b. patisserie Sweetens Lower Pac Heights, Starting Today

Grid View

After years of planning and pop-ups, former Manresa and Gary Danko pastry chef Belinda Leong has finally swung open the doors on b. patisserie, her new bakery in the former Crepe & Coffee at California and Divisadero in Lower Pac Heights. Owned in partnership with San Francisco Baking Institute co-founder Michel Suas, the new bakery offers an array of treats, from macarons in flavors inspired by American junk food (like Snickers, Mounds, and Oreos) to sophisticated cakes in flavors like vanilla and cassis. Leong's signature kouign amann ($4), a buttery, sugary, and totally addictive Breton pastry, are also here in force. Other sweet items include a lemon tart, a grande macaron cake, a caramel millefeuille, a 10-hour apple tart, and a chocolate caramel mousse. Four Barrel coffee is available to wash it all down.

On the savory side of things, Leong will offer open-faced tartine sandwiches ($10-12) on a custom levain bread made by Suas, in varieties like olive-oil poached tuna with gribiche, wild mushroom, broccoli rabe with smoked mozzarella and tomato sauce, and a take on the classic Alsatian flammekueche tart, with bacon, caramelized onions, fromage blanc, and Gruyere. Items like baguettes, cookies, croissants, and granola will all be available to take away.

The 25-seat cafe, accented with cheery bright yellow chairs and a seasonal macaron tree in the back, is anchored by a custom pastry counter made for Leong by Parisian firm AMC Innovation (the only one of its kind in the whole U.S.) The marble surface is designed to keep each section of goodies, from pastries to viennoiserie, at the perfect temperature. Behind the counter is a gleaming production kitchen, with floor-to-ceiling refrigerators. Initial hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

· Belinda Leong's B. Patisserie, Now With Real, Live Patisserie And Cafe On California Street [~ ESF ~]
· All B. Patisserie coverage [~ ESF ~]