Indulge sweet and savory cravings with freshly baked goods

In French, a boulangerie is a bakery that specializes in bread. Fendu Boulangerie at Manoa Marketplace offers that and much more — from soups and desserts to pizzas and sandwiches — that are made fresh and delicious. The menu’s flavors, combining French, Asian and Hawaiian influences, make for a menu that is big on flavor and freshness.

Fendu’s rustic pizzas, along with its outstanding sandwiches, are popular and delicious introductions to the restaurant. Fendu offers six gourmet pizzas that range from classic flavor combinations to more creative ones like Hamakua Mushroom and Smoked Turkey. Each month, a special pie is offered, and for June, it’s a Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast Pizza ($19 for a 14 inch, $12.25 for an 8 inch). The hand-tossed dough is topped with marinara sauce, fresh Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, duck breast, Pancetta bacon and dark figs marinated in balsamic goodness. The flavors match perfectly on this light and tasty pizza, while the 550 degree stone oven guarantees a wonderfully crunchy crust.

Chocolate lovers unite! The Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier Dome ($5.85) is beautiful, decadent and a surprisingly light dish. Beginning with a Grand Marnier creme brulee encrusted in a dark chocolate mousse that features Valrhona dark chocolate, the multilayered dessert includes a chocolate chunk macadamia nut sponge cake and a thin chocolate cookie. With that much chocolate, it has to be good!

Another dessert option is Lychee Caramel Flan ($4.60). The recipe for this treasure at Fendu is representative of Hawaii and is an extremely popular summertime snack, as the lychee and watermelon make for a refreshing combination.

Since the bakery specializes in bread, one would be remiss for not trying one of the freshly baked options. Fendu offers eight breads, including a daily special. On Saturdays, the bread options increase to 10 with two daily specials. The goal, says chef and owner Niel Koep, is to offer customers the favorites they enjoy with new creations to satisfy their curiosity.

Bread loaves come in two sizes — regular ($5.60) and petite ($3.85) — and they run the gamut from simple to complex creations. The Multigrain bread is a fine example of the latter, combining wheat, whole wheat, sunflower, flax seed, rye flour, sesame seeds and oatmeal to produce a hearty bread that is as flavorful as it is satisfying.

Fendu Boulangerie

Manoa Marketplace
2752 Woodlawn Drive
988-4310
Monday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

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