La Farine frangipane: Excellent pastry. Flaky crust topped with almonds. Inside is fluffy and light. Center has lightly sweetened almond paste. Some parts of the exterior are dark, but they're caramelized rather than burnt. Very sizable and filling for the price ($2.95). 4.5/5.0
lafarine bakery pastry almond frangipane croissant oakland exceptional 4.5
Nezu No Pan Mugwort Bread with Red Beans: My friend purchased two different mini loafs from Nezu bakery Nezu No Pan, whose bread has a texture unlike any I've had before. The outside of the loaf is a normal thin crust, but the inside is stretch and chewy, a bit like mochi but definitely lighter (for example, you can easily break off a piece). This bread has a vivid green color and slightly bitter herbal flavor from mugwort, a plant used to flavor some Asian desserts (the only other time I had it was also in Japan, and it was used ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese nezu tokyo bakery nezunopan megwort bread red beans 4.5
Nezu No Pan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: The other flavored bread that I received from the bakery Nezu No Pan, located close to Nezu Station in Tokyo, is a lemon poppy seed loaf. It's pleasantly acidic, with a lemon flavor that's both sweet and sharp but not overly so, as the flavor is mellowed out by the pillowy, chewy bread. The texture somehow combines the best of mochi-like chewiness with the moist, soft consistency of freshly baked bread. A standout combination – the flavor alone is definitely one of the best lemon breads I... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional tokyo nezu bread bakery baked nezunopan lemon poppy seed 4.5
Meisum Bakery peanut bun: Generous mochi dessert coated with coconut shavings and sweet peanut filling. The mochi itself is plump and soft, barely sweetened, while the peanut filling is slightly crunchy, lending a surprising texture. Overall, a very satisfying (and cheap!) snack. 4.0/5.0
mochi bakery chinatown boston sweets peanut nuts coconut asian chinese recommended bun 4.0 meisumbakery
Ken's Artisan Bakery's cannelle: Crusty, caramelized exterior with soft, custard interior. Perfect level of sweetness, good vanilla flavor (with a hint of lemon?). Seems small but is actually very filling. 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry cannelle bakery portland kensartisanbakerys 4.0
Cheeseboard Bialy: I’m tying to reduce my carb intake (which has drastically reduced snacking). But one morning, I woke up to find I didn’t have running water in my apartment and, giving up on low-carb life for a bit, I went to Cheeseboard for breakfast. I always find the savory breads at this Berkeley institution are better than their sweet baked goods. This bialy was especially satisfying after not having any bread for a while. Tasting strongly of garlic and sprinkled with poppy seeds, the round bread has a ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
bread berkeley onion bakery baked cheeseboard bialy 4.0 recommended