The very scope of Mille Fête is riveting: tall cakes, big sandwiches, breads, cookies, pastries, gelato—and Spam! The city’s most anticipated bakery opened Feb. 20, and while it’s still in its early days, we couldn’t wait to try. Mille Fête combines the skills and styles of James Beard Award-winning chef Robynne Maii of Fête and Katherine Yang, who left her high-end dessert business in New York City to move to Honolulu. The place has been mobbed, with people lining up at opening.
Early days means the bakery opens late morning to late afternoon every Thursday to Monday for now. Also, expect tweaks to menu items and prices as it finds its groove.
Associate editor Thomas Obungen had already sampled offerings on two visits—one hosted, one self-paid. His must-haves? The chicken sandwich (see below) and POG cake ($16 slice, $120 for 8″ whole), which he describes as “eight cloud-like layers of airy sponge, fresh fruit gelée and pastry cream that add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. Price aside, this is the purest form of Katherine Yang’s genius and unlike any other cake in Hawai‘i.”
Last Friday, five of us in the office joined him for our first morning pastry run to the new spot on Smith Street. Here’s what we found.
Spam bao, $8
Juicy, thick-cut Spam under a blanket of shredded cheddar in a delicate baked bao bun is a winner. Says Obungen: “Salty. Sweet. Hot. I’ve had it twice now, and I would have it again. I’ve had it hot, and I’ve had it cold, and I like it both ways. For $8, it’s worth it, but barely!” HONOLULU Editor Diane Seo likes the brush of good-quality Dijon mustard that elevates the Spam.
Ludovico curry chicken sandwich, $14
The unanimous winner. Three people deem it crave-worthy—local chicken and golden raisins tossed in a curry mayo between house-baked kopitiam milk bread sliced to medium thickness. The hefty sandwich is “curry-forward, not mayo-forward, it’s a good balance. The $14, if it comes with chips …? But on payday, yeah,” says Hawai‘i Home & Remodel editor Darlene Dela Cruz. Seo is decisive: “I would walk five blocks for that.”
Crispy chocolate chip cookies, $10 for 7
Unanimously described as overbaked.
Robynne’s cake, $9
Made with local ‘ulu flour, this chocolate-rum raisin cake with salted caramel ganache is gluten-free. This pastry does not go over well—“medicinal” and “earthy” are the common reactions.
Chocolate Bell, $5
Looks like a Choco Pie, upscaled to the nth degree. A sublime chocolate cake rich with vanilla whipped cream and covered in dark chocolate. The pick Frolic editor Mari Taketa is still thinking about…