Tag Archives: pastry

Modern Pastry

Posted in Boston by

 While walking around the North End, I kept seeing people hold boxes  with Modern Pastry or Mike’s Pastry on it. I was dying to walk into one of these bakeries but noticed the lines are long. After dinner at Cannolina, I headed over to Modern Pastry across the street and prepared to digest my dinner during the wait. However, I weaseled my way towards the edge of the undistinguishable lines (there really are no lines but a mass of people waiting) and waited 10 mins. During this time, I did my best to narrow down the cannolis I wanted from the menu of picture cannolis flavors on the back wall. I settled on an almond and pistachio cannoli. Stuffed with sweet ricotta, these large cannolis were a meal in itself. It was so tasty that I couldn’t stop myself from finishing it despite how full I was. Next time, I’m headed back to try the Boston cream pie.

Location: 257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

b. patisserie

Posted in San Francisco by

b. patisserie reminds me of the bakeries you find in Paris. It’s minimalistic designs and delicious pastries will instantly transport you to Paris.

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It’s signature pastry, the kouign amann (pronounced “queen amman”), is a sweet, buttery, flaky croissant. I suggest you go early to snag one of these before they run out!

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The blueberry, peach, almond croissant isn’t your normal croissant. It’s more dense than flaky but the flavor is there. The peach brings out the sweetness of the blueberry but also helps balance it out.

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The passion fruit bostock reminded me of a dense coffee cake.

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(2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115)

Leonard’s Bakery

A popular Hawaiian treat is malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery. Malasadas are Portuguese versions of a sugar donut filled with creams. They were invented in Madeira to use up the lard and sugar before Lent and are generally eaten on Fat Tuesday. The concept traveled to Hawaii for Shrove Tuesday, which is also known as Malasada Day. 

Leonard’s Bakery offers a variety of seasonal fillings such as guava, macadamia nut, pineapple, and original (with no filling). They reminded me of a dense sugar donut. I recommend eating them while they’re fresh. They don’t sit well overnight.

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The pineapple dole whip was delicious but eat it quickly. The intense Hawaiian sun will melt it in a heartbeat.

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(933 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816)

Knead Patisserie 

Located in the Mission, Knead Patisserie is home to the Pomme D’Amour. It’s a custard filled puff pastry topped with sugar and then torched to the crunchiness of a creme brûlée. Yelp reviewers rave it as “better than sex.” I find it to be a heavenly snack that hits the sweet tooth.

Behind the Pomme D’Amour is an almond twist. It is light and flaky. Pairs perfectly with your morning cup of joe or tea. 

If you’re looking for Knead Patisserie, it’s located inside Local Eatery. Keep in mind, it’s only open in the morning and afternoons. I like to grab a coffee from Philz next door and then head over to Knead Patisserie for a bite. 

 (3111 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110)

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is home to the cruffin (croissant muffin). However, on this day they were sold out.

Above are (top to bottom): negroni doughnut x2, chocolate doughnut x2, salted caramel doughnut x2, amelie amann, and chocolate croissant. 

The negroni doughnut is filled with Campari jelly and negroni custard. The pipette is filled with negroni syrup. Unaware of what negroni is, I took a big bite and was left with a bitter aftertaste. After some research, I learned negroni is gin, vermouth, and Campari. Not a big fan of this alcoholic doughnut. 

The salted caramel doughnut was as delicious as it sounds. The doughnut texture is light and fluffy. 

I loved the amelie amann. It reminded me of a flaky puff pastry with a creme brûlée top. It would pair perfectly with your morning coffee. 

 (1042 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109)

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory

Studio Ghibli and My Neighbor Totoro fans can now fawn over Totoro cream puffs. Yes, a Totoro cream puff factory does indeed exist! It was opened in 2008 by Shirohige, also known as white bread in Japanese. Sources says this factory is also owned by the Miyazaki family. Hayao Miyazaki is the founder of Studio Ghibli and director of My Neighbor Totoro. Miyazaki also created a pig nosed animation of Shirohige, the baker.

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This will also be the cutest place you visit. The inside is adorned with everything Totoro and Studio Ghibli. Even the bathroom has a Totoro smiling at you. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures.

You can buy your Totoro cream puffs downstairs if you choose to consume them later. If you choose to eat them there, there is a cafe upstairs. However, they do require each person to buy one drink minimum.

The flavors are seasonal and are indicated by the type of decoration Totoro adorns.

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I got the strawberry cream (pink flower) and matcha green tea custard (yellow hat). My favorite was the strawberry cream because there were chunks of fresh strawberry in it.

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Hello my neighbor Totoro! 🙂

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The factory is located in Setagaya, about a 20 min train ride from Tokyo. When you get out the Setagaya station, make a right. Pass Lawson and make another right into the neighbor and follow the path until you reach Shirohige’s.

(5 Chome-3-1 Daita, Setagaya-ku, Tōkyō-to 155-0033, Japan)

patisserie Sadaharu Aoki

Despite having traveled to Paris before, I never heard of patisserie Sadaharu Aoki until now. Aoki was born in Tokyo but moved to Paris to learn the art of French baking. He opened his own shop in Paris before expanding in his homeland. I give him an A+++ for mastering French baking. Above is the matcha eclair incorporating the French pastry with his Japanese background. The eclair is filled with a matcha custard and topped with a matcha ganache. Aoki did a wonderful job in bringing out the true matcha flavor. It was so supremely divine that to this day, I still dream of having another bite.

Look out for it at the Shinjuku Isetan on level B1F.

The location I went to was Japan〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku 新宿3-14-1, but there are plenty of other locations in Tokyo. See the map below.

Coutume

Posted in Tokyo by

Coutume, is a Parisian café and roaster that has branched out to Toyko. They offer coffee brewed using the Alpha Dominche steampunk method. They also offer coffee prepared by the Hario V-60 filter and ice coffee prepared by the Japanese slow drip.

Their apple pie croissant was perfectly buttery and flaky. The filling was made with apples and hints of citrus. Delicious!

Admire their $10k steampunk collection. In the back is the Japanese slow drip ice coffee machine.

(クチューム 青山店 Japan〒107-0062 Tōkyō-to, Minato-ku, Minamiaoyama, 5 Chome−8)