The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
Chicago has become a hub of Filipino cuisine– and the baked goods section is no exception. Umaga Bakehouse, Jennivee’s Bakery and, most notably, Kasama, all have some version of an ube, mango or longanisa treat. That raises the question: how do you stand out?
Enter Del Sur Bakery, the brain child of Justin Lerias, a Filipino-born Chicago native. In that same spirit, Del Sur’s motto is “Filipino Flavors, Midwestern Flair.” Although Lerias had been selling pastries as a pop-up bakery for two years, it was only a few weeks ago– towards the end of March– that he finally opened the brick-and-mortar storefront in Lincoln Square.
The menu rivaled only Kasama’s, in decadence and whimsy. As a fellow Southeast Asian, certain flavors spoke to me. “Wake up at dawn,” the Pandan said. “Wait an hour in line,” the Calamansi said. “Eat me,” the Longanisa said.
Following online reports of long lines and quick sell-outs, a couple friends and I were determined to arrive by the opening hour, 8 a.m.. We actually arrived at 7:58 a.m. sharp and still upon exiting the Uber, we were greeted by the sight of a line two hundred heads (and one baby) long.
Some had clearly come prepared, wearing comfortable shoes either holding their morning coffees or reading a book. The unlucky unprepared few stumbled down the street in a daze, mouths frozen open, gawking at the line.
Exactly an hour and a half later, we were finally at the front, stomachs rumbling, fantasizing about what exactly we would get. The only logical conclusion? Everything.
Stepping into the space brought us into the home of Lerias.
Soft moss green walls enclosed a sweet space of espresso-tinged wooden shelves filled with potted plants, picture frames with images of friends and family, books and knick knacks.
Only a gauzy white curtain separated the counter to the full kitchen in the back, where silhouettes of people were hard at work. An occasional gust of wind would push the curtain just far enough to catch a glimmer of Lerias himself, delicately prepping more pastries for the masses.
Supplies of pastries were dwindling fast. I watched in tense anticipation as one Calamansi Chamomile Bun after another was packed away. Once we made it to the counter, we did in fact order everything being served at the time, except for the Piña Colada Muffin. Our full order included the Turon Danish, Longanisa Croissant, Ube Oatmeal Cream Pie, Pandan Basque Cake, Toasted Rice Croissant, Adobo Brownie and yes, the last Calamansi Chamomile Bun.
Turon is a sweet fried banana spring roll and widely regarded as a classic Filipino dessert. Del Sur’s version was a long rectangle of laminated dough filled with caramelized banana jam and topped with neat piping of vanilla flan. Easily my favorite, the jam and flan married together harmoniously, providing the perfect creamy banana filling for the crispy dough. This is what banana pudding wishes it could be.
The lucky last Calamansi Chamomile Bun had a tart curd filling with the distinct bright flavor of calamansi as well as hints of chamomile throughout the sugar coating. Toasted Minnesota-grown wild rice is dispersed in the Toasted Rice Croissant dough, providing a mild but delectably chewy bite–the perfect croissant crumb.
Adobo is typically an ultra savory meat braise dish made with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Del Sur’s spin on the usual meat vessel is a sweet Adobo Brownie. Although it looks unassuming, it’s an umami explosion with bold reverberations from the soy sauce caramel and spicy pink peppercorns.
I still have to dole out a few criticisms. While the Pandan Basque Cake had enticing individual elements: buttery cake topped with pandan cream and mango jam, everything together clashed. The jam was prickly and tart, which overpowered the subtle pandan cream, which begs the question of whether it should even be dubbed a pandan cake.
Most disappointing of all was the Ube Oatmeal Cream Pie. I’ll admit: I’m not the biggest cream pie fan, but what was truly jarring was finding a whole quarter sized chunk of butter in the middle of the fluorescent purple ube cream. The large pale yellow wad was impossible to ignore. When I bit into it, the cream immediately coated my tongue in the slick, solid way only butter could, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just eating butter.
Conversely, the Longanisa Croissant was truly spectacular. Longanisa is an iconic Filipino breakfast pork sausage. For those who have tried it, you know it’s damn good.
The leader of the Chicago Filipino food scene, Kasama, cooks up a fantastic longanisa breakfast rice and egg plate, longanisa “Italian beef” inspired sandwich and longanisa breakfast sandwich. However, Del Sur’s Longanisa Croissant trumps them all. It made every minute of the one and a half hour wait worth it. Crackly, buttery dough enclosed a tender sausage – with minimal juice spillage, maintaining the croissant’s integrity – covered in a syrupy sticky soy caramel.
Del Sur is triumphant and this seems to only be the beginning. Just to kickstart your quarter-life crisis, as it did for me, Lerias is only 24 and already masterful in his craft. If anything, Lerias proves that the door is still wide open for innovation. Go stand in that line, it’s worth it.