TNS Expand A hot concept As an adult I would occasionally enjoy going to Chinese bakeries the kind where you pick a trayful of sweet and savory treats with tongs that you find in Chinatowns But now they re in the most of unlikely places including Memphis where I just now lived It the majority decidedly does not have a Chinatown Indeed trend trackers Carbonate Insights has proclaimed Asian dessert caf s are one of the hottest concepts of It cites as evidence South Korean chain Paris Baguette with locations in more than U S states Taiwan-based C Bakery Cafe in states and French-Asian bakery Tous les Jours with over locations in the U S including Shadyside The gateway drug is bubble tea which incited interest in other Asian desserts and snacks Social media multiplied the curiosity among millennials and Gen Z Another draw was that a large number of dessert cafes are open late Thank you What s up with coffee shops and cafes closing in late afternoon These dessert cafes offer non-alcohol-based but high-design social hangouts On a current evening midweek the photo-ready interiors of New York-based chain Mango Mango and Japanese chain Kyo Matcha only a inadequate yards from each other on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill were buzzing with a young crowd Both opened within the last year Substance over style But as we welcome these sleek newcomers we shouldn t forget the previous generation that paved the way Sumi Chun who emigrated from Seoul Korea runs Sumi s Cakery in the Strip District with her husband Jun Previously the shop was in Squirrel Hill She touts her strawberry layer cake green tea cake and mocha cake She had no professional cooking experience when she started her business she taught Korean dance in her home country but perhaps fittingly for such social media-ready edibles she learned how to bake from the internet Almost every bakery has a strawberry cake she disclosed Mine is special Related Articles things to eat and drink when you re in Portugal and Northern Spain This crisp and colorful romaine and radicchio salad eats like a meal One-pot spaghetti perfect low-cost weeknight dinner Shrimp Lettuce Bowl on the table in Recipe Spicy beef tostadas reinvigorate the Taco Tuesday tradition It is ultralight she declared because she uses whipped cream as a topping instead of butter cream Pink Box Bakery in Squirrel Hill opened around the same time as Sumi s Cakery in the s It is as of now run by Hong Yang a Taiwanese immigrant who took it over from his wife s siblings It has hints of an old-style bakery with trays to stack up your treats It carries a wide variety of sweet and savory buns including red bean taro bread and selected intriguing-looking colorful mochi cakes Like Chun Yang takes pride in making everything in-house and using the best ingredients preferring substance over style Majority of his pastries are traditional Taiwanese offerings he reported Perhaps the Instagram-ready newbies and the traditionalists could learn a thing or two from each other PG Publishing Co Visit at post-gazette com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC