Lunch #19: A Piece of Cake Bakery & Cafe

Our route today took back under the HCG and back past the abandoned Blue & Pink, or affectionately "Boo Poo", which remains closed. We did notice this multilingual sign. Can anyone translate? My guess is, "Caution pacemaker wearers, microwave in use."

While lingering a bit trying to decipher the Blue & Pink mystery, the MSG150 crew couldn't help but notice that the HCG straddles the seediest two corners of the ID. There's the unnamed alchy bar on the north and the open air crack market next to the abandoned apartment building on the south. Nothing says welcome like drunks and junkies.

Also of note, the MSG150 crew has a couple streaks going now. Today marks the sixth straight lunch spot without any health service violations. Yay! It's also now the sixth straight lunch without fortune cookies. Boo! The last lunch with both was the marginal Four Seas Restaurant. Today's lunch was also the third Chinese bakery after the Sun Bakery and the S&FB, both well rated. A Piece of Cake had lots to live up to.

A Piece of Cake Bakery & Cafe, Seattle
Address: 514 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Bakery
Average rating: 3 chopsticks
Lunch date: 1/14/2008 @ 11:50:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 0 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 29 minutes
Chopstix quality: Plastic Fork
Do they use MSG?: No
Where is the owner/chef from?: China
Number of tables: 8
Number of occupied tables: 3 (37%)
Number of business lunch tables: 2 (66%)
Number of "local" tables: 0 (0%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Chicken Bun + Chicken Pie + Apple Pie - $1.35 + $1.75 + $1.75
Rating:

Geary's Review

APoCB&C has long been a favorite local source of birthday cakes and post lunch sweets. Until now, however, none of us had partaken of their savory fair. The options for lunch were limited. I went with the Chicken Bun and the Chicken Pie with an Apple Pie for desert. I was impressed by their bubble tea neon sign, so I also added in a Bubble Milk Tea.

The bun was fairly typical, sweet white bread on the outside and savory chicken on the inside, however, my bun was a bit light on the filling. Also, I'm not sure how they are customarily eaten (insight anyone?), but these were served at almost room temperature. I think I would have preferred warm buns (IYKWIM). The chicken pie was better, but it too really needed to be heated up to be fully enjoyed. Same goes for the apple pie. Bubble tea was good, but they offer only two flavors. I think they must have a relative that makes neon signs.

In summary, come for the cakes and tasty deserts; go somewhere else for lunch.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Chicken Pie + BBQ Pork Bun + Tiramisu - $1.75 + $1.75 + $3.00
Rating:

Emmett's Review

Cake for lunch. Mama would be proud. Fortunately though, "Piece of Cake" has a display full of savory baked goods that can make a square meal. I had a chicken pie, a BBQ Pork Hum Bow, and some Tiramisu.

The Chicken Pie was tasty, crumbly, and full of flavor. The BBQ Pork bun was kind of icky. The bun was cold and not too fresh tasting. The pork was grisly and didn't have a lot of flavor. For the savory baked goods, Sweet and Fresh bakery does a better job.

The slice of Tiramisu was the hightlight. It was very light, tasty, and not overly boozy or sweet. Unlike Michael, I'm not too big a fan of these cakes. For cake I prefer a little more density (I like cheesecake) and these fluffy fruit cakes leave me wanting. But the Tiramisu delivered. It was good.

Overall I wasn't too impressed with the lunch options. Come here for dessert only.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Hot Dog Bun + BBQ Pork Bun + Fresh Mango Cake - $1.35 + $1.25 + $2.75
Rating:

Adam's Review

This is a classic Chinatown destination: they're famous for their cakes with fruit filling. From a previous reconnaissance mission, we'd seen that they had Hum Bow... so we had to make a stop here.

Starting out, I ordered the Hot Dog Bun. It was literally a hum bow bun around a standard hot dog. The bun was luke-warm, and the hot dog was the same. Unless you're fan of hot dogs of questionable origin... don't order this.

I also ordered the BBQ Pork Bun. I've had enough BBQ Pork Buns that I know what they should taste like... and this one was sub-par. This was also colder than it should have been. I guess if APoCB&C had better heat lamps, I might have liked all of their warm food better.

For Dessert, I got the Cake with Fresh Mango filling. Overall, the whole cake has way less sugar than a standard cake. The frosting is delicious... but you can eat it, and it doesn't hurt my teeth. The cake itself was light and fluffy. The filling was the best part though. Actual chunks of fresh mango mixed with a light white filling. It is worth going out of your way to get a cake (or at least a piece) from this bakery. If I were rating the cake by itself, it'd be a 4 or possibly a 5.

Skip the warm food, but definitely get a dessert from here.

Luncher: Al

Lunch: Chicken Pie + Bacon & Cheese Bun + BBQ Pork Bun - $1.75 + $1.35 + $1.35
Rating:

Al's Review

For lunch food: 3
For Dessert: 5

Luncher: Erin

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun + Green Onion and Ham Roll + Egg Tart - $1.35 + $1.35 + $1.00
Rating:

Erin's Review

The Green Onion & Ham roll was a savory pastry made with the bun dough, and had a filling of mayo, green onion and ham in the middle. It was moist and oniony and very good. The egg tart, a favorite of mine was perfect. Although it was a crumbled crust, not a flaky crust, it was baked perfectly and the egg custard inside was done perfectly. The BBQ Pork bun was not as tasty, the pork inside seemed sort of old, and did not have a lot of bbq sauce or flavor. The cakes I forked in on were light and fluffy and fruity, as I expect a Chinese cake to be. The tiramisu was lame, but what did you expect me to say about that? Overall, I would come back for the savory pastry and the egg tarts.

Luncher: Jeff

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun + Chicken Pie + Apple Tart - $1.35 + $1.75 + $1.75
Rating:

Jeff's Review

For starters... I just love Bakeries. While I wouldn't normally consider a bakery as a top lunch option, the bakeries I've been to on this lunch quest have been great. Unlike some bakeries, this place was a nice size and even had plenty of room for us to sit and enjoy our meal. This alone makes it more likely for me to return.

My lunch today was fresh, warm and wonderful. The pork bun was excellent. The bread was exceptionally tasty. The chicken pie exceeded my expectations. The apple tart was average for bakery deserts - which actually surprised me.

While the choices are certainly limited in a bakery, if you're in the mood for these buns - this stop is an excellent option which I'd gladly recommend.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Chicken Bun + Sweet Corn & Ham Bun - $1.35 + $1.35
Rating:

Michael's Review

I have to give this one a 5. I've been eating here for several years now so my opinion was already set before we sat down to eat. Hint: Get my birthday cake here and nowhere else.

Seriously. These cakes are the best. Big win: they don't use obscene amounts of sugar or fat. The frosting is actually edible and tasty. They have various chocolate cakes and they are great. But what you really want are the fruity cakes. Fresh mango, peach, or strawberry. Fruit tarts. Fresh tasty goodness.

Add to that bubble tea, various almond cookies, walnut cookies, and a whole case full of tasty treats and you have a winner.

The other lunch stuff was about what you would expect: fresh pork and chicken hom bows, chicken pies, 'ham and sweet corn', and hot dog buns. Its all good. Order three or four. Except the hot dog buns. Only a total n00b would order the hot dog buns.

Also not to be missed: the two dollar bag of day old goodies. This bag is packed full of all the tasty stuff you were afraid to order. Coconut buns? Garlic buns? Red bean paste? You'll enjoy it all.

Why 5 stars? Because when I turn 40 I want three things: a shiny new convertible sports car, an obnoxiously hot blond in the passenger seat, and lunch at this bakery.

A Piece of Cake Bakery & Cafe Photos

A Piece of Cake


Buns and pastries


Breads, Buns, Cookies, to go


Do not squeeze the bread too hard


Cakes


More cakes


Three bun lunch


Two buns and a pie


Canned Tea


Two buns


Buns, Buns, Buns


Hot Dog Bun


A piece of cake


A piece of Tiramisu


Neon sign (outside)


Neon sign (inside)


Neon bubble tea


Neon coffee babe


Historic Chinese Gate

Lunch #7: Sweet & Fresh Bakery

The MSG150 crew headed out today for the Szechuan Noodle Bowl but were let down by our first "Closed on Monday" sign. Unfazed and in strict accordance with unwritten sub-rule #1-1.B, we headed south on 8th to find the next spot. Based on early scouting reports of the MSG150 route, many of us had assumed that the next stop would be Specialties, but we were wrong. Although the S.E. border is the Gobi Desert of the DLZ, there is a pork bun filled oasis known as the Sweet & Fresh Bakery on 8th just south of Weller. We paused before entering to discuss briefly whether it passed rule #1. The consensus was yes, so in we went.

Sweet & Fresh Bakery, Seattle
Address: 610 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Bakery
Average rating: 3.5 chopsticks
Lunch date: 11/26/2007 @ 11:45:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 0 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 20 minutes
Chopstix quality: N/A
Do they use MSG?: No
Where is the owner/chef from?: Owner/Chef from Saigon, with Chinese Heritage
Number of tables: 1
Number of occupied tables: 0 (0%)
Number of business lunch tables: 0
Number of "local" tables: 0
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Pork Pie and a Ham and Cheese Croissant - $3.45
Rating:

Emmett's Review

I have a hard time holding this place to the same standard as our other lunch places - it's missing menus, silverware (or chopsticks), table service, napkins. On the other hand, as a stand-up take-out lunch place - not bad. Their options are limited to a bunch of meat buns, sponge cakes, and fruit tarts, with some submarine sandwiches available for special order. I wanted some savory, went for the ham/cheese croissant, and the pork bun.

The ham and cheese croissant was greasy, and didn't seem like it was made recently, but altogether not bad. It was a little low on the ham and cheese, but was still consumable. The pork pot pie, on the other hand, was fantastic. I warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds. It had a nice flaky consistency, the pork was mildly spiced, shredded, filled the inside with some diced veggies.

Pros - quick, clean, polite counter staff, some tasty baked options. Cons - lots of bread. Verdict - I might stop in if I was nearby but wouldn't make it special trip.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun, Curry Chicken Bun, and a Sub Sandwich - $5.10
Rating:

Adam's Review

Not quite a diamond, but this is definitely a precious gem in the rough. None of us knew that this place existed before we walked up to it this afternoon.

I walked up to the counter, and ordered what sounded good. I ordered a BBQ Pork Bun (I'm sure it has a real name, but I don't know it), a chicken curry bun, and a submarine sandwich. I Started of by eating the BBQ Pork Bun. The bread was slightly sweet and pretty fluffy. The meat BBQ pork filling was good, but lacking. I wish the bun would have had about 2 times as much filling. The whole unit was served cold, and it definitely would have been better heated up.

The next thing I ate was the Chicken curry bun. I spied a microwave behind the counter, so I asked the nice woman back there to toss my bun in her microwave oven. 30 seconds of modern technology improved the bun even more. Again, the bun was sweet and fluffy. The chicken curry filling is just what you would imagine... it was chicken curry. It was good.

Then I started on the best part. This is a $2.50 submarine sandwich. This is the American cousin of the "$2 Vietnamese sandwich." The sandwich was turkey, ham, iceberg lettuce, mayo, and pickled carrot shreds. Everything was pretty standard, but the carrots definitely gave it a really great taste. The real winner on this sandwich was the bread. It was crispy, flaky, buttery, and unbelievably delicious. I tried to buy some of the bread, but was told that they only make it for the sandwiches.

Amazing Prices. Great food. Even better food. I'll eat here again.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Chicken Pie, Pork Pie, & Submarine Sandwich - $5.50
Rating:

Geary's Review

The Sweet & Fresh Bakery passed the letter rule #1 but only barley meets the spirit of the rule. Unlike the Sun Bakery with tables and a menu, the S&FB has only 6 stools along the window and no hot menu items. Besides the buns, cakes, and pastries in the cases they have only a submarine sandwich (with or without cheese) to offer the hungry lunch seeker. But, like other similar spots it was all good and affordable and the service (owner) was very friendly.

I was curious about the meat pies so I ordered both. I ate what I assumed was the chicken one first. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after I had eaten most of it that I realized there was a microwave behind the counter and if I’d asked, the friendly woman serving us would have headed it up. Even cold, the pie was very flavorful and the crust was light and flaky. The pork one, heated up, was even better, but other than being warmer, I couldn’t tell the difference. Maybe I got two chicken (or two pork) by accident.

I also ordered the submarine sandwich with cheese. If there is a real standout at the S&FB, this is it. The sub comes on a freshly baked toasty baguette with fairly typical sub ingredients (ham, turkey, mayo, American cheese, and iceberg lettuce) but with one exception, it has a smattering of pickled carrots nestled between the cold cuts. Yum! This is the same stuff that (in part) gives the bahn mi sandwiches their tang. And, at $2.50 with cheese, it’s a much better deal than you might find elsewhere.

PS: Rob wants me to point out that there are no real vegi-friendly options available here other than sweets. You can see Rob in the pictures below ducking out of the door in search of some place that understands his kind.

Luncher: Erin

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun, and a egg tart - $2.25
Rating:

Erin's Review

This is a hole-in-the-wall bakery – but surprisingly good. They have a variety of meat buns, perhaps 8-10 varieties, filled with bbq pork, chicken & flavors. They also have a variety of baked goods. I had a bbq pork bun and a large egg tart for a grand total of $2.25 – for both items. The bbq bun was fresh, and the bun was every so slightly sweet and chewy on the outside. Meat inside was flavorful, although it could have been more filled, and I would have them heat it up next time. The egg tart/custard was about 2” across (twice as big as the ones you get for Dim Sum) and had a flakey crust with a good, smooth egg custard inside. I also had a taste of a fruit tart and a steamed bun with egg, Chinese sausage and meat inside. All tasted fresh. They had some interesting looking custards, cakes and cream puffs, and they also made traditional Chinese layer cakes – the kind that are light and fluffy, frosted with whipping cream and topped with fruit. I would return for a dirt cheap and tasty meat bun and a sweet treat. This earned a 3 chopstick rating from me.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun, Bun with Red Bean Paste, and Chicken Pie - $3.95
Rating:

Michael's Review

What's not to love about this little bakery? The have it all right here: Ham and cheese on crunchy fresh baked french rolls. Tasty bbq pork hom bow. Buns with red bean. Very tasty, very cheap, and ready to eat right now. And if you need a wedding or birthdcake they can do that too. This place is a keeper.

Luncher: Jeff

Lunch: BBQ Pork Bun, Chicken Pie, and a Fruit Tart - $3.50
Rating:

Sweet & Fresh Bakery Photos

Sweet & Fresh Bakery


Dine-in facilities are lacking


Buns of goodness


More sweets


Ham & Cheese Croissant


Meat Pie anticipation


Custard Pie


$2.50 Submarine Sandwich


Inside a meat pie


Half a Fruit Pastry

Lunch #4: Sun Bakery & Deli

Again, we attracted a good-sized crowd of people as we left the office. It's starting to get hard to tell if people really like us for who we are or just like us for our blog. I guess that's just the price of success... It was next in line and passed rule #1, primary source of income is food, so the six of us had to stop in at the Sun Bakery and have lunch. It looks like this is the last lunch spot on the north side of Jackson inside the DLZ. We have decided on a spiral pattern so we will turn south along the east side of 8th to find our next spot. We rarely venture that far for lunch, so we have no idea what awaits us. It should be fun.

Sun Bakery & Deli, Seattle
Address: 658 S Jackson St, 98014
Cuisine: Chinese: Bakery, Vietnamese
Average rating: 3.5 chopsticks
Lunch date: 11/13/2007 @ 12:37:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 15 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 47 minutes
Chopstix quality: Smooth Wood
Do they use MSG?: A little bit
Where is the owner/chef from?: Born in Saigon, Vietnam but has Chinese heritage
Number of tables: 8
Number of occupied tables: 1 (12%)
Number of business lunch tables: 0 (0%)
Number of "local" tables: 1 (100%)
Healthcode Score: 37
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Sui-Kau Dumpling Rice Noodle Soup and a BBQ Pork Sandwich (Bahn Mi) - $4.50 + $2.25
Rating:

Adam's Review

I don't even know where to start with this review. I really liked this place (I'm reserving love for when I rate a restaurant a 5). But, this is definitely a place I would lobby my coworkers/friends to go to for lunch.

Lets start with the Sui-Kau Dumpling Rice Noodle Soup. Until the very friendly owner explained to me what Sui-Kau was, I had no idea. Being a responsible food reviewer, I'm now passing this knowledge on to you: Sui-Kau is a dumpling with shrimp, pork, and mushrooms in it. And wow, this is one delicious dumpling (actually, there were four in my "small" soup). The rice noodles in the soup seemed kind of bland, but that was expected. And as far as asian soups go, this one is a keeper. The broth was rich and savory and matched perfectly with the dumplings.

Just the premise of a "$2 sandwich" makes me think it will be delicious. It also makes me hungry. Anyway, I ordered the BBQ Pork Bahn Mi. This was my first Bahn Mi experience, so I had no idea what to expect. The sandwiches appear to be premade, and refrigerated until served. The BBQ pork was the typical "red rimmed" pork you get at a chinese restaurant to dip awesomely-hot mustard and poppy seeds. Then it was topped with some mayo, a pickle (I think), and some other vegetables. Even for $3, I think I would still buy one of these. They're delicious.

Great prices. Good food. Bright lighting. Friendly owner. Definitely hitting this place again.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Pho Tai, Bo Vien and a Combo Sandwich (Bahn Mi) - $4.95 + $2.25
Rating:

Geary's Review
Since the "two dollar sandwich" place on King and 5th shut down last year, this is one of the only sources of good bahn mi on this side of the ID. Why are these sandwiches always so cheap? You can't get a basic ham sandwich at any local deli for much less than $5 but the bahn mi are consistently under $3. Is this some Vietnamese reverse price fixing deal? Was this part of some secret agreement the US government made with refugees? "We'll welcome you in our country as long as you provide tasty sandwiches at affordable prices." I can't help but think that if the little shop on King had just raised it's prices to $3, it would still be here today. Maybe they hadn't noticed that Paul Allen had built a fancy new office building immediately across the street where Specialties is selling a ham sandwich for $5.25.

There is really no place friendlier then the Sun Bakery. It is a family run joint and they always seem very happy to have lunch guests. I have been a handful of times now and there is rarely anyone else there. Their primary source of business appears to be the bakery, but they have plenty of lunch seating and an ample menu. The only other occupied tables were one with the owners young daughter and her coloring books and another with a single business man who appeared to be very comfortable there. We chatted up the owner and learned that he was born in Vietnam but his grandparents were Chinese. The menu and bakery offerings are a mix of those two cultures.

Since I usually come for the bahn mi, I rarely get to try the other stuff. Today I had the pho, figuring it was a good baseline to judge quality, and, since I was there, a ham-chicken combo bahn mi. Double yum. I was pleasantly surprised by the soup. It had a rich, flavorful broth, fresh meat, and savory meat balls. It was one of the better phos I have had. I had some sips of the dumpling soup as well and was also impressed.

It wasn't clear to me at first how I should rate the Sun Bakery. On the one hand it was a delicious meal in a friendly environment at a great price, but on the other, I have never had a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant that I didn't like. Should I score this as an average Vietnamese restaurant and give it three chopsticks? In the end I came to the conclusion that we are scoring each against all of the other ID restaurants and, on that scale, the Sun Bakery is clearly in the top half.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Sui-Kau Dumpling Rice Noodle Soup and a BBQ Pork Sandwich (Bahn Mi) - $4.50 + $2.25
Rating:

Emmett's Review

I ordered the Sui-Kai Rice Noodle Soup and the barbecued pork Bahn Mi. Sui-Kai are dumplings with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, pork, and shrimp, and were quite good. The soup broth was light in flavor, with a nice black pepper taste. All appeared freshly made.

The Bahn Mi (sandwich) was good. The pork was salty and a bit cold, would have preferred freshly barbecued pork. The balance of ingredients in the sandwich was also quite good, with cilantro, carrot, and a starchy white veg of some kind (perhaps Daikon?).

The service was attentive, and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed. Overall I'd give it 3 chopsticks - good food but I wasn't blown away.

Luncher: Al

Lunch: Egg Rolls and a BBQ Pork Sandwich (Bahn Mi) - $2.95 + $2.25
Rating:

Luncher: Erica

Lunch: Won Ton Rice Noodle Soup - $4.50
Rating:

Luncher: Torrey

Lunch: Pho Tai, Chin, Bo Vien - $4.95
Rating:

Sun Bakery & Deli Photos

Sun Bakery & Deli


Bahn Mi menu


Menu


Pho


Won Ton Rice Noodle Soup


Bakery Offerings