Hazukido just opened their very first location in Vancouver in Yaletown. The croissanterie already has other Canadian locations in Ontario as well as Quebec. Hazukido also has locations across Asia, with cafes in Malaysia and Hong Kong. But now you can check out the Hazukido Yaletown location and you’ll feel like you’ve died and gone to croissant heaven.
All of the Croissants
The croissant menu is extensive and impressive. Hazukido offers sweet and savoury croissants, and each is impeccably prepared. Hazukido uses only the finest ingredients, sourcing their butter from France and their flour from Japan. Their patented folding technique ensures proper lamination, and creates their classic Hazukido honeycomb texture. All croissants and other pastries like the croffle are baked fresh daily.
Although a part of a bigger company, the Vancouver Hazukido location still has a local feel, which is deliberate and intentional. The owner of the new Yaletown franchise, Vladislav Priadko, is already a small business owner in Vancouver. Priadko, who has a background in personal training, is also the owner of Coffee Bike. You may have seen their mobile baristas around the city. Coffee Bike provides a fully equipped and self sustained coffee shop based on the platform of the electric tricycle. So not only are they mobile, they are also net zero in terms of gas emissions.
Cheat Day or Every Day
Priadko’s combined experience with fitness and Coffee Bike led him to Hazukido. He’d had success with the coffee but the quest was on to find the perfect pastry. When you’re focussed on fitness, you might not always indulge in a treat when you have your morning coffee. But if it is a “cheat day” and you are choosing to indulge, you might as well go all out and have something truly decadent.
On an exploratory trip to Montreal, Priadko was taste-testing, trying to find just the right brand, the right product, to bring home to Vancouver. With no luck, he was heading back to his hotel when across the street a neon sign glowed: Hazukido Croissanterie. He went in and ordered the Truffle Crab croissant. Mouth watering and mind blow, he immediately applied to become a franchise owner, and now Vancouver has its very own croissanterie. Now you too can taste the Truffle Crab croissant.
Not Your Usual Croissant
I consider myself to be a bit of a croissant connoisseur. I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth but there is something tantalizingly irresistible about the delicate layers, the flakey texture, and the buttery taste of a croissant. It makes the perfect pairing for a coffee or a tea.
A croissant is also a handy grab and go snack, if you can accomplish eating it without completely covering yourself in croissant crumbs. But Hazukido has a selection of seating if you want to stay, take your time, and enjoy. They have tables as well as seating at their window counter. While I’m partial to a classic butter croissant, which Hazukido calls the Honeycomb, I was surprised that my favourite of the flavours I got to try was the Fresh Strawberry Custard. All of the sweet croissants have a sweet glaze, adding a kind of candy finish to the many laminated layers. The slight tartness of the fresh, perfectly ripe strawberries offsets the sweet creaminess of the custard.
Sweet and Savoury
I also tried the Honey Citrus croissant because it was just too pretty to resist with its candied slice of orange on top. With these sweet, cream filled concoctions, the croissant is almost transformed into a cream puff. It seems a natural next step to fill the flaky, crisp pastry with sweet, creamy goodness. But if you’re like me and prefer a savoury snack, Hazukido offers a selection of savoury croissants as well. Their Truffle Crab croissant has already been mentioned with good reason. Judging by social media, it was an early favourite with Vancouverites. Hazukido also has a Butter Garlic croissant, a Golden Cheese croissant, and a croissant with Smoked Salmon, which is one of their pricier options. The croissant prices range from $3.45 to $6.45.
Hazukido also offers a range of coffee and tea beverages, with hot and cold options, including their own canned cold brew coffee. Soy and oat are available as milk alternatives. Beautifully layered milk teas are also on the menu.
If you’re out and about this weekend, check out Hazukido’s grand opening celebration which will be on until Oct 31st. There will be free croissants and buy one get one free deals.
Hazukido is open now at 280 Nelson Street.
