Dining Out: Egg rolls were not what you expect

When Stephanie Hrin was pregnant with her daughter, she would buy eggroll wraps to make into quick and easy meals.

“I thought about how much fun it would be to fill them with different ingredients,” she said.

So she started making them for family and friends, and when they kept saying how good they were, she began selling them to cafes where she worked.

That led to her decision to open her own restaurant, Eggroll Queen Café in Chalfont, and have her sister Andrea Smith join her as manager.

Together they have created 300 kinds of eggrolls ranging from those with breakfast fillings to entrees to desserts.

For breakfast, the easy-to-hold and very portable eggrolls come filled with a variety of choices: bacon, egg and cheese; French toast; pork roll, egg and cheese; or vegetarian options including the Southwestern Veggie with potatoes, grilled peppers, squash, and cheddar cheese; or the vegan Breakfast Skillet with cherry tomatoes, onions, squash, and peppers.

For lunch and dinner their made-to-order offerings include chicken parmesan, white pizza, barbecued pork, loaded potato, grilled veggie, buffalo chicken, tuna melt, ham and cheese, and the always popular cheesesteak eggroll.

For dessert there is always the eggroll filled with cannoli cream, Oreo truffle, and the peanut butter chocolate whip bomb.

In addition to the regular fillings, there are specials each week. A recent favorite was a sopapilla cheesecake dessert eggroll.

The restaurant opened last Mother’s Day with a bang; people came to try this first-of-its-kind eatery for Bucks County, and have been coming back ever since.

“Some people are cautious and they come in and order just one or two eggrolls at first,” Hrin said. “But after they taste them, they come back and order more.”

Some come in expecting Chinese food, so the sisters either offer them their two Asian-style eggrolls or directions to the nearest Chinese restaurant.

The sisters don’t make the eggroll wraps, but all other fillings are made on the premises. A combo platter includes three eggrolls plus a salad and a dipping sauce; the dipping sauces also are made on the premises.

Hrin uses as many locally grown and produced and organic ingredients as she can find, including fruit from her older sister’s farm.

Hrin bakes her eggrolls instead of frying them, which gives them a lighter flavor and texture. She also offers gluten-free eggroll wraps, for a small upcharge.

Catering orders are popular; she said she sold a lot of trays of eggrolls for Super Bowl Sunday parties. “Super Bowl Sunday was crazy,” she said.

The eggrolls have many advantages; “They freeze well, they reheat well and they stay good in the refrigerator for several days,” she said.

She will introduce mini eggrolls soon and will offer delivery through GrubHub.com.

As proof of her creation’s popularity, Hrin will be opening a second location in September in Dublin.