Boulangerie
A couple of weeks ago, while on my way to eat Restaurant Yamagen, I passed by this place. I stopped on the side of the road to check it out, but it hadn't opened yet. Several days ago, I drove by on my way to Restaurant Yamagen...again. This time, I saw the lights on inside and there was a woman behind the counter. With anticipation, I parked on the street in front of Boulangerie.
Here's a close up of the sign in front.
Boulangerie, which means bakery in French, is a Korean-owned, French-style bakery. There are quite a number of items on the menu, including coffee, sandwiches and bubble drinks! In the cold case up front, there were a few beautifully decorated cakes.
As I took a look around the shop, I realized that there really wasn't much left. The one thing that caught my eye was the last loaf of chestnut bread (US$6.50). I decided that I would take this home with me.
The bread was taken from the shelf and wrapped in a plastic bag. I couldn't wait to get it home so that I could try it...
When I got home, I quickly unwrapped it and looked at it for a moment.
There were a few slivers of almonds on top of what looked like a "crunchy" crust. Here's the huge (!) piece that I cut for myself...
The inside of the bread was light and fluffy, and full of chestnuts. You can't see them too good in this photo, but subsequent slices, which I should have taken photos of, had lots of pieces of sweet chestnuts in them. The top of this bread was a little sweet and a bit crunchy. The slivered almonds complemented this loaf of bread quite well. The bread was very good. It was something I would definitely purchase again.
Although the bread was a little expensive, the prices at Boulangerie are comparable to what you'd pay at other French-style bakeries (i.e. Saint Germain, Panya Bistro and Ginza Kimura-ya) around the state. I'll be sure to stop by here again since it's quite close to home. Next time, though, I'm going to try the turtle bread.
Boulangerie
1495 South King Street
Telephone: 808.949.1588
Reid that cools so very good. I love how fluffy the bread looks. I think i will have to hit up the Korean baery today...yumm
Posted by: milgwimper | January 21, 2005 at 04:30 AM
Hey, I went here while on vacation! Try the mocha bread, it's ono!
Their lunch menu us also interesting. They have something called "seafood and rice soup", which the owner described as being like a seafood jook. She said it was very popular.
It is a little pricy, but I think it's quite good. It's a small place, but it feels cozy and intimate.
The one thing they need to do is improve their butter cream, but overall, I think it's a nice place. It's nice to have a variety of Asian-Western bakeries in town.
Posted by: MBS | January 21, 2005 at 09:01 AM
Looks good. The crust is nice and brown, while the inside looks soft and chewy. I like the idea of chestnuts too. There's chestnut cake here in SG, but not chestnut bread. But at US$6.50, it's really premium! Looks like it's really expensive to eat in Hawaii, Reid.
Posted by: Julia | January 21, 2005 at 09:21 AM
Reid, can't wait to see the turtle bread next time too. Wonder how it looks... :P
Btw, this chestnust bread, it sound like a modified Japanese melon pan to me. Great idea though.
Posted by: fish fish | January 21, 2005 at 05:47 PM
Hi milgwimper,
It was very nice indeed. I finished the whole loaf in less than a week! =)
Hi MBS,
Long time no hear!
How was your vacation in Hawaii? I hope you got to eat lots of good food! I'm going to try some of the food here. It looks a bit interesting. I'll try the mocha bread tomorrow and will let you know what I think of it. Hopefully I get there early enough.
Hi Julia,
This bread was really delicious. I loved the fact that there was a bit of crunchiness on top. And yes, it's quite expensive to eat here compared to SE Asia.
Hi fish fish,
Yes, this was a bit like melon pan. The same type of sweetness overall. The turtle bread has cream in it and if you ask me, it looks like dinner rolls stuck together. Not very turtle-like at all. Maybe they call it "turtle" bread because all of the rolls stuck together look like a turtle shell.
Posted by: Reid | January 21, 2005 at 07:40 PM
Hey.. Reid.. :)
I would have love this kinda bread.. unfortunately.. i cannot say the same for my spouse.. who don't care about any kinda bread.. unless it is plain.. or with chocolate.. :)
Posted by: MrsT | January 22, 2005 at 02:19 PM
Reid - that looks delicious!
Posted by: Sam | January 22, 2005 at 03:03 PM
Hi MrsT,
I love all kinds of breads. In fact, bakeries are probably my favorite hang out spots. I've had chestnut bread in Japan before, just not like this.
Hi Sam,
Nice to see you again. This was good. The whole loaf was gone in about 3 days. I had a slice for breakfast and a slice after dinner with tea every day! =P
Posted by: Reid | January 22, 2005 at 08:14 PM
Ethel's Delicatessen use to be there for years. Loved their cone sushi, homemade fishcake, stuffed tofu and stuffed eggplant. Would you know why they closed down? Another one "bites the dust".
Posted by: lance | January 24, 2005 at 10:34 AM
Hi lance,
You're right. I believe Ethel "passed on" right before Christmas. It was really a great place to eat. Thanks for reminding me. I had forgotten about that.
Posted by: Reid | January 24, 2005 at 06:48 PM