Breadbelly
Kaya Toast – Breadbelly Milk Bread, Coconut-Pandan Jam
Brown Butter Mochi – Crushed Peanuts
Choco-Soba-Ko Cookie – Caramelized Buckwheat, Milk Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Chips
Banana Bread – Macadamia Crumble, Citrus Marmalade
Anko Sticky Bun – Toasted Pecan, Salted Caramel, Sweet Adzuki Bean Paste
“Not Ube!” Tart – Purple Potato, Meringue, Shaved Salted Egg Yolk
Debuted at 1408 Clement Street in the waning days of 2018, Breadbelly finally took the big step from pop-up to brick-and-mortar, a minimalist space in Richmond Districct bringing the team’s collection of Asian-inspired baked goods to an area lacking for anything similar and already drawing a good following thanks to social media as well as word of mouth.
The brainchild of James Wong, his wife Katherine Campecino-Wong and Clement Hsu, all three having met at Atelier Crenn and Chef Campecino-Wong previously honing her skills at Mourad, it is upon entry to the longer-than-wide space that guests will find a small seating area and well-culled collection, perhaps one dozen items in total plus Tea and Coffee though the lack of Creamer or sweeteners save for Stevia may limit the enjoyment of beverages for some.
Priced similar to other Bay Area artisans such as Tartine and Neighbor, but more like The Bakery at Fat Rice in Chicago as relates to ideas, nearly every guest visiting Breadbelly will have likely at least seen photos of Kaya Toast that is made to order, the housemade Milk Bread springy like Brioche and carefully layered with bright green Jam tiptoeing between sweet and savory, a lack of Eggs or Soy straying from tradition but both texture and flavor justifying the hype.
Hoping to win-over the diverse ethnicities of their neighborhood, but at the same time dubbing the ideas “New American,” it was in follow-up to warm Toast that five Pastries were tasted, the gelatinous mouthfeel of Mochi probably unfamiliar to many who’ve not explored Hawaiian cuisine but here smartly balanced by crushed Peanuts while the “Choco-Soba-Ko” Cookie is more than a mouthful to say but easy to devour as crispy top and edges give way to a soft center studded by two types of Chocolate.
Stumbling with Banana Bread, the $7 loaf assuredly sharable but entirely overwhelmed by tangy Marmalade, fans of Adzuki Bean should not miss the Sticky Bun topped with Caramel, comparisons to “Boston Baked Beans” Candy justified though the base itself attests to skilled bakers while Breadbelly’s “Not Ube!” Tart a first tastes a lot like southern Sweet Potato Pie before developing a more nuanced and savory finish thanks to shavings of Egg Yolk.
www.breadbellysf.com
