Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe

Bakery: Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe
Address: 2150 Fir St, Vancouver BC 
Website: http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/
Style: French
Price: $$ 

Beaucoup Bakery, in a more industrial area just south of W 4th Ave, is a minimalist French-style bakery that seems to be a pretty popular destination for baked goods (then again, I do recall a great many bakeries in Vancouver were pretty busy, regardless of time of day/week); popular in that,when I was there, the minimalist approach applied to the baked goods as well. Everything was gone! Popular items (given how many asked for them) like croissants, pains au chocolat, and chaussons aux pommes were nothing more than a label affixed to an empty basket; upon leaving, a fresh batch of croissants were brought from the back. Going through the list of goodies on their website, I could go through every sweet item that was there: kouign amann, a couple pain aux raisins, the gluten-free brownie, peanut butter sandwich cookies, and the last one of something the lady in front of me bought. Yup, that was it. O.O

I was so lucky to get a hold of the cardamom kouign amann ($3.25; the regular is $3.00) -- maybe no one has discovered the amazingness of this baked good yet? While French and French-inspired bakeries generally have the same selection of products, it's always hard to find the delectable kouign amann, and so if I see it, I get it!  The regular version was also available, but I had to try their unique take with cardamom, one of the most delicious spices used in baking, albeit not very French, and one which always recalls Finnish baked goods for me. ^^

Every kouign amann I encounter is different. This one was rolled, cinnamon bun style. Unravelling it layer by layer, I found the cardamom where the cinnamon would be: lots of coarsely ground, super flavourful cardamom with each bite. Flaky on the top and soft on the inside, this was perhaps not as buttery as expected and previously experienced, but it was good. Very good. *-* My only complaint: it was too small. I could just keep eating and eating this wonderful creation!

Rating: ***1/2