BAKERY REVIEW: Koffeteria
I checked out the adorably-named sister location in my neck of the woods (Lil' Koffeteria) when it opened a few months back, but I had been meaning to visit the mothership of this stalwart of the Houston Chronicle top 100 list (previously top 25!) for quite some time. Fortunately they were open on July 4th, so I finally decided to make the trek to EaDo for some pastries and coffee. And it certainly lived up to the hype.
The small space just down the street from 8th Wonder Brewery was slammed, but fortunately you can order ahead of time the night before to ensure you snag any items that they may (and often do) run out of. Chef Vanarin Kuch leans towards his Cambodian roots, so I was delighted to try several Asian-inspired pastries. My favorite was the beef pho kolache: brisket stewed in a delicious pho broth enveloped in a soft flaky milk roll. Served with the traditional pho accompaniments of sriracha and hoisin for some heat and sweet/salty accentuation, this may have replaced Pondicheri's butter chicken kolache as my favorite version of the Czech pastry in town.
Another brilliant selection was the Cambodian elote cornbread, a muffin/small cake marked by the grilled street corn we know so well here in Houston, as well as coconut milk and green onions, and a little mound of chili on top for some heat. Often cornbread tends to be too dense or too dry, but the texture was absoutely perfect throughout. This would be an incredible side dish to some barbecue on a hot summer day.
In addition to savory pastries, there are also copious sweet items to choose from. The London Fog Roll is a croissant rolled up cinnamon roll-style with some lemony cream and covered in Earl Grey tea sugar. I also tasted the macaroon (not macaron) brownie, which combines the chocolate base of a brownie with the coconut-y top layer of the classic French cookie. Topped with a dollop of cream, this was definitely the sweetest of the four items I tried, more of a dessert than a breakfast item. Unfortunately I didn't get to try the "double thicc" chocolate chip cookie, but with that name I'll definitely have to go back for it.
Of course there is also coffee, or in my case my go-to chai latte, which was fairly well done here, though I'm still chasing the all-time Platonic ideal of the drink which I had at a random drive-through coffee stand in Anchorage.
This bakery was so good that it immediately made my "Essential 33" list, and bumped down the previous bakery representative Common Bond to the honorable mention section. I still need to visit Badolina and Casaema before adding a Best Bakeries section to the guide, but rest assured this will almost certainly retain the top spot.
