Serious Eats: New York
Black Sesame Mochi from Yi Mei Fung Bakery in Flushing
I went into Yi Mei Fung Bakery with the intention of just getting a hot milk tea, but instead I walked out with two of their bulging sesame mochi (one was for a friend, alright?). Never before had I been to a Chinese bakery with such a wide array of filled mochi treats, other flavors including taro, strawberry, and chestnut. Although $3 seemed like a lot for one piece, it wasn't until I took the mochi out of its box that I realized it was about as dense as a dying sun and could feed at least two people for dessert. Unlike the Japanese mochi confection daifuku, in which the mochi is closed all around the filling, the version from Yi Mei Fung consisted of a thin sheet of soft, chewy mochi wrapped around a ball of rich black sesame paste topped with a thin layer of yellow cake, resulting in a naked bottom. Next time I'm in Flushing I plan on trying another flavor—in time, I will defeat them all.
Yi Mei Fung Bakery
13538 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354 (map)
718-886-6820