Monday, May 23, 2011

Cream Pan's Korokke Pan - Tustin

We literally buy our daily bread from Cream Pan. It makes great toast, which leads to even better sandwiches. And then, there's Cream Pan's strawberry croissants, which have become the thing people expect us to bring to potlucks. And since I wrote a blog entry about the salmon onigiri, I now have to get there extra early to claim those rice triangles before they disappear--not because my post has created any sort of awareness, but because I think everyone who has tasted them have also realized how very good they are.

So if you're already tired of me talking, yet again, about another Cream Pan product, stop reading now. This is my ode to a recent find: their korokke pan. This, as you can see by the picture, is a potato croquette sandwich--a simple thing really. A panko-breaded, deep-fried mashed potato patty is stuffed inside a roll of their own making, along with leaf lettuce, tomato, a slice of cucumber, a smear of Thousand Island and a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce.

From the recitation of the ingredients alone, you'd expect that this would be a dull sandwich, or at the very least, one that defies the rule that you don't put starch inside another starch. But you'd be wrong. This is a great sandwich. Flavorful, filling, and rich, not to mention vegetarian (though not vegan because of the mayo). This is a sandwich that easily surpasses their egg salad and their katsu, which are merely okay by comparison.

And oh, that bun. Made in-store, it's a soft roll that any other sandwich shop would kill to have as their own. You could imagine it elevating pastrami, corned beef, chicken salad. But here, it fulfills its truest purpose, hugging the at-once crisp-mushy korokke and everything that surrounds it.

The only way it could get even better is if it can be had when the korokke has just come off the fryer. If that ever happens, expect another post.

Cream Pan
602 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780-4310
(714) 665-8239

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6 Comments:

At 1:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

sounds lovely and will be sure to try. my addictions are with curry pan and azuki cream as of this moment. do you know whatever happened to their japonaise bakery side? loved it when the goods were on that side...

 
At 4:35 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Anon,

Another addiction that I forgot to mention: their ham and cheese croissant. I actually wrote about it here.

And actually, I did ask the Cream Pan gals about Japonaise. They're saying that they're redoing it to be something new with new food. This was several months ago. So far, I see nothing being done to it.

Here's a previous story I wrote on the subject.

 
At 12:52 PM, Blogger Melissa said...

I saw this while in line on Sunday morning. Only reason I don't go for it is because I don't like their tonkatsu sauce, or at least I didn't last I tried it on the katsu sandwich. Maybe another go is in order.

I had a couple of friends from out of town, though, and we bought (WARM!) salmon onigiri, ham and cheese croissants, a blueberry, a strawberry and a chocolate. They died of happy. Both said the ham and croissant was the favorite, but that was in no way slighting the rest of what we had. So good.

I bought the sandwich box for later for myself and I must say I still love the egg salad as much as I ever did. Steve tried it and really dug it, too. I don't know how they make it taste so great with virtually nothing in it! Wait, maybe I just answered my own question...

 
At 11:18 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

Melissa,

I adore their egg salad too. Didn't like their katsu as much because it was on the wrong side of chewy. And can anything constitute a better breakfast than that ham and cheese croissant and a cup of hot tea? I mean, I love their strawberry croissants to death, but there's just something about the glop of cheese that flows out the ends and hardens to that crispy lace!

 
At 7:50 AM, Anonymous JB said...

I want one of these right now...
and a strawberry croissant too!!

Cream Pan should open a satellite inside Mitsuwa!!

 
At 9:38 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

JB,

I just noticed that Cream Pan actually supplies Marukai! Although, just a few loaves of bread and rolls. None of the good stuff!

 

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