Just a week ago, Yorkville saw the opening of another Hazukido location. The bakery hones in on the Shokunin spirit of Japan (a Japanese word meaning someone who is devoted to their craft) to produce croissants for both savoury and sweet lovers. Asian bakeries in the city are adding a unique touch to traditional croissants and the trend has been blowing up among foodies in the city. Here is a list of five great spots for you to try this trendy treat.
Hazukido
Hazukido works hard to “bake the world a better place” with their flaky, golden croissants. The bakery implemented an exclusive folding technique which creates a honeycomb texture, adding to an immense crunch in each bite. The bakers in the back employ traditional French baking techniques, making each piece fresh daily.
For those who love savoury options, Hazukido makes a truffle crab croissant which has a juicy crab stick wedged inside of the croissant’s buttery inside. Topping off this delectable dish is a truffle cream sauce with parmesan. But, if you’re in the mood for sweets, the white chocolate croissant is a great alternative. One half of the croissant is dipped in white chocolate, drizzled with chocolate and finished with a row of crushed pistachios.
Little Pebbles
This bakery can be found in Kensington Market with a super inviting exterior, inviting into the world of tasty baked goods. Little Pebbles uses the finest Asian ingredients like natural black sesame and ceremonial grade matcha when baking their desserts. All of the fruit found in their desserts are picked fresh from the market, giving customers the most natural product possible.
Little Pebbles have mastered sweet treats, offering seven sweet croissants and one cheeky savoury option. The black sesame croissant is just as aesthetically pleasing as it is tasty. This two-tone croissant gets its colour from charcoal, with the inside filled with mascarpone and topped with sesame tuile.
Bake Code
Located at 4910 Yonge St., Bake Code offers Euro-Asian fusion goods in an array of flavours. The bakery made rounds in 2018 for their purple potato latte, which was served iced or hot. Since then, the bakery has blown up and added a variety of unique flavours to its menu.
Bake Code sells its croissants in boxes of six, letting customers choose from over 20 flavours. For a nice citrus pop in hot weather, opt for the yuzu custard croissant, which uses the popular citrus for a nice zing. If you’re in the mood for sweet, the Viet coffee croissant merges your favourite cold drink with the best-baked good. Or, a good lunch option is the cheese and sausage croissant. Why not merge most people’s gateway bun with a croissant and cheese?
Bake Island
Bake Island works to merge Asian flavours with Western culture, producing baked goods and drinks that suit everyone’s palette. The bakery uses flavours prominent in Hong Kong and Taiwan to produce traditional food with a twist. They offer an assortment of goods, ranging from roll cake and mooncake to bubble tea.
The bakery offers three croissants. One of which is their plain island croissant which is shaped into a roll, making it easy to snack on while on the go. The sweet potato mochi croissant has a bit of unorthodox shape, with the inside hollowed out for maximum sweet potato filling! Finally, their charcoal cheese croissant is a staple on the menu due to its inherently eye-catching colour and great taste.
LÀ LÁ Bakeshop
This Vietnamese bake shop invites you to discover and unpack unique flavours inspired by memories of Southeast Asia. LÀ LÁ Bakeshop fuses nostalgic Asian ingredients with traditional baking techniques in order to give customers an authentic food experience. They pride themselves on their distinct flavours, using ingredients like salted egg yolk, durian and pork floss.
LÀ LÁ Bakeshop offers some very cool croissant flavours, including Asian favourites like Bahn Mi and black sesame. Their pandan croissant is a crowd favourite as well. The croissant is pumped with velvety coconut pandan sauce, topped by pink flower blossom flakes for a great, nostalgic taste.
