Trung Nam French Bakery - St Paul

The chain link fence protecting Trung Nam piqued my curiosity every time I drove by. Why was it put up? What was the purpose behind it? As much as I was intrigued, the fence on a subconscious level was an imposing barrier that kept me away. Simultaneously, it was magnetic...

Today after we ate at the newly relocated Saigon Restaurant, we took a quick walk over. I can only beat myself for not trying this gem eons ago.

They have limited hours from 8 AM to 1 PM. Arriving at noon, the trays behind the display case were fairly empty. We picked up a Croissant, Almond Croissant, and Banh Mi sandwich.

The Banh Mi sandwich was very good but being that the baguette had probably sat around for over four hours, it had lost much of its oven fresh goodness. The exterior was crusty and the interior semi soft. The filling of the usual vegetables and the pate was fresh and tasty. I would have preferred a bit more filling but at $2.25 I was content.

The Croissants. Where do I begin? I haven't been to France but I can't imagine croissants getting much better. Again the croissants had been sitting around a few hours but I can imagine what they were like immediately out of the oven.

The regular croissant, $1.50, was a combination of chewy and flaky, buttery without feeling greasy. The initial flavor of the croissant was mild but with each chew, a little more of the flavor was released until at mastication completion, all the flavor was released in waves of esophageal joy...I need a smoke.

The Almond Croissant at a princely $2.75 was intensely almondny tasting from the start and the equal of the regular croissant. Whereas the regular croissant was like a sucker punch, the almond croissant was a full frontal assault from the get go.

My advice: Stop in early, as soon as the doors open.

739 University Ave W
St Paul, MN