The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
French- Japanese fusion brings inventive pastries to Tenleytown
Where’s the variety?
Three behemoth brands make up about 80% of America’s coffee shops. Finding an independent one can be a challenge—or, in some towns, impossible.
But not in Tenletyown. There, coffee lovers—and pastry lovers, too—are in luck! A unique and relatively new shop has opened its doors.
Saku Saku Flakerie is an original establishment that you won’t find on every city block. It delights customers with sweet, savory and caffeinated goodies.
The name is “Japanese onomatopeia for ‘flaky’,” writes general manager Jason Oberbillig. “We started with a French Japanese fusion style with a croissant section at its core.”
True to its name, this café that showcases flavors and ingredients from across the globe.
Theatergoers catching a matinee at the Greenberg have an especially good excuse to visit, as the café is right next door.
Creative coffee and ‘cruffins’
The roasted matcha lattes at Saku Saku strike an unfamiliar chord. This menu is like a choose-your-own-adventure paperback for those craving a different sort of caffeine buzz.
“Creating new recipes is a huge part of the fun,” Oberbillig writes.
But patrons who would rather stick to the basics will not be disappointed; the café executes them equally well. The mochas and classic lattes here leave nothing to be desired.
The passionfruit ‘cruffin’ (part croissant part muffin) is similarly brilliant. Take croissant dough, roll it in sugar, fill it with passionfruit curd and garnish it with floral tea leaves.
The result is a delectable pastry that stands out from the crowd.
Yummy Yuzu
Yuzu is a type of citrus from Japan. It makes for strikingly tart lemonade.
Prepare to pucker when you take first sip. It’s sour—unabashedly so.
However, I much prefer the zesty sensation of this beverage to the usual soda fountain lemonade served everywhere else. It’s best enjoyed on a sweltering summer afternoon in the muggy heat of the nation’s capital.
Quintessential Quiche
Miso smoked salmon quiche is a rarity. No recipes for it exist on the internet.
And it’s delicious enough to protect; the chefs at Saku Saku should lock their recipe in an iron safe.
“I have eaten so many quiche cups,” Oberbillig agrees.
The café’s Japanese French fusion concept shines brightly through this dish.
The miso seasoning is subtle. Generous flakes of salmon fill an otherwise conventual quiche, its markedly distinct flavors complementing each other to an incredible degree.
The outside is crisp, but not burned. Caramelized but not charred. Chef’s kiss! As anyone who has tried (or in my case, struggled) to bake a quiche knows, that perfect golden crust is hard to pull off.
But save room for dessert: it is the café’s confections take Saku Saku to another level.
Beautiful blueberry bundts
My favorite dish at Saku Saku is the blueberry yuzu bunt cake. It tastes like a blueberry muffin topped with tart, citrus-infused buttercream frosting.
The cake itself is moist and dense, reminiscent of a pound cake with plenty of blueberries mixed into the batter. One would be hard pressed to find a more sumptuous bundt cake in northwest Washington, D.C.
The verdict
This café is not afraid to be different.
And that’s the point: to introduce customers to exciting ingredients they never would have otherwise found.
In a world full of cookie-cutter coffee shops, one thing is clear: Saku Saku Flakerie is where monotany goes to die.