Giant cream puffs at FLU:ET, a bakery café in Dongnae, Busan

These days, after a meal I always end up craving something sweet. Rather than heavier desserts like bread or cake, I usually go for something light I can eat with coffee or a drink — so when I was in the Dongnae area and stumbled on a place selling choux desserts, which I already love, I had to stop in.

It's a Dongnae bakery café called FLU:ET, and since they specialize in choux desserts, they had a wide variety, all pretty large in size — it caught my eye the moment I walked in. I already like choux, so as soon as I saw the menu I knew picking just one wasn't going to happen, and ended up choosing several.

This time I bought Earl Grey choux, tiramisu choux, plain choux, and cream cheese apple choux! Bottom line: each one had a different cream flavor and combination, so I was glad I tried several instead of just one.

What kind of café is FLU:ET? A choux dessert specialist in Dongnae

FLU:ET stands out for centering its menu on choux desserts rather than the usual breads you'd find at a typical bakery café. These days plenty of places sell small desserts like financiers, madeleines, or cookies, but it's genuinely hard to find somewhere that specializes in choux.

FLU:ET sells a range of choux desserts, so it was easy to pick based on taste. When I visited, they had several kinds ready, and I spent a good while deciding.

How big is a FLU:ET cream puff?

When you hear 'choux,' you usually picture something round and small, but FLU:ET's choux were surprisingly substantial. Seeing the actual size when I got it, it was bigger than an adult woman's fist, which caught me off guard at first. Filling enough that just one felt like a proper dessert!

So it works well as a simple dessert, but I also thought it'd be great to box up several and share with family or friends.

What cream and ingredients does FLU:ET use?

FLU:ET's desserts felt like they paid attention to the ingredients used too. They say the desserts use French fresh cream and New Zealand butter for a soft, rich flavor.

With choux especially, the cream inside really matters. A crisp or soft shell is important, but in the end it comes down to how well the cream comes together in each bite. FLU:ET's choux are packed with soft creaming, so if you love cream, this would suit your taste well.

Personally, when I eat bread or dessert, I find it a bit disappointing if there isn't enough cream, but here the inside was packed full, which was satisfying. Even from the outside, the choux looked plump and full of volume, so they looked appetizing right away.

Earl Grey choux — for anyone who likes a fragrant tea cream

This time I deliberated and picked four kinds total. Earl Grey choux, tiramisu choux, plain choux, and cream cheese apple choux! Each had a different mood, which made trying them one by one fun.

I started with the Earl Grey choux. I love the distinctive fragrant flavor of Earl Grey, so whenever a menu includes it, I can't help but take a second look. The Earl Grey choux combined soft cream with that distinctive Earl Grey aroma, sweet yet fragrant. Since the choux itself was large, there was plenty of cream inside too.

Rather than hitting you with a strong Earl Grey flavor, it came through subtly alongside the soft cream, so it was easy to eat without feeling overwhelming. It'd pair well with coffee, and also with black tea or iced tea. Of the four I bought, if you like fragrant desserts, I'd recommend the Earl Grey choux.

Tiramisu choux and plain choux — one for coffee, one for a lighter taste

Second was the tiramisu choux! Tiramisu is such a familiar dessert that plenty of people love, so I was curious how it'd feel turned into choux. It had soft cream combined with tiramisu's distinctive sweet-yet-bitter flavor.

It looks completely different from a regular tiramisu, but having the cream inside the choux gave it a whole different feel. With so much cream packed in, the first thing you notice on biting in is the soft texture. If you love tiramisu, this is a menu you'll find both familiar and fun to try. I personally love coffee-flavored desserts like this, so pairing it with coffee worked well too.

I also picked the plain choux, basically the standard option. When there are several kinds available, it's tempting to jump straight to the boldest flavors, but with desserts like this, you need to try the basic one to get a sense of the overall style. So I picked a plain choux too.

True to its name, the plain choux was on the milder, cleaner side. It would suit anyone who wants to taste the soft cream flavor as it is. Above all, the cream was generously packed in, so I could really feel the combination of choux and cream. If you prefer clean, soft desserts over flashy toppings or bold flavors, the plain choux is a solid choice. I also thought it'd be an easy pick to eat with kids or share among family.

Cream cheese apple choux — the one with a texture twist

The last one I picked was the cream cheese apple choux. This one had me curious just from the name. I chose it expecting something interesting from the cream cheese and apple combination, and with the rich, soft cream cheese joined by apple, the mood was clearly different from the other choux.

Compared to choux that's just cream, having bits of apple mixed in added some fun textural variation with each bite. The sweet, soft cream paired with apple worked better than I expected. If you usually like cream cheese desserts, or you're after something with more of a point of interest than plain cream, I'd recommend this one.

I had fun alternating between the four and comparing the flavor differences. They're also running a draw event, so join in and grab a little extra :-) I won a Twix for 5th place!

And one of the most striking things about FLU:ET's choux was definitely the size. It was much bigger in person than it looked in photos. Bigger than an adult woman's fist, so it had real presence held in one hand. Some desserts these days look pretty in photos but turn out smaller than expected when you actually eat them — FLU:ET's choux had none of that letdown.

With plenty of cream and a large choux itself, one felt like a proper dessert on its own! If you're buying several kinds, it might be better to share with family or friends rather than eat them all at once. If you're someone curious about multiple flavors like me, boxing up a variety and sharing one at a time is a good option too.

What to drink at FLU:ET: ades with your choux

FLU:ET also sells refreshing ades alongside their choux desserts. Having something cold on hand goes so well with a sweet dessert. Especially with cream-filled desserts like choux, pairing with an iced drink cleans the palate nicely, making it a good order to add.

On hot days, coffee is great, but enjoying a refreshing, cool ade with choux is also a good call. Boxing the desserts to go is nice, but enjoying them leisurely with a drink at the café was also a good combination.

Are FLU:ET choux good for gifts or thank-you treats?

Buying choux at FLU:ET, I thought it'd also make a good gift. The pieces are large and there's a good variety, so packing several together looks plentiful and generous. It'd work well for a simple dessert to bring when visiting a friend's place, or as a snack to prepare for family.

If you're looking for something a bit different from the usual bread or cake gift, choux desserts are a good option. It's also a plus that there's something for every taste — from the fragrant Earl Grey to tiramisu, plain, and cream cheese apple. Mixing a few flavors together in one box also gives the recipient the fun of picking which to eat first.

Which of the four FLU:ET choux flavors suits your taste?

This time at FLU:ET I tried four kinds — Earl Grey choux, tiramisu choux, plain choux, and cream cheese apple choux — and what I liked most was that each one was large and packed with soft cream, so you get to enjoy it generously. It was also nice to know they use French fresh cream and New Zealand butter for a soft, rich flavor when choosing.

Personally, I'd recommend picking several kinds rather than just one, to find the flavor that suits you.

• If you like fragrant flavors: Earl Grey choux
• If you're after a dessert that pairs well with coffee: tiramisu choux
• If you like a clean, basic flavor: plain choux
• If you like the cream cheese and fruit combination: cream cheese apple choux

Above all, the size was bigger than expected, so even picking just one gave a real sense of having had dessert. If you're looking for a choux dessert that's not that common in Dongnae, or you love desserts packed with soft cream, FLU:ET is worth a visit.

For anyone like me who wants to try a bit of everything even when picking just one dessert, I'd also recommend boxing up several kinds to share with family or friends. Next time I visit, I want to try the other choux flavors I didn't get to this time. When you're in Dongnae looking for a café or dessert spot and craving something a little different, or when a big, generous choux dessert comes to mind, this is a good place to visit^_^