Alex R.
Yelp
Kam Bakery is a community legend. Ask any local about their favorite bakery on the island, and there's a good chance they'll point you straight here. Not exactly sure what took me so long, but I finally decided to visit after all these years.
I went with a few of their specialties, as well as a couple other items that caught my eye:
Glazed donut: A solid, well-executed raised donut. When things go wrong, yeast donuts can go one of two ways: A) airy and extremely dry, or B) far too bready and/or dense. This one was the right amount of fluffy, while still maintaining a good amount of moisture. Decent start.
Poi donut: this was pleasant as well, more or less. It had a nice crisp bite on the outside that gave way to a soft, pillowy interior, with a balanced sweetness. Not too much in the way of poi flavor, though, if that's what you're after, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Glazed croissant: Here's where things started to go south. The croissant was pretty underbaked, with a good amount of raw puff pastry (see attached). It ended up just tasting like straight sugar, with not a lot of that trademark butteriness that a good croissant has.
Apple fritter: Also not quite successful. While fried nicely on the outside, it did not have a whole lot of apple or cinnamon flavor... and really didn't have many apples, period. I think I counted five little pieces total in the entire thing, not an exaggeration. It essentially read like a large, puffy frybread with a bit of sugar. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that, you're definitely hoping for a more powerful flavor profile when it comes to apple fritters. Not exactly what I was looking for.
Banana roll: I was probably most excited to try this one in particular, but I ended up kind of disappointed. It really didn't taste all that banana-y, and the cream didn't really add much to the table.
Overall impression: no frills and no nonsense, just the way I like it. Maybe not quite a transcendent experience, but that's ok. I would, however, like to point out the prompt and friendly service. It's clear that everyone here works extremely hard (plus they start so early in the morning!); I can see why Kam has become so beloved by so many. Places like this are part of the identity of the community, and it is important to preserve that legacy -- now more than ever. Definitely stop by with your support.