Hong Xuong Bakery

Hong Xuong, which never seems to be open when I walk past, was open yesterday and I popped in to see if they sold curry beef buns (I've been on a quest for a coworker of mine). They don't, but I picked up a few delicious treats anyway, since I had never been in there before and everything looked so good.

I tried their Banh Flan, which was a rectangle of firm, but creamy, flan floating in a caramelized sugar solution. Good stuff, which rich caramel flavor having permeated the custard.

Pork/Scallion Dumplings

(click for larger photo)

Attracted by the wrinkly texture of these square dumplings, I asked the lady what was inside of them. I heard pork, but couldn't quite make out the other word - turned out to be scallions. The interior was firm, with a nice varied definition to the forcemeat.

Hong Xuong Bakery
1139 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640-3609
(773) 878-2888

-Dan

On my walk home from lunch at Pho 888, I stopped by Hong Xuong to grab a snack for later. Never having seen something labeled as an empanada in a Vietnamese bakery before, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Pork empanada


Interior filling


I wish I had bothered to heat it up - I think it would have been better hot (best yet, fried to order). The crust had a noticeable sweetness to it, which surprised me, but not necessarily in a bad way. The filling was tasty, though not as assertive as I would have liked given the filling/crust ratio.

I also tried the fried spring rolls at Hong Xuong a few weeks ago and really liked those. If you could get this stuff fried to order (instead of room temp, having sat for who knows how long) I'd go back a lot more regularly.

-Dan