Jina Bakes

It isn't all that often that San Francisco gets a new bakery, and it can be hard for a new place to hold its own in a city of so many heavy hitters.  But in late 2021, Jina Bakes burst onto the scene, and in true SF bakery style, did so with some signature items that you cannot find anywhere else.  Oh, and a collab, of course.

Sure, the menu at Jima Bakes has a couple items you'll find at other bakeries, like croissants (plain or chocolate), kouign-amann, a scone (garlic chive), a morning bun (chocolate orange), even cheesecake (but, basque style) and panna cotta, but the signature items are the creme puffs (known to be very generously stuffed wtih cream filling, and more like a pineapple bun with a cookie crust, and fun fillings like matcha, black sesame, and hojicha) and two special croissants, one sweet, one savory.

The savory croissant is where Jina Bakes really rose to fame.  The item is based on a collab with  Daeho, crazy well known for their Kalbijjim & Beef Soup.  Yes, this is short rib soup turned into a croissant.  And yes, people lined up for it.  For the first several months, they waited for an hour or more to snatch up these croissants.  They sold out regularly.

And I'll tell you why.  Because, well, they are good.  Really, really, really good.  And I know my baked goods.

The first item I tried from Jina Bakes was actually their sweet croissant, and I didn't know where it came from when I had it, and it was so unique, and so good, that I sought out the answer.  Once I learned about Jina Bakes, I vowed to score some items again sometime, so I was beyond thrilled when a group at work announced they'd be featuring pastries from there.

Injeolmi Croissant. $6.25.

"Korean rice cake (made in-house) with roasted soy bean powder on a croissant."

Several months ago, I got to try one of these, when a friend was gifted multiple items from Jina Bakes, didn't know what they were, and thought this might have caffeine in it, which, he cannot have.  And thus, I got it.

At the time, neither of knew which bakery it came from, and, after having it, I set about doing copious research to track it down.  It was so crazy unique, and eventually, I did figure it out.  

When I saw that a group at work brought these in, and had plenty, I obviously went running to grab another, remembering just how unique it was.  And this time, I knew that it would be even better heated up.  But of course, I still tried a bite at room temperature first.

The pastry really is many notches above average.  So ridiculously crisp, wafer thin layers, just, well, croissant perfection.  The center is soft squishy mochi, not what you ever expect to have in a croissant, and the combination of textures of chewy and soft mochi and crisp and flaky pastry makes it quite memorable.  The roasted soy bean powder is a bit of an acquired taste, and I never quite love it when served on injeolmi in the first place, and I felt no different here.  The flavor just doesn't quite do it for me, nor does the mouthfeel.  It adds a bit of "blah" to an otherwise remarkable item.

Of course, I did heat most of it up as they recommend, and the mochi part in particular really transforms, it gets even softer and stretchier.

I still think this is a very unique product, and the pastry is top notch, but, it isn't all that flavorful, and I like it best when I add fresh fruit or syrup, and whipped cream.

****+ for the pastry, **** overall.

Kalbijjim Croissant. $8.

"Collab w/ Daeho. Korean spicy braised short ribs and vegetables topped with mozzarella cheese on a square croissant (Spicy level 2)."

I thought the injeolmi croissant was unique, but this was another level beyond that.  The kalbijjim croissant is certainly the most famous of the Jina Bakes creations, and I know people go nuts for it, but, I did kinda think it was just hype due to the Daeho collab.    I took the time to heat this as instructed, 350* for about 7 minutes.  I'm so glad I did, although I suspect it would be great at room temp too.

Even reading reviews of people proclaiming this to be awesome did not prepare me for how good it was.  Like the injeolmi croissant, the pastry element was standout.  Again, so crispy, such amazingly thin layers, serious quality pastry.  This is what all croissants want to be when they grow up.

And then, the topping/filling.  Zomg.  Talk about flavorful.  Yes, it had a bit of spice, but really, it was just an amazing flavor sensation all around.  And then the short ribs.  Zomg.  So tender.  So remarkably tender.  Such great flavor from whatever they are braised in, and the vegetables (onions?) in the mix.  I'm not a huge meat eater in general, but, wow, that was some fantastic beef.  And then ... the cheese.  That sounded really odd to me - short ribs and cheese? - but actually, it worked quite well.  Since I took the time to heat mine up, the cheese was perfectly melty, and creamy (maybe there was a creamy component too? I'm not sure).  It almost gave this a slight pizza-vibe, but, not really, as the rest of the flavors were nothing like pizza.  

Overall, this was just fantastic.  It was unique, it was fascinating, but also, it was just damn delicious.  One of the best savory pastries I've ever had, no question.

****+.