Berkeley's Eighth Street keeps turning into a food destination. Earlier this year Liz Khuu moved Milk Cloud Bakery into the Berkeley Kitchens building, in the space where Alain Shocron ran La Noisette Sweets, the East Bay Express reported. With Bolita and Third Culture Bakery on the same block, the Express writes that the street "now resembles a very early incarnation of Fourth Street."
How it started
Khuu and her late husband, David, found shokupan, the soft Japanese milk bread, and sandos on a trip to Japan. Back home and between jobs, she started trying to bake it. "I was never really in the kitchen, so I was like, 'Maybe I should try baking it and see what he thinks,'" she told the Express. It took many tries before she made a loaf he really liked.
What to get
- Shokupan: plain loaves plus a flavor of the week.
- Sandos: the lineup changes weekly. It has included Japanese-style keema curry, strawberry with black sesame cream, soy-marinated egg with Kewpie mayo, and teriyaki chicken.
- Basque cheesecake: topped with yuzu, coffee or hojicha.
- Pineapple shokupan bun: filled with green kaya jam. The bakery's menu says its kaya is made in house with fresh pandan leaves and coconut cream.
Khuu, a graphic designer, keeps the counter minimal, with two rows of samples and small hand-folded signs. The bakery's site says custom sandos and cheesecakes for parties can be arranged by email.