Nurturing my inner... korean sweet shoppe

Before I got a groupon suggestion (I don't always buy them, but I do write down their names) for this place, I had no idea what a Korean Bakery was.  Or why it was so popular.  Turns out, there are several around here.  Some of the most popular ones are just down a ways in good old Centreville, VA.  I had to read a bunch of reviews to choose one over the other, but I settled on Shilla.  So, I dragged one of my adventurous friends out with me.  It's a great little place to have a bit of breakfast.

Unassuming store front in a strip mall.
Yea for GPS.

I'm not sure I was fully ready for the bounty of unfamiliar treats that awaited me.  If you notice the little baskets near the cellophane wrapped packages, there were plenty of fresh samples from that morning's baking.  This was crucial as I had no idea what anything was.  They tried hard with their descriptions to give me a clue, but really, tasting was the only way to truly figure this flavor puzzle out.  (Not that I minded.  Always willing to take one for the team.)

One intriguing cake was dark moss green in color
and had a yummy, yet unusual taste. Loved it!
Have no clue what it was though. Eh, so what.

Because they come in small packages, you can buy many small treats without having to commit to large quantities.  (I adore variety!)

I took one of those and one of those. Hard
to stop myself.

If you're looking to buy something a bit larger for company, they have full rolls for sale.  With creme inside.  In several flavors.

Not that I couldn't dive into one all by myself,
but it's wise to share with company.

Or they had very pretty cakes with fruit and decorations on top.  Though purple hasn't been a common cake color in my experience, I did think it looked really interesting and fun for a birthday!

Kaleidoscope fruit patterns.

Not sure if you've ever heard of bubble tea, but they had that as well.  They call it Boba.  I have had bubble tea a few times and it has always been like a milky iced latte.  So it was to my genuine surprise when I got the mango one here and it was more like soft serve.  It was fantastic!  Creamy, smooth as silk.  Bursting with lovely fruit flavor.  (Look at that rich color!  I want to paint a room in my condo that shade.)  And yes, those familiar large, black tapioca beads on the bottom with a wide sipping straw.

Unusual, yet yummy.

Here was some of my pastry loot.  I wanted to try a couple typically Asian things as well as more traditional flavors.  After all my taste testing I can tell you that the top left bear claw looking one was PHENOMENAL!  Soft, buttery, sweet with a vanilla creme pudding inside.  Oh my, I couldn't stop eating it until it was all gone and yes, I would drive the 25 minutes just to go get one right now.  The one to the right was a soft, almond sliver covered creme-filled roll.  Bottom right was traditional mochi (a doughy pillow with sweet red bean paste inside) and bottom left was mini sweet buns with red bean paste baked inside and a pecan on top.

Top left one was THE BEST! I must go
there again soon. Now I'm dreaming
about it all over again. So good.

And in case you're wondering exactly what sweet red bean paste looks like, here you go:

Mini bun with teeth marks. (Woah, perhaps
a little too up close.)

They also have a cold treat called Bing Soo.  They come in various combinations of tea, fruit, condensed milk and other flavors over finely shaved ice.  Though I wanted one, of course, I couldn't fit in everything that first trip, but I plan to go back and check more of the menu out.  If I can get myself past the delightful pastries!