What To Try at the Newly Reopened Fuji , Seattle | Serious Eats https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/08/print/sugar-rush-five-sweets-to-tr...

What To Try at the Newly Reopened Fuji Bakery, Seattle JAY FRIEDMAN

Fuji Bakery is back in business after a long absence that was largely due to the loss of Taka Hirai, their esteemed baker who previously worked as a pastry chef with Joël Robuchon. This much-beloved Japanese bakery �rst opened in Bellevue in 2009, later adding a location in Seattle's International District. Both closed temporarily last year, opening recently after moving production to the site of Fuji's newest bakery, in the Queen Anne neighborhood. Fans wonder whether man and machine can recapture the quality of croissants and more from Hirai's days at the bakery.

Fuji is an East-meets-West endeavor, combining ingredients and techniques from and France to create wonders like the Bacon Epi. Many people visit Fuji for its savory and pastries, such as Kare-Pan (curry bun) and Brioche Saumon (salmon brioche). Some items from the "old days" have yet to resurface, but are expected to roll out soon.

I was excited for Fuji's reopening so I could sample some sweets. As with the savories, some sweet items like Kouign Amann (with apples sautéed in caramel and cardamom, an interesting twist) are still on hiatus. But I found �ve sweets worth trying, including a plain croissant, two other pastries utilizing croissant dough (one with ), a Japanese sweet roll �lled with , and, oddly, a Milanese sweet loaf.

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Recommended

Anpan ($2.50) is a Japanese bun that here is �lled with tsubuan, which is a "rustic" version of red bean paste. The glazed bun itself is a bit dry like brioche can be, but the focus is on the anko �lling. Some prefer the smooth texture of koshian, but it's said that true gourmands prefer tsubuan, in appreciation of the skins and the partial to whole beans within.

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The Fraise ($3.00) is made with croissant dough, but its crust is far �akier than what's found in the plain croissant. Subtly sweetened vanilla custard cream makes a soft bed for slices of fresh, juicy strawberries.

Also made with croissant dough, the Green Tea Danish ($3.00) o�ers less crackle in the crust than the croissant does. The green color is a swirl of powder �lling. It has a strong green tea �avor that is enticingly bitter.

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Panettone ($3.00) is a sweet bread loaf originating in Milan that many see only during the Christmas holiday season. Fuji Bakery gifts panettone to its customers throughout the year, changing the �lling according to seasonal trends. This version is cranberry raisin with macaroon topping, and its moistness made the panettone a tasty fruity treat.

Recommended With Reservations

The plain croissant ($2.25) is much like Fuji Bakery itself, earning a "B" score in my book. The quality is good, though it doesn't quite rise to the level of compelling. The croissant is pretty buttery, with some contrast between fairly crisp crust and soft crumb, but I found it's a little small and light.

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