Bạn Bè
Permanently Closed
Pandan waffles, ube waffles, bánh mì, cookies, jellies
Pandan waffles, ube waffles, bánh mì, cookies, jellies
"The online bakery Bạn Bè — which once had a 2,000-person waitlist and began online during the pandemic — closed on June 23 so owner Doris Ho-Kane can use the space to teach classes on making Vietnamese American desserts." - Melissa McCart
"If you’re a certified pandan lover, it’s best to come to Bạn Bè on a Saturday. Because even though the majority of the menu at the Vietnamese-American bakery is pandan-forward and very green, it’s only on Saturdays that you’ll be able to get a slice of bánh bò nướng, an ultra-chewy pandan honeycomb cake that is as gorgeous to look at as it is delicious. Pair it with a pandan coconut waffle and a viet iced coffee at this walk-up window in Carroll Gardens, and then eat it on a small plastic stool in front." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja
"Bạn Bè is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, so plan accordingly. The plant-filled, Vietnamese-American bakery in Carroll Gardens opens their takeout window starting at 12pm, and the pandan-forward menu includes things like pandan coconut waffles, viet jelly flowers, and—on Saturdays only—bánh bò nướng, a pandan honeycomb cake that is gorgeous to look at, chewy from rice flour, and very delicious. (If you show up on a Sunday though, you’ll be rewarded with the Sunday-only vegetarian bánh mì, so don’t worry.) Either way, order basically the entire menu, plus a strong viet iced coffee, and then sit on a colorful stool in front of the store, so you can begin working your way through your sea of mostly-green treats as soon as possible. photo credit: Willa Moore" - Willa Moore
"A Vietnamese-American bakery in Carroll Gardens from pastry chef Doris Hồ-Kane, who began selling treats from her home and now offers bakery goods rooted in that origin story." - Laura Begley Bloom
"At this Brooklyn-based Vietnamese-American bakery launched in February 2021 by owner and founder Doris Hồ-Kane (Bạn Bè means “friend”), I encounter a daily-changing menu meant to preserve family recipes and cultural memory. Offerings can include multi-colored pandan waffles, mooncakes, bánh mì, tins of her signature bơ butter cookies (flavors such as cà phê crunch, black sesame ube, coconut pandan, and tamarind cacao nib are highlighted), and thạch rau câu fruit jellies made like her grandmother’s. I’ve seen layered agar jellies molded into rau câu dừa lá dứa flower shapes and an elegant cà phê thạch rau câu flan that stacks flan with Vietnamese coffee–infused agar jelly in a Bundt form. Hồ-Kane’s vibrant, nostalgic desserts blend Vietnamese traditions with Western influences and serve as a personal, healing extension of her family’s refugee story, emphasizing memory, representation, and creative survival." - Alexandra Domrongchai