On Feb. 10, Chinese Americans will celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, and a week later Vietnamese Americans will mark the occasion of the lunar new year with Tet festivals.
Thanks to these and other holidays, January and February are high season for Asian bakeries in San Diego. Over the past year, six new bakeries serving Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino delicacies have opened from Chula Vista to Mira Mesa. Here’s a guide to the new spots, their specialties and what to try when you visit.
A coconut raisin bar, left, brioche matcha bun, foreground, and red bean bun at Sunmerry Bakery Cafe in Mira Mesa.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sunmerry Bakery Cafe, Mira Mesa
Founded in Taiwan in 1986, Sunmerry opened its first San Diego County location this month in Mira Mesa. A second location will open soon at 7951 Othello Ave. in Kearny Mesa. Sunmerry is a high-volume, low-cost bakery that makes everything in-house daily. Grab a tray and pair of tongs when you arrive and walk the aisles to select the mostly individually wrapped items, that include more than 80 bread and pastry items, 30 chilled cakes and 30 styles of tea. Sunmerry’s signature bread is a featherlight, yeasty dough that’s used in every sort of loaf, bolo, roll, doughnut, bun, Danish, concha and garlic bread you can imagine. Specialties include the coconut raisin roll, red bean bun, Hokkaido cream cakes, green tea croissants, rainbow roll cakes, pineapple tarts and caramel puddings. There are also savory items. Pair your baked treat with Sunmerry’s signature drink — the salted cream milk tea, which is iced sweet tea with cream, topped with a thick, creamy layer of salted cream cheese mixed with sugar and cream. Individual dessert items are in the $3 range and cakes are $38. The shop interior is small, but there is some outdoor seating. 8116 Mira Mesa Blvd., Suite 101, San Diego. sunmerryus.com
A slice of Japanese-style cheesecake at Mad for Cheesecake in National City.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Mad for Cheesecake, National City & Carmel Valley
This year-old business has two quick-service locations selling Japanese baked and chilled desserts, almost all based on different styles of cheesecake. The chilled double fromage cheesecakes have layers of cream cheesecake and sponge cake. The souffle-like baked Japanese cheesecakes are tall, fluffy, jiggly, light as a feather and not very sweet. There are cheesecake-flavored chilled drinks, a flan-style Yaki pudding cheesecake, baked cheese tarts, tiramisu-style cheesecake in a cup and more. There are also Ah-Boongs, fish-shaped waffles that can be filled with soft-serve ube, matcha and other ice creams. Prices are on the higher side. A 7-inch cheesecake is $13 and 4.5-inch double fromage cake is $18.50-$22.95. Individual slices or cups can be purchased in the $6 to $8 range. 1420 E. Plaza Blvd., National City; 6030 Village Way, San Diego. instagram.com/madforcheesecake
An ube leche flan cupcake at Flour Atelier bakery and floral shop in Kearny Mesa.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Flour Atelier, Kearny Mesa
Open since November in the Mitsuwa Marketplace shopping center, this stylish shop serves fresh-baked Asian desserts and creative coffee drinks as well as custom cakes and floral arrangements. Originally a home-based business that was able to launch into the retail space with a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign, the shop offers desserts with a difference. Owner Chrisell Nguyen is Filipino American and Evelyn Osburn grew up in Japan. Their heritage is reflected in their baked goods, like the deep purple ube cupcake with leche frosting and a mini flan on top, calamansi bars and itsumi yuzu cupcake. Individual desserts are in the $7 to $8 range. Their signature item is the house-baked puff pastry, which is sold in single-serving, fruit-topped dessert size ($6) or atop their custom-baked moniker letter cakes. While you’re there, be sure to order an iced Chagaccino, a refreshing, light and coffee-free drink made with chaga mushroom powder, cinnamon, milk and cacao. 9240 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite 116, San Diego. flouratelier.com
A single-serving Oreo layer cake from Yiko Yiko in Kearny Mesa.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Yiko Yiko, Kearny Mesa
Open since the fall, Yiko Yiko specializes in Chinese and Japanese desserts. Specialties include mochi balls (gummy rice cakes) with a rotating menu of fillings that include matcha, durian, mango, berries and more. Their other specialty is decorated mini layer cakes in flavors ranging from soy milk custard to Oreo to matcha grape. One of the top-selling items is the snowball mochi, a sweet, white mochi ball filled with light cream and fruit. The dining room has a glass window into the kitchen, to show where all of the items are made fresh daily with mostly organic ingredients. Prices are on the higher end, with the mini-cakes priced at $14, but everything tastes fresh. 8008 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego. (858) 384-2038.
A mochi assortment pack from Phoenix Dessert in Kearny Mesa.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Phoenix Desserts, Kearny Mesa
Launched in L.A.’s Chinatown in 1965, Phoenix opened its first San Diego location in Kearny Mesa last summer. The shop specializes in East and Southeast Asian desserts for eat in or takeout, with a few savory items like curry chicken, Portuguese beef stew, chicken wings and crispy shrimp roll ($11 to $13). The vast dessert menu includes mochi balls, rice puddings, custards, silken tofu bowls, ice cream and shaved ice. They also bake egg waffles to order. A top-seller is the four-pack of coconut-rolled assorted mochi balls, in green tea, mango, red bean and black sticky rice flavors ($6.25). Another popular item is the lineup of dessert soups, a lineup of sweetened chilled soups in flavors that include sweet black sesame, red bean/lotus seed and green bean and seaweed ($5.95). There’s also an extensive menu of teas and chilled drinks. 7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 108, San Diego. phoenixfood.us
Sweet and savory items from Asa Bakery Cafe in East Village, from left, a bacon cheese lava, curry pan and caramel ribbon croissant.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-tribune)
Asa Bakery, East Village
Ayaka Ito, the founder of San Diego’s Beshock ramen shops, partnered last year with Masaki Yamauchi to open three new concepts at 14th and Market streets — a sushi bar, a cocktail bar and Asa Bakery. Modeled after the “kissaten” coffee bars in Japan, Asa serves a variety of brewed coffees and teas as well as artisinal breads, pastries and lunch items. House specialties are hojicha and matcha teas from Shizuoka, Japan. The house-baked pastries (priced at $4 to $5) mix Japanese and French flavors and techniques, along with sweet and savory elements. There are croissants, Danish and baguettes, along with Japanese pan buns (raised sweet bread) with fillings ranging from custard to red bean paste to beef curry. Entrée items include karaage (fried chicken) sandwich on Japanese milk bread, hayashi rice plates (stew) and salads. Asa has a large and comfortable dining room. 634 14th St., San Diego. asabakerycafe.com
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
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