(This post is based on visits to the bakery under its previous names, Sunkiss and Sun Light, with the same phone number.) A rice ball ($1) — flaked with coconut and stuffed with crushed peanuts — was exceptionally light despite the typical glutinous texture.
By comparison, a thousand-year egg en croute (below; $1.25) was a lead balloon. The pastry was tolerably flaky, and I had no quarrel with the ash-preserved egg, now greenish-black, but it was surrounded by a bizarre caramel-like paste and embittered by unidentifiable red intruders.
The refrigerator case is stocked with ranks of housemade drinkable desserts like basil seeds with mango (about 20 fl. oz.; $3.50); others include tapioca pearls with fresh coconut, melon, mango, and strawberry, as well as a drink labeled only as "mint ice." At the very least, they'll leave a good taste in your mouth.
Happy Star Bakery
160 East Broadway (near Rutgers St.), Manhattan
212-608-8899
What a great Web site!! As a native NYer and a total foodie, I always enjoy reading about the wonderful finds in my city.
Makes me miss home!
Posted by: Jennifer | January 24, 2008 at 06:18 PM