Lyla D.
Yelp
Ever since late February, when Mille Fête Bakery opened in Chinatown, I've longed to experience the sumptuous baked goods by chef Robynne Maui, the chef/owner of Fête, a modern American restaurant, and winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Northwest & Pacific, and collaborator, New York City's gourmet pastissier partner, Katherine Yang. However, I finally made it to Chinatown this past week with my visiting relatives to try this new bakery.
Upon entry into the extensively renovated former space of the 20+ year old restaurant, Little Village Noodle, we were struck by the sparkling glass pastry display cases, bright white walls featuring their beverages/frozen treats menu and baked goods (cakes, cookies, breads, and sandwiches) menu, banquet seating with small tables, a dine-in countertop with stools facing the large picture windows overlooking Smith Street. Behind the counter, a cheerful female worker greeted us and pointed out the refrigerated display case, with rotating ice cream or sorbet pints starting on the far right. We followed her along the display case as she pointed out their savory pastries, such as the Ludovico Chicken Hand Pies and Kimchi Reuben Hand Pies, leading to sweet treats such as the Pistachio Pineapple Coffee Cake, Pear Cranberry Calamansi Loaf, and Black & Liliko'i Cookies.
After we decided on several pastries to go, we stayed and sat at the counter, where my brothers-in-law rehydrated with iced beverages while enjoying the cool, air-conditioned space. We ran into Chuck Bussler, chef Robynne Maii's husband, whom we met years ago while dining at their nearby Chinatown restaurant, Fête. Mr. Bussler was enthusiastic and beaming with pride as we congratulated him on his wife's James Beard Award win, opening this bakery, and maintaining their highly rated modern American restaurant, Fête.
We decided to get the Ludovico Chicken Hand Pie, which is a tasty chicken pot pie filled with tender pasture-raised chicken in a creamy white sauce, complete with peas and carrots. It was a good thing that we cut them open before taking a bite, as my husband, who doesn't care for the taste of peas, managed to pick them out. $7. The other Kimchi Reuben Hand Pie was filled with mildly spiced gochugaru, tender corned beef dice, and pieces of kimchi cabbage. Its outside flaky crust was generously sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. $7
However, my eyes caught sight of moist loaf slices of Pear-Cranberry and Calamansi, priced at $5 each. Mille Fête adapted the colorful, seasonal baked fruit quick bread slices to local tastes by adding calamansi, or Philippine Lime/Lemon. Each slice was glazed with a soft and not cloyingly sweet brown sugar icing. I couldn't wait to dig into this quick bread even though I was stuffed full with breakfast while sitting in the bakery.
We're looking forward to returning to try a sandwich or other pastries with either a hot or cold beverage while relaxing in the bakery. The high quality ingredients, delicious flavors and perfect tender textures call out to us.