Milk bread, where have you been all my life? Found primarily in Asian bakeries, this Japanese style of bread (also called Hokkaido) makes a supple, sweet, heavenly loaf with nary a sprout or seed or whole grain in sight. Perfect for toast, sandwiches or simply nibbling from the bag, fresh loaves are baked daily at the recently-opened pan-Asian Bakery, East Wind (3851 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa) flecked with bits of Earl Grey tea, herbs or cinnamon (as well as plain) for about $5 each.
But that’s just the start of your inevitable caloric overload.
This beautiful little bakery owned by partners Doug Quick and Tony Tam also features homemade bbq pork curried beef, red bean and taro bao (baked); kimchee and Chinese sausage-stuffed croissants (along with bacon chocolate and plain); Chinese sponge cake, garam-masala-spiced sweet buns, Massaman beef and Thai chicken pot pies, pork banh mi and, well, you get the idea.
Go with a sense of adventure and a hungry belly, and don’t miss out on the Sea Foam coffee (made with a sweet-salty whipped cream, Asian spices, and coffee) or boba tea. I’d be remiss to leave out that they’ve also got plenty of Western sweets (cupcakes, lemon tarts, etc) that are equally delicious, though less exotic.
East Wind Bakery, 3851 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, Hours: Tue-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 9am-3pm; 707-568-6081.
YOu feel very welcomed here. My goal here is try everything at least once. SO far my favorites are the egg tart, taro, orange blossom.
Favorite drink is Chai Tea with soy milk. Their coffee and tea are high quality. If you like baba tea, that’s also high quality.
I was there today and heard that it’s best to come early before lunch time to get the best selection. Seems like they are selling out most of the time.
This is the ONLY Chinese pastry shop in Sonoma County. Oh, they close at 4pm every day but Monday. Give them a yelp review, so far they are almost all 5 stars.
It’s a nicely decorated place, they don’t mind having kids coming in.
They also offer Boba drinks. It’s nice to have a place in Santa Rosa that carries this. Nice shop, great customer service. I will definitely frequent this great new addition to Santa Rosa.
Jan 18,2015 My husband & I came into your Bakery this Sunday Morning. Ordered Breakfast Sandwiches and Coffee. Wow, great sandwiches & the BEST coffee we’ve ever had. (even better than a Starbucks). Ate in, with families and Children enjoying your yummy looking Sweets.
We will return with our Grandsons, to enjoy your place too. Thank You for such a great place to eat and enjoy!
Deborah & John McCann
They are right around the corner from my office. Usually my first stop of the morning on my way out to my rounds and if I’m in the area around lunch I’ll stop in for a bao, pot pie, or one of their sandwiches made on their milk bread or a baguette. I must admit that my addiction is their ham and manchego cheese croissant. They have great coffee. Did I mention they have great coffee?
Being from Europe, this is the best croissant I have had in the USA. Light and fluffy inside and crispy on the outside – heavenly! I also love their Chicken Pot Pie. Everthing I’ve had there is great. This is a bakery like no other in this area.
This place is awesome. We have become regular customers of this bakery. The bao is great, and the chocolate/bacon croissant is a real winner.