Fol Epi

Bakery: Fol Epi 
Address: 732 Yates St, Victoria BC
Website: http://folepi.ca/
Style: French, Organic 
Price: $$

I was on my way to dinner when I unexpectedly (since I wasn't exactly planning to do any bakeries at around 6pm) stumbled upon this French-style patisserie with an adjoining restaurant, which sells buttery viennoiseries, colourful macarons, and miniature babas, all made with organic or local ingredients. The general impression was that they were on the verge of closing, which indeed they were, so the counter was pretty empty, with only whatever was left behind after the day. I was even considering just returning the following day for fresh pastries and increased selection. Then I spotted the last remaining kouign amann... yes, a kouign amann! One of the most delectable pastries created but not a very common bakery fixture, in France (rather outside of Brittany, their origin) and abroad. I knew I couldn't leave without it. I was even thinking that maybe I'd get it at a discounted price? .____. Well, that last point backfired, but I did leave the premises with a kouign amann in tow.

 As mentioned above, it's not every day that you find kouign amann ($3.50, taxes included) in a bakery. This one from Fol Epi is flower-shaped and presented in-store upside down, so your first glimpse of the caramelized butter bottom, slightly chewy in some places and a bit harder, like candy in others. The folded top may not stimulate the taste buds so much, but it shows off the multi-layered flaky dough that's similar to a croissant, only better. :P Slightly denser in texture and certainly sweeter.

Biting into this, I found that the candied bottom was where most of the butter ended up pooling, resulting in a dough that wasn't as buttery or flavourful as I had expected. This somewhat brittle bottom was also difficult to bite into, especially if you wanted to incorporate the whole pastry from the top to the bottom in one mouthful. I was picturing something mind-blowing -- similar to every other experience I've had with kouign amann -- so in that I was a little disappointed; still, it was a delicious treat: flaky and buttery as it should be. It's clear this place knows what it's doing!

Rating: ***