Best Bakery
Japonaise Bakery & Cafe
Cream Pan, Tustin's beloved little Japanese bakery, recently expanded into bigger digs with a shiny espresso machine and a new name. The baked goods, however, smell just as sweet. Crusty loaves with long, determined gashes. Sugary dough domes filled with azuki and cream. All are spectacular. But we've got two words for you: strawberry croissant ($2.20). It's a pastry perfect in conception, construction and execution. Nothing in its triangular, hand-holdable frame can be improved upon. The croissant flakes off in crisp, buttery sheets; the custard is as cool as silk; and the sliced strawberries are perkier than a giggly, doe-eyed anime schoolgirl. And of course, it's sprinkled with plenty of powdered sugar to make it look like you've just snorted some blow. Japonaise's strawberry croissants are just as addicting.
