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When there’s a line of thirty people waiting to eat some sweet, you'll know that the place is worth trying. On a calm street, where nothing usually happens, is a pastry shop or more of a bakery called Mr. Holmes. Like everyone else this morning, we waited in line.
Waiting in line you will notice the white boxes decorating the facade, the logo printed in gold color, and the street number 1042…
Finally we passed the through the door and into the bakery. White ceramic tiles cover the walls, beehive like flooring, "home sweet home" printed on the floor and a sentence "I got baked in San Francisco" in neon lights on the wall. The smell made my mouth water. Oh the smell! It reminded me of Levain Bakery New York.
Cruffin, blackberry bostock, strawberry jalapeño brioche, sticky bun, California croissant and much more… I ordered 10 pieces and walked towards the closest park to enjoyed.
The place has been known for their daily specials, different Cruffin recipes and the unusual croissants. There’s a story that claims that Mr. Holmes were the first to introduce the Cruffin to San Francisco and that the recipes were stolen from the shop couple years ago.
- Blackberry Bostock looks like a pain perdu, a slice of bread topped with blackberries. It’s this syrup-soaked, frangipane-topped, crispy-edged ode to breakfast glory called bostock. A lovely start.
- Ube Puff, a rectangular cake of puff pastry topped with a pink sugar icing and stuffed with a pink cream. That's prickly pears, a lovely taste... Interesting to say the least.
- Brioche bun, tender like a donut and stuffed with pastry cream and sprinkled with sugar. Yummy!
- Croissant, buttery, not flaky enough, but fine. I expected better.
- California croissant is a spot on. Salmon, wasabi, ginger and a nori leaf stuffed inside a croissant! That's a premiere! Salty, oily, some sesame here and there; a very good idea!
- Sticky bun is sticky, a sweet brioche. Nothing to write home about.
- Jalapeños and strawberries; a faded spiciness that appears late, a bun filed with a jalapeño jam... inside is spicy! Outside crunchy and sweet.
- Best for last, the Cruffin! Croissant dough carved like a muffin and stuffed with chocolate custard. So yummy indeed; the sugar topping followed by the crispy layers of dough and the chocolate filling. I loved it!
A must try bakery.
