Supermoon Bakehouse
Almond Cranberry Twice-Baked Croissant – Almond Syrup, Almond Cream, Fresh Cranberry Jelly, Vanilla Crème Patissiere, Sugared Almond Clusters, Almond Cream
White Sesame & Saffron Donut – Saffron Brioche, White Sesame and Saffron Crème Patissiere, Sesame Orange Tuile
Banana Split Sundae Twice-Baked Croissant – Whole Caramelized sous vide Banana, Chocolate Almond Crème, Banana Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Cream Patisserie, Chocolate Fudge, Dehydrated Banana, Whipped Cream Bulbs, Gold Leaf
Black Forest Cruffin – Dark Chocolate Crème Patissiere, Dark Cherry Jelly, White Chocolate Chantilly, Cherry Shards, Chocolate Shards, Cacao Dust
Winter Ferrero Rocher Bi-Color Croissant – Toasted Hazelnut Praline and Dark Chocolate Ganache, Torched Meringue, Cacao Powder, Roasted Hazelnuts
Peanut Butter & Jelly Donut – Brioche, Peanut Butter Crème Patissiere, Strawberry Jelly, Peanut Brittle
Mocha Butterscotch Donut – Chocolate Brioche, Chocolate Mocha Crème Patissiere, Butterscotch Sauce, Coffee Fudge
In an era where even a lousy Restaurant can generate a 24-hour uptick in revenue by having an Instagram “influencer” party and empires have been built on photogenic Burgers it seems less and less common to find an eatery doing something that is both unique and high quality, so when Ry Stephen of California-based Mr. Holme’s Bakehouse decided to set up shop in the Lower East Side there was plenty of reason to be skeptical, particularly in the setting of $8 Croissants and $4 Bomboloni.
Co-owned and operated by Chef Stephen and Aron Tzimas with a stark design and cheeky flourishes not dissimilar to the San Francisco flagship or Los Angeles’ outpost of Mr. Holmes, the name Supermoon a nod to the crescent and orb shapes on display atop a lengthy counter just inside the Bakehouse doors, it was fifteen minutes after the store’s 8:00am opening that customers were welcomed by a lone woman running the front of house while a team of bakers worked behind glass in plain view of pintsized indoor tables.
Originally opened in early October and thus far not generating the same fanaticism of the original location nor Dominique Ansel’s beloved Cronut, Ry’s signature Cruffin still prone to frequent transformation while the rest of a twelve-part menu changes seasonally or as innovation strikes, it was upon browsing items on display that the decision was made to invest $42.50 in seven selections, the two “messiest” plated and served with golden utensils while the rest were carefully boxed in holographic cardboard heavy with branding.
No doubt an expensive undertaking, the high cost of rent, quality ingredients, labor and production all passed on to the customer and thus raising expectations alongside price tags, it was with pictures taken that tasting began with an $8 Almond Cranberry Twice-Baked Croissant, the crackling exterior decorated in Vanilla Cream and Almond Brittle giving way to arching lamination lightly scented with Almond surrounding layers of Crème Patissiere and housemade Cranberry Jelly.
Attempting to move from mild to richer and thus not overwhelm the palate, a more difficult task than it might seem considering the complexity of Supermoon’s collection, it was with a light squeeze that the first of three Donuts was plucked from the box, a whiff of Saffron immediately filling the sinuses as a bite was taken and quickly replaced by sweetened Sesame while the follow-up Banana Split Sundae Croissant doubled down on its twice-baked sibling by placing tender Fruit at the center amidst Chocolate and Caramel while dialing up the texture by way of chunks of Fudge plus Banana Chips decorated in Gold Leaf.
Impressed to this point, a second look at the Croissant/Muffin hybrid showing the Instagram-favorite to again be less interesting than the rest of Chef Stephen’s Viennoiserie in terms of texture even though the classic combination of Chocolate and Cherry was quite pleasant, it was after a rich Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut that the best item of the morning was tasted in the form of a “Winter Ferrero Rocher,” the iconic Italian Candy reinterpreted by way of housemade Nutella Ganache at the center of light and flaky Croissant dipped in Meringue.
Setting aside halves of several items for later, all but the PB&J Donut maintaining their original texture for at least six hours, it was finally with Supermoon’s Mocha Butterscotch Donut that the tasting reached its conclusion, all the expected decadence of an ingredient list including Chocolate Brioche, Chocolate Mocha Cream and Butterscotch found in the lightly fried ball with a bittersweet piece of Coffee Fudge on top.
www.supermoonbakehouse.com
