Sushi Croissants Exist, But Only For The Brave

Flakey, buttery, doughy, carbo-loaded treats tend to be attention grabbers behind the bakery glass. First with Cronuts, then with red velvet croissants, and now with sushi croissants at a California bakery which — yes, are actually a thing. Now because you're used to hearing about kitschy food trends like unicorn macarons and kitten cake pops, you're probably envisioning this new fad to be some mix of totally traditional croissant accoutrements that are combined to look like Asian-inspired ingredients. Perhaps some cheese for the rice, tomato for the fish, lettuce for the seaweed. You know, cute trickery. But no, this fad is a little bit more literal.

It's actually a lot a bit literal. The California Sushi Croissant is actually just a normal piece of sushi trying to live its life inside of a croissant. Its ~seriously extra~ life, to be sure. And it's served with soy sauce and ginger and wasabi — it's the whole nine yards and it's a best seller at multiple California locations of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse.

An original menu item, the California Croissant is a best seller — I'll admit I found hard to believe.

But then I had the chance to chat with Bridget Campbell, the general manager at the San Francisco location, and it all started to make a little bit more sense. It's really not as crazy and extra as it sounds at first.

"It's been on the menu since we first opened [in 2014] and it's been a best seller ever since," Bridget tells Bustle. "Contrary to what most people who haven't been into the shop might assume, the reception has been great. People will order one and leave, only to come back a few minutes later to order another one because it tasted a lot more normal than they assumed."

You're probably wondering how this menu item even came to exist in the first place. Because at first glance, it appears the ingredients are not harmonious. Fish and pastries? Wasabi and buttery goodness? But if you think about it, breaded and fried sushi has been around for years — Americans have always been incredibly open to putting a twist on the classic sushi roll. So really, a croissant is the same flavor profile as any other carb-coated sushi roll. Perhaps it's just the sound of it that's so startling.

"We try really hard to think of things haven't been thought of before and we like to combine unexpected elements," Bridget shared with Bustle. "We've had a lot of success with Asian-inspired flavors, and were definitely aware of that when we went into the kitchen. It just works."

So there you have it, folks — the sushi croissant that's a lot more appetizing than it sounds.