the molten salted egg yolk croissant rivalry: le bread days & bake plan

food trendspotting.

typically, it starts with #saltedeggyolkcroissant trending on instagram, which inevitably leads to long queues.

sometimes, i'd find myself waiting in those.
other times, i let novelty runs its full course before a new food trend ousts its counterpart off the pedestal.

in the case of the salted egg yolk croissant phenomenon, it was the latter.

salted egg yolk in bun is nothing new. in fact, it is a staple at chinese dim sum eateries.
however, it was mind boggling that during the peak of the food trend, food eateries could have slathered salted egg yolk custard on almost anything and the crowd would have gobbled it up in no time. maybe it's the revolutionary east meets west roots. or maybe it was the pairing the salty & sweet.

with a story featured in an international newspaper going "will the salted egg yolk trend ever die out?" i had to get to the bottom of it - it being the reason behind the craze behind this movement, headlining the local food scene for several months.

two of the most talked about salted egg yolk croissants later, the one thing i've managed to figure out is that i'm a fan. 

not an obsessive fan, but a fan. 

le molten egg yolk custard croissant at le bread days (rm 7.30) stirred quite the controversy, a love-hate relationship with its following. poor service by the staff had aggravated hordes of people swarming to the quaint pastry shop in ss2 - the overwhelming popularity was something le bread days wasn't prepared for, making no room whatsoever for reservations for its signature pastry. 

the crispy shell of the croissant crackled briefly before giving way under the pressure of the knife as the rich golden molten lava of the salted egg yolk oozed out from the cut, while some ebbed into the crevices of the honeycomb insides of the soft freshly baked bread. i eagerly took a lick of the molten lava - a strong salted egg yolk flavor but with sweet undertones that managed to sneak in to achieve a salty-sweet balance. the crunchy ends of the crescent were probably my favorite bite.

'overhype,' a couple of my friends had lamented.
maybe. or it could be novelty.

but i can't deny that le bread days had managed to get this rich decadence balance to work; still, it is probably best shared with friends (or not, if you really LOVE salted egg yolk).

labeled by many as a worthy rival (if not better), the bake plan churns out their version just in the vicinity at the food square in ss2. garnering love and regulars for its pastries, i called to reserve two just to make sure it wasn't a futile drive.

as i walked into the quaint pastry shop made for take outs, it was a busy - almost boisterous - mid-afternoon. the kitchen staff were boxing up freshly baked cheese tarts from trays as swiftly as they could. other patrons were browsing through the selection of loaves and breads on the shelves that lined the walls. i queued at the cash register for my pick up order alongside the others who were beaming at their trays, filled with bounties of golden pastries. 

the freshly baked croissant, still warm, was a lovely golden brown with a lighter and softer texture honeycomb insides wrapped by a lightly crisp outer shell. equally as decadent and a slightly thicker, the molten salted egg yolk was a smidgen sweeter.

tldr // the molten salted egg yolk lava croissant - a fusion of the chinese classic dim sum with the french croissant turned into sensation. both renditions of this pastry by le bread days and bake plan summon their own camp of followers. 

my take on the rivalry? edging out its counterpart slightly, le bread days moved me more.

le bread days | location 

68, jalan ss 2/72,
seksyen 19
46300 petaling jaya
selangor
{opens daily: 8am - 8pm}

bake plan | location 

36, jalan ss 2/61,
ss2, 47300 petaling jaya
selangor
{opens tues - sun: 9 am - 10pm}

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.