Really craving some pastries this morning so I headed to Konbi alone and there was no line at 8:30 in the morning.
Hazelnut Financier - Apparently, I’ve been having shit financier at Bouchon and all other places.
This specimen is wonderfully buttery with notes of nuttiness from beurre noisette echoing the hazelnut flavor. The crisped exterior brings a real nice contrast to its delicately light inside.
Canele - Again, I’ve been having shit canele all my life…
The thick caramelized crust brings a great crunch which immediately cedes to its moist and custardy interior. Have I mentioned that aromas of rum and vanilla are front and center throughout? Wowzer!
These are what I came for. I watched them get the egg wash treatment before going into the oven for 18 mins + another 5 mins after.
Croissant - HOT DAMNNN. Konbi just switched from New Zealand butter to the French Isigny butter, which Chaumont also uses, 2 days ago. @Chowseeker1999
This is the best croissant I’ve ever had. It’s shatteringly flakey on the outside and ridiculously soft, moist (on the verge of overly so), and airy with well defined honeycomb pattern inside. Its decadent buttery aroma permeated every bite.
It’s really not a fair fight between Konbi and other croissants I’ve had since none of them ever entered my mouth within a minute out of the oven.
These babies came out of the oven along with croissants at the same time.
Pain au Chocolat
This pain au chocolat, despite possessing an incredibly flakey crust, ends up with a poor structured interior as you can see in the picture. Perhaps the interior is too moist so the whole thing collapsed when I took my bite…still taste great though.
Gateau Basque
A rich and buttery shortbread-like crust encloses a sweet and tangy strawberry filling. The filling is just a touch too sweet to me.
Pork Katsu | cabbage, bulldog sauce
It’s a good sando. Sandwiched between two pillows we call bread are finely julienned cabbage
and tonkatsu with a lightly crispy exterior. The interplay between the mustard spread, savory Bulldog sauce (a Japanese Tonkatsu condiment), and hints of citrus notes from the orange zests keep the sandwich interesting throughout.