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ai???Well-butteredai??i?? bake shop still delighting

A La Carte Columns

April 3, 2016

Story By: Lynsey Beth Futa |

Fendu is home to a wide assortment of baked goods.

Fendu is home to a wide assortment of baked goods.

Tucked away in Manoa Marketplace is Fendu Boulangerie. For being such a petite and cozy bakery, it offers an impressively large variety of delectable sweets, fresh breads and original baked goods.

Owner Niel Koep runs this “well-buttered” business with an unwavering inspiration to create and introduce new recipes. Through Fendu’s daily bread, pizza and breakfast specials, for instance, customers will never be bored with the Manoa shop’s selection of treats, as items constantly are being rotated out.

Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast Pizza (14-inch pictured, $22).

Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast Pizza (14-inch pictured, $22).

Have no fear, however, as the best-selling specialty items sometimes make it onto the more “permanent” menu, such as customer-favorite Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast Pizza ($14.25 for 8-inch, $22 for 14-inch).

Starting with Fendu’s own pizza dough, the pie includes tomato sauce, smoked Muscovy duck and fresh mozzarella, Parmesan Reggiano and goat cheeses. To top everything off, balsamic vinegar-infused black figs and fresh cilantro also are added.

Since the bakery opens at 7:30 a.m., its breakfast specials are crafted to include a handful of delicious choices, like the Petite Croissant Sandwich ($6.50) of the month. The current special includes a house-made croissant with Scottish smoked salmon, creme fraiche, brie cheese and fresh herbs.

Tarallo Nostra PHOTO COURTESY OF FENDU BOULANGERIE

Tarallo Nostra PHOTO COURTESY OF FENDU BOULANGERIE

And where would a boulangerie be without its bread? Fendu has tons of it. In fact, each day brings its own bread special.

New to the mix, Saturday’s bread is Tarallo Nostra ($5.95 regular, $3.95 petite). As Koep explains, nostra — meaning “ours” — implies that this version of the traditional Italian bread is unique to Fendu. Koep’s recipe includes infusing the dough with toasted fennel and using white wine instead of water. “Although you can’t taste the wine, it gives the bread a very nice texture,” Koep says.

Petite Croissant Sandwich ($6.50)

Petite Croissant Sandwich ($6.50)

Next, fresh thyme is added, and lastly, the baked, bagel-shaped bread is brushed with thyme oil. “It’s one of my favorites,” Koep shares — and what a coincidence, because Fendu Boulangerie continues to be a Hawaii favorite.

Fendu Boulangerie

Manoa Marketplace
2752 Woodlawn Drive, No.5-119
988-4310
Monday-Saturday , 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Honolulu, HI 96822

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