[Photos by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Just when I thought the new Croissant Village at the Topwin Center in Sanlitun is the paradise for the crescent-shaped breakfast pastry, I happened to find this muffin-shaped croissant (20 yuan) more of a delight. You may call this buttery and flaky pastry a cruffin (hybrid of a croissant, and a muffin) like the New Yorkers do. The generous custard cream filling makes it heavy and rich enough for an afternoon dessert. In fact, cruffin was also one of the hottest foods on social media in 2016.