Jasmine Milk Bun
Pineapple Milk Bun
Left: Pandan Milk Bun
Right: Yuzu Meringue Bun
Left: Strawberry-Kinako Bun
Right: A cross-section of the Halo Halo Bun
Lilikoi and Jasmine Tea Mochi Bites
Black Sesame Snickerdoodle
Aloo Matar Danish
Spiced Apple Danish
A cross-section of the Croissubi
Left: Croissubi
Right: Ginger Pull-Apart
Garlic Adobo Pull-Apart
Loco Moco Danish
Ari’s Sari Sari's fresh shaved Halo Halo
Garlic Adobo Pull-Apart
Loco Moco Danish
Ari’s Sari Sari's fresh shaved Halo Halo
I've visited Bake Sum, an Asian American bakery on Grand between Santa Clara and Elwood in Grand Lake, at least a dozen times since November of last year. They're known for serving a variety of baked goods and pastries that "fuse French techniques with nostalgic Asian flavors," as succinctly put by Janelle Bitker of the San Francisco Chronicle. A big fan of theirs, I've integrated a Bake Sum visit into my Saturday farmers' market and grocery store stroll, so I can either have a treat on the way or to share with my dining companion later.
Bake Sum's menu generally features the same types of treats — milk buns, morning buns, croissants, mochi bites, cookies, danishes, and pull-aparts — in flavors rotating monthly. They adapt based on the season, ingredient availability, and holidays, and even have had a pop-up or two. (For Filipino-American History Month this month, Ari’s Sari Sari pop-up featured a Halo Halo shaved ice and ice cream dessert outside the bakery.)
I believe I've liked almost everything I've tried at Bake Sum. I love how the milk buns (which I've had in Jasmine, Pineapple, and Pandan) are not only perfectly soft, they have the right amount of delicious cream filling. The morning buns are often the star of the show: they sit tall and pretty with a colorful, sugary outside, meringue hat on top, and a creamy filling inside. I've tried the Yuzu Meringue, Strawberry-Kinako, and Halo Halo Buns so far and I missed the Strawberry Matcha Bun, an especially photogenic one I will be on the look-out for in the future. I particularly remember the Halo Halo Bun being completely new and fascinating to me; the Filipino-inspired treat was a mix "...of ube, jackfruit, macapuno, mongo bean, and nata de coco to bring you this sweet, flaky pastry, topped with torched meringue and leche flan." The chewy mongo (mung) bean filling reminded me of the Chè Ba Màu I used to get at Vietnamese spots in college.
The mochi bites and cookies are perfect on-the-go treats. I love desserts made with mochi flour, so I'm already on board based on the texture. The mochi bites are sold in a variety of flavors, like Thai or Jasmine Tea, that are sometimes subtle, but oftentimes not. (I usually prefer the flavor to be the star in a dessert, as opposed to so subtle I don't even know it's there.) I've had a few of the cookies as well; the Black Sesame Snickerdoodle in particular is a favorite. It's mostly chewy, but also crunchy, and features the black sesame taste I love prominently.
The Danishes, Croissants, and Pull-Aparts on the bottom half of the menu are where their imaginations run wild, as seen with a few of the flavors I've had: Aloo Matar Danish, Spiced Apple Danish, Croissubi, Ginger Pull-Apart, Garlic Adobo Pull-Apart, and Loco Moco Danish. The Aloo Matar Danish, borrowed from Indian cuisine, featured "aromatic tomato sauce, spiced green pea mornay, roasted potatoes, yogurt and a mint & cilantro chutney." What's not to love in a curried dessert? Similarly, I loved how they brought distinct Hawaiian flavors into the Croissubi, the cross between a croissant and spam musubi. It's not only a delight to look at — how did they get that spam in there?! — it has dynamic tastes created by the marinated spam and parmesan. The Pull-Aparts are fun to eat and packed with flavor. The Garlic Adobo one was made with whole garlic cloves; they're not playing. In the Spice Apple Danish, they bring it home with sweet, more traditional options — this one easing you into fall.
I'll be back next weekend and keep an eye on the new menus dropping on their Instagram. I can't wait to see what Joyce, Ari, and Vanessa have in store!
Bake Sum
3249 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610
Open: Monday & Thursday 8am - 2pm, Friday - Sunday 8am - 3pm
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