After our feast at Seabra's Marisquiera we took a walk around the area and also down by the river to try and digest a bit. It was a nice stroll because the weather wasn't too hot, and it wasn't that humid either. After a bit we walked back towards the main street, and M asked if I wanted to try the Portuguese version of the egg tart (蛋撻) that we'd both had while growing up. I'm not a huge huge fan of the Chinese version, but I like it enough that I wanted to see how it compared to the Portuguese version.
The place that we knew was supposed to be known for these pastries was Teixeira's Bakery.
Once inside we were greeted by the sweet, warm smells of the breads and pastries contained in their glass case. We took a quick look around to see if anything else caught our fancy, but in the end we opted for just the one of the pastéis de nata. At $1.35 it wasn't super cheap, but it also wasn't too expensive.
I liked this a lot more than the Chinese counterpart. For starters, the pastry crust is flakier and actually reminiscent of pastry dough as opposed to being doughy and crumbly. The pastry crust on the Portuguese version is also much lighter and airier. Finally, there's a hint of a savory, salty flavor to the crust on the Portuguese version that really brings out the flavor of the custard.
Speaking of the custard, it's much more of an actual custard consistency. The Chinese version is often more gelatin-like and far sweeter. The milder sweetness allowed more of the egg flavor to come out, and when combined with the slightly salty crust formed a perfectly balanced dessert. The charring on top didn't really add any flavor, burnt or caramelized, but it made it look nice.
Overall, I definitely think the Portuguese version (also the original) is better than the Chinese adaptation. While I wouldn't necessarily need to get one the next time we were in Newark, I would certainly consider it.
The place that we knew was supposed to be known for these pastries was Teixeira's Bakery.
Once inside we were greeted by the sweet, warm smells of the breads and pastries contained in their glass case. We took a quick look around to see if anything else caught our fancy, but in the end we opted for just the one of the pastéis de nata. At $1.35 it wasn't super cheap, but it also wasn't too expensive.
I liked this a lot more than the Chinese counterpart. For starters, the pastry crust is flakier and actually reminiscent of pastry dough as opposed to being doughy and crumbly. The pastry crust on the Portuguese version is also much lighter and airier. Finally, there's a hint of a savory, salty flavor to the crust on the Portuguese version that really brings out the flavor of the custard.
Speaking of the custard, it's much more of an actual custard consistency. The Chinese version is often more gelatin-like and far sweeter. The milder sweetness allowed more of the egg flavor to come out, and when combined with the slightly salty crust formed a perfectly balanced dessert. The charring on top didn't really add any flavor, burnt or caramelized, but it made it look nice.
Overall, I definitely think the Portuguese version (also the original) is better than the Chinese adaptation. While I wouldn't necessarily need to get one the next time we were in Newark, I would certainly consider it.
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