Republique - Stunning Brunch, Lunch & Pastries Galore [Thoughts + Pics]

Update 8:

Thanks to the FTC Pie Signal (thanks @PorkyBelly), we decided to stop by Republique. :slight_smile:

Social distancing was nicely maintained with markers on the ground and you could scan the QR Code on the ground for a menu (on your phone).

Republique has opened up a new Outdoor Patio area that’s nicely prepared, so it’s not just a few tables thrown outside.

Their wonderful Pastry case:

Berry Cream Croissant:

This is probably Republique’s best Croissant we’ve tried so far. Their plain Croissant and other varieties we’ve tried in the past are not their strong suit. But with this new creation, the Croissant is moderately flaky, filled with a tasty Choux Creme and fresh Market Berries. :slight_smile:

Matcha Tea:

Brown Butter Apricot Cake:

We hadn’t tried this before. It was tasty, moist and light. :slight_smile:

Mixed Berry Crostata:

Delicious mix of bright, sweet Farmers Market Berries.

Strawberry Passion Fruit Cream Pie:

And the new variation on Pastry Chef Margarita Manzke’s Mango Passion Fruit Cream Pie, now with Strawberries. We were so excited. :slight_smile:

First, Republique is using Tamai Farms Strawberries (not Harry’s Berries). But it’s understandable given how cost prohibitive Harry’s Berries are.

Second, full caveat, Strawberries are my favorite fruit on the planet.

Taking a bite:

Fragrant sweet-tart, the Passion Fruit Curd is the dominant flavor, but the Tamai Farms Strawberries still pair well here. It’s tasty, but once you have Harry’s Berries Organic Gaviota Strawberries, it’s hard to go back.

This was tasty, but not as good as Chef Margarita’s legendary Mango Passion Fruit Cream Pie.

The Mango Passion Fruit Cream Pie is just a beautiful pairing of ripe, sweet, tropical Mango and the delicious Passion Fruit Curd. Here the Strawberries were OK, sweet-tart, not very aromatic, but still a good Pie overall.

Breakfast Sandwich (Pork Belly Sausage, Mayonnaise, American Cheese, Fried Egg):

Wow, this was an outstanding Breakfast Sandwich! :heart: Soft, freshly baked Housemade Brioche Bun was pliant, pillowy, with enough structure to hold up the fillings through the last bite, the perfect Sunny Side Up Egg (look how beautifully orange the yolk is!), melty Cheese, but it’s their Housemade Pork Belly Sausage that was the star, juicy, porcine, not too dense, savory, so good! :blush:

I think we like Gjusta’s Breakfast Sandwich a touch more, but this was quite good, and we’d be happy to eat this again. :slight_smile:

Republique
624 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: (310) 362-6115

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This is actually super helpful. In isolation, I def prefer strawberries to mango (although I really like both; but strawberries and stone fruit are my fav fruits by far), but I was unsure if strawberries would actually pair well w/ the passionfruit cream.

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Hi @paranoidgarliclover,

Yah, we love Strawberries as well. No worries, it pairs well, and is a tasty Strawberry Pie. :slight_smile: But their Mango Passion Fruit Pie is a better pairing (taste-wise) for us. Still quite tasty. Enjoy! :slight_smile:

Thanks for this and the strawberry confirmation. I agree with you about their croissants in general, so will be looking forward to trying the berry version.

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Ah! I forgot to write about the main course today. :sweat_smile: (I’ll update my earlier post.)

Breakfast Sandwich (Pork Belly Sausage, Mayonnaise, American Cheese, Fried Egg):

Wow, this was an outstanding Breakfast Sandwich! :heart: Soft, freshly baked Housemade Brioche Bun was pliant, pillowy, with enough structure to hold up the fillings through the last bite, the perfect Sunny Side Up Egg (look how beautifully orange the yolk is!), melty Cheese, but it’s their Housemade Pork Belly Sausage that was the star, juicy, porcine, not too dense, savory, so good! :blush: (@PorkyBelly @Ns1 @attran99 @hungryhungryhippos and others.)

I think we like Gjusta’s Breakfast Sandwich a touch more, but this was quite good, and we’d be happy to eat this again. :slight_smile:

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Hi @MalibuT,

If you’re looking for great plain croissants in the general area, have you been to Chaumont yet? Definitely worth a visit. :slight_smile: We also really enjoyed Maison Giraud in the Pacific Palisades before they closed (sad).

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Were slices of the Mango Passion Fruit Cream Pie available? I can’t justify buying a whole pie, and I fear that trying spilt it in half to share with someone else will be a disaster.

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TBH it’s a lot easier to justify after buying the whole pie.

If you cut it up into quarters its easily doable in 2 days.

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Sometimes it’s available by the slice. Buy a pie and give away some to friends and family. The pie keeps well for 3-4 days easy. Eat a slice per night.

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Oh sorry. I thought I posted this over on the Farmers Market thread. :flushed: Will try to fix later.

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Hi @TheCookie,

Thanks. Yeah, definitely bring up the issue with Harry’s Berries staff. That’s just a bad batch, but really unfortunate.

In all our years of buying Harry’s Berries, we’ve never had a basket like that before.

This week, we asked them to show us, lift up the Basket and show us. They were more than happy to do that.

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Hi @chowumla,

They sometimes do. But this weekend it was only Strawberry Pie by the slice.

Just left. The guy today was more energetic and all about Harry’s Berries! He gave me $4 off… then jacked me on $20 in change… but I’m sure it was mistake. :grin:

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It appears that we are now in jackfruit season.

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Hi @TheCookie,

Ah, glad you got some money back, but they should’ve just comped you a replacement basket. The regular staff at the Hollywood Farmers Market stand are always friendly, you should bring up the mistake in charging you next week; hopefully that person at the BH Farmers Market is understanding.

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Funny! Oh I got ma money back @Chowseeker1999. :wink:

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Yeah, I thought $4 was chintzy too.

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Today is national chocolate chip cookie day. Margarita Manzke posted her recipe online.

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They are delicious! Thanks for the info @js76wisco. :slight_smile:

@Chowseeker1999 my 7 year old had been asking to make these chocolate chip cookie bowls for a few days. She was watching some YouTube video and wrote down the recipe by hand while pausing after each step. I had to give into the little one. Only problem was the recipe said to use store bought cookie dough. We used the Republique dough instead. The bowls were a fail but the broken up pieces of cookies were delicious.

I froze most of the cookie balls to make next week.

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