Bonchaz

One of my friends recommended a bakery/cafe called Bonchaz. She told me they sell amazing buns that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and "literally deflate when you bite into them". She also referred me to a deal selling half a dozen of these yummy buns for just $5! I went to pick them up today, and they were just as good as she had described. The store looked very plain and was relatively empty. The buns seemed to be the only bread they were selling, but I saw a menu offering sandwiches, soups, and other regular cafe fare. I love how they keep the buns warm in the oven <3 I tried all 4 flavours available: apple cinnamon, banana walnut, matcha green tea, and original with sea salt. Apple cinnamon has soft apple slices inside, with apple bits sprinkled on top. Banana walnut has a banana mash filling and walnut bits on top. Matcha green tea is topped with coconut flakes with a sweet cream in the middle, and the original is topped with sea salt with no filling. Personally I like matcha green tea the most, but that's because I prefer lighter tastes. People who prefer more intense flavours would definitely enjoy apple cinnamon more. Another thing, they taste a lot better fresh out of the oven. I tried one right away, and it was 10 times better than eating them cold! Definitely eat them right away :)

EDIT: Dec 23, 2011

I have been back to Bonchaz time and time again due to their constant participation on daily deal sites. Other than the first visit (see post above), all of my other visits were utter disappointments. I wouldn't write this update if the quality was not consistently bad, and the quality has definitely hit rock bottom. The bun used to be crispy outside and amazingly airy and fluffy inside. Now it has the texture of a dry and stale Danish. It's flat, hard, doughy, and bordering on inedible. I seriously would not eat it even if I got it for free, let alone if it cost $1.75 each. I actually did get this for free using a deal voucher, and I could not finish it after 2 bites. It tasted like leftover bread that had been lying around for a week. The green tea filling inside used to be a light creamy white colour with a slight tinge of pale green and a subtly sweet flavour. Now it's a bright green paste with a strong artificial flavour and a powdery texture.

It's sad to see a store go from producing top quality products to churning out crude ones. The only explanation is that the pastry chef with the original recipe has left and the current bakers are trying to imitate the old recipe. I think they have to come up with a solution soon because the Bonchaz bun is their signature item, and if that's not done well, what does this place have left? I have to note that their service is wonderful and friendly, but not many people are going to frequent a store with good service yet horrible food.