Fuji Bakery

When we first read about Fuji Bakery— a Japanese-French fusion bakery— we thought the concept sounded like a radical culture clash. But apparently French bakeries are really popular in Japan, where the Japanese have added their own flair and created some unique treats. We decided to give this suburban Bellevue bakery a try and were pleasantly surprised by how well the concept worked. Being the impulse buyers we are we picked up a lot of yummy things far beyond what we needed to eat. We walked out with sweet and buttery brioche sel, a creamy-filled milk stick, a caramel banana croissant, and some savory dishes as well. We were stuffed with plenty of excellent food for breakfast (and snacks for later in the day).

These photos actually represent our second trip to Fuji Bakery where we intended to buy a full lunch. This first dish below is what really brought us back— spicy curry buns. These buns contain a delicious beef curry, which is then covered in bread crumbs and fried. We think these buns are the highlight of Fuji Bakery's menu. Dustin has been craving these treats, and we've been meaning to stop by when we head to Bonnie's dog park since it is nearby. Unfortunately they are closed on Sundays, which seems to be the only day that the weather cooperates and we manage to make it out to the park. We finally made it one Saturday afternoon and walked out with a bunch more treats and the much sought after curry buns.

I personally really enjoyed this olive focaccia sprinkled with thyme. The bread was pillowy and perfectly salty which paired so nicely with the two types of olives.

We picked up two quiches. The first had shrimp and mushroom. Neither of us were huge fans. We probably should have gone with the more traditional Quiche Lorraine. This purchase was our only slight disappointment from the bakery. On the other hand, the other quiche with salmon, cream cheese, kabocha squash and dill was the perfect Northwest quiche with its fresh fish. We really enjoyed this one.

Next came our desserts. This is a brioche dough with cream cheese and lemon— light, refreshing, and oh so good.

Our last purchase was a total impulse buy. This cute little thing below is called Caramel Sel, a sweet-tasting but savory-looking sandwich made with caramel slathered on their original levain (bread with yeast made from rye flour with a slightly sour and chewy taste according to their website) and little pieces of chocolate that resemble cheese. It was too adorable to pass up even though we already had a ton of food.

We still want to try a bunch of other things like this amazing looking cheese bread, the other focaccia breads, the little sweet, chocolate sandwich (similar to the caramel one above) we saw after we had already filled up our basket with one too many items, and pretty much every other dessert they make. The best strategy for this place is to walk around once before you grab your basket, or else you might find yourself with too much food or unable to get that one delicious pastry you see and yearn for without making yourself sick. And this place has generous samples by the cash register. Score!