Rosemead

On off days my joy is found in visiting and attesting to great bake houses on my wish list for the longest time; today this visit to Rosemead had just sent me right into bread & pastry heaven.

We decided to share 3 sweets, each a star in their own rights. First, the almond blueberry tart may sound like a general classic but you get a precise and flawless tart base pleasantly infused with rosemary; an ingenious play of flavors.
Second the egg tart here is influenced I believe by the Spanish roots of Rosemead executive pastry chef. You get flaky pastry layers holding a hefty impeccably smooth egg custard filling; one of the best takes on Portuguese egg tarts you will ever have. The last sweet we had was a small but lovely to nibble on sticky date toffee pudding which also had an ingenious surprise of fresh lavender.

I reminded myself I came for bread so we ended with a savoury shiitake shokupan with house cultured butter; it was intriguing how the Japanese mushroom flavors are infused into the soft white bread that tasted like they were baked with the highest standards of precision.

On off days my joy is found in visiting and attesting to great bake houses on my wish list for the longest time; today this visit to Rosemead had just sent me right into bread & pastry heaven.

We decided to share 3 sweets, each a star in their own rights. First, the almond blueberry tart may sound like a general classic but you get a precise and flawless tart base pleasantly infused with rosemary; an ingenious play of flavors.
Second the egg tart here is influenced I believe by the Spanish roots of Rosemead executive pastry chef. You get flaky pastry layers holding a hefty impeccably smooth egg custard filling; one of the best takes on Portuguese egg tarts you will ever have. The last sweet we had was a small but lovely to nibble on sticky date toffee pudding which also had an ingenious surprise of fresh lavender.

I reminded myself I came for bread so we ended with a savoury shiitake shokupan with house cultured butter; it was intriguing how the Japanese mushroom flavors are infused into the soft white bread that tasted like they were baked with the highest standards of precision.

The bread is a tad dry, not bad. The glaze though, it's seriously something. Mad complexity from the mushroom and sugar, there's this strong smokiness to it. Quite crispy on the outside too

The mushroom butter was ok, if not for the fact that it's severely overseasoned w seasalt. Even after mixing thoroughly it was way too salty.

There's a lot of mistakes made by the service in the short 20mins I was there but it's all by the same staff, I presume it's growing pains

Capturing the season, Rosemead’s Autumn Signature Bakery Box ($38) had a nice mix of pastries. Starting with the French Onion Brioche, the fried shallots and caramelized onions studded loaf was flavourful with its smoked beef fat and veal stock reduction infused glaze. The Autumn Pumpkin Danish was equally punchy with the spiced topping of pumpkin puree with cream cheese and cumin (and wew the texture of the danish was wonderfully tender, crisp, and flaky). Next up, the Cinnamon Kouign Amann was a safe and crowd-pleasing number with its caramelised exterior. But the highlight and my favourite of the lot was the Egg Custard Crown. So guud; the fragrant egg custard was completed with lovely specks of Madagascan vanilla. The laminated mille-feuille shell was also insanely crackly and delicate. Lastly, the Pecan "Pie" Cookie made with toasted pecans and Valhrona Caramelia 36% milk chocolate, much like a caramel-toffee, was a sweet ending~

Have heard about Rosemead; a modern Californian concept that is situated at 19 Cecil Street that emphasises on a style of cooking called hearth cooking which is said to be the oldest way of cooking (i.e. cooking by a fireplace), though what really prompted us to make the visit was a recent post on their social media account that have mentioned the opening of Rosemead Bakery. Being more of a fine dining establishment, Rosemead Bakery can be said as an extension to Rosemead — previously offering pastry boxes that is available for pre-orders online, Rosemead Bakery now occupies part of the grounds within Rosemead itself primarily meant for takeaways. With a dedicated counter right across from the reception desk, one can easily walk in to Rosemead and view the selection of bakes from Rosemead Bakery to make their purchase straight at the counter. Split into two sections, the counters displays the cakes and tarts, as well as the fresh bakes and cookies that are available to order — it is noted that patrons are allowed to dine-in (subject to the availability of seats) if they opt for items off the cakes and tarts selection, though the fresh bakes and cookies are strictly meant for takeaways and would be served in paper boxes instead. For those looking for a beverage to compliment their bakes, Rosemead Bakery does offer specialty coffee as well as a small variety of tea to-go as well — patrons dining in for the cakes and tarts selection will also be able to go for any beverage that is off the menu of Rosemead, while specialty coffee and tea for dine-in patrons would also be served in porcelain cups as well.

Amongst the two items that we have went for at Rosemead Bakery, the Lime Pie with Milk Meringue would be the least adventurous between the two. Served as a single slice from a whole pie, the Lime Pie with Milk Meringue is an item that is both listed in the menu of Rosemead and Rosemead Bakery — the item having its place in the “Desserts” section of the former, whilst also being placed in the “Cakes and Tarts by the slice” in the latter. We have had a few Key Lime Tarts and Lime Meringue Tarts over the years, yet none comes quite as close to this Lime Pie with Milk Meringue that Rosemead / Rosemead Bakery serves up. Digging into the Lime Pie with Milk Meringue, it is evident how the Milk Meringue bears a consistency almost similar to that of a melted marshmallow. The aesthetic of the milk meringue comes with a pleasing sheen; sufficiently sticky but not overly stiff — also liked how it was not overly sweet and actually easy to eat. The dense milk meringue also went really well with the zippy lime curd beneath; the lime curd bearing a lighter consistency as compared to the milk meringue, whilst the curd carries a refreshing zing that keeps us yearning for more. Found it really interesting how the lime curd actually does come with bits of lime pulp that adds just that bit of bite that gave it a really interesting texture against the other Key Lime Pies and Lime Meringue Tarts that we have had thus far. All that are accompanied with a Graham cracker crust at the bottom; something that wasn’t too dense, yet provides for that cookie-like crumbly texture and a light sweetness to gel the milk meringue and lime curd altogether. A creation where we felt was really well-designed; pretty on-point considering how there is a play of different textures and harmonious blend of flavours going around.

We have also given Rosemead Bakery’s Oat-Curry Leaf Cookie as well as their Latte a try and we must say that we were highly impressed with what they have to offer — the former being a really adventurous take on a soft cookie with both sweet and savoury elements (probably leaving the sweet element as a surprise for whoever that intends to give it a go), while the Latte surpassed what we would have expected from a fine-dining establishment; one which was surprisingly well-pulled being all smooth and creamy with a medium body and a really alluring floral note. No doubt we have yet to give Rosemead a try — $65++ for a two-course set lunch / $73++ for a three-course set lunch is definitely something which we would most certainly need to plan for and can’t really go for on a whim, but Rosemead Bakery certainly set an impression that makes us want to consider giving Rosemead a go in the future. One thing we really liked about Rosemead / Rosemead Bakery was also the hospitality from the service crew — despite making the visit only for the items served at Rosemead Bakery, they were nothing short of being warm, sincere and helpful; there was never an instant that we felt that we were unwelcome, and they did even assisted to get us seated down on their own accord since we could opt to dine-in by ordering the Lime Pie with Meringue Milk. For those who are looking for delicious bakes and cakes with quality and a character that surpasses the ones that are typically served in cafes — Rosemead Bakery is definitely worth giving a shot!

green peppercorn & sauce of iberico ham