Chinatown's Egg Puff Lady

Odds are that if keen on adventure and flavor, after a lunch in Chinatown you are stuffed to the gills with delicious savory delicacies. But never ever ever too stuffed for some egg puffs. What are egg puffs you say? Well, they're amazing. Warm, fluffy, crispy, custardy and just about the most delightful snack and walk sweet treat you could think of while being very simple to boot. Where do you get these pull and pop desserts? Well, let me tell you...

The Egg Puff Cart

If on Beach Street walk toward Harrison, and look to your right. On the corner of Beach and Harrison there is a rather odd looking building, with a storefront of knicknacks at first glance, a sign for Cafe de Lulu in the basement, and then a few booths hawking items from cell phones to hot dogs. Walk into this building. There is the knicknack store on your left, but continue to walk into the main space, past the cell phone store and the Asian hog dog stand, past the dumplings and the sushi counter, and you'll arrive at the egg puff cart, complete with pink stripes and smiley chickens.

A single burner and waffle iron

The lady at this cart may be the most innovative and industrious of all the ladies in Chinatown. She's got a single electric burner on her cart, and a strange sort of waffle iron which she fills to just the right level before topping with the second half of the iron. A few minutes of skillful but not showy flipping of the iron to evenly crisp the puffs, and your order is ready. A whole batch of warm egg puffs will set you back $2.75 and it is worth every penny. Paper bag of steaming goodies in hand and a smile from the lady... you're on your way.

An order of fluffy puffs just waiting
for the right person

Now, you may think that this is just a stupid version of waffles. But first off, waffles rule, and you're a fool if you think otherwise. Each little puff has a firm outer crunch, giving way to a steamy, fluffy but custardy textured center. It's all slightly sweet, like the flavor of a wafer cookie, and each time when you find you're through with a single orb of spongy goodness, you just pull off another and enjoy the whole thing all over again. A single serving is more than enough to share, though I'll be the first to admit that I've polished off a full bag by myself on the way back to work thinking that every fatty little calorie was completely worth it.

Steaming hot and sweet

DETAIL RUNDOWN:
Egg Puffs
42 Beach Street
Boston, MA 02111