La Boulange du Dome

I actually stumbled upon this cute bakery while looking for another store. I had just gotten off of work, so I was a tad bit anxious to get in and get out if the mall.

Anyway, I saw this place and had to slow down and try it out. I had two Canélles and 2 mini creme puffs. The Canélles reminded me of my time in France, since they are in nearly every bakery/pâtisserie in Paris. Ahhhh... It brought so many warm memories! The taste is nearly spot-on. The only slight problem is that this it's a tad over-cooked at the bakery, which is evident by it darker and rougher exterior.

Creme puffs were ok, not sweet enough for me.

I'll be coming back for the Canélles, though!!

When we saw the La Boulange "Coming Soon" construction signage just before it opened, you could hear the collective groan from me and Jamie W. echo throughout the dome. "Ooooohhhhh noooooooo!" You may have noticed there is a festering epidemic of La Boulangeristis in this city. What was once a sweet little bakery on Pine in the Fillmore has become a monstrous franchise bonanza that Starbucks was smart enough to acquire and will now turn into a national chain. En route to world conquest, they were smart enough to secure the wasted open floor space under the Emporium dome in the Westfield Shopping Centre and convert it into a trendy-looking cafe that actually fits the space. Well done.

It reminds me a bit of the Bouchon Bakery at the Time Warner Center where they set up a full-fledged restaurant on a third-floor walkway overlooking Columbus Circle. This one looks more like a downtown bar but instead of hipsters nursing bourbon and sevens, there is what looks like the world's longest display counter with a number of baked goods available for ogling and possible purchase. You also get real food like soups, salads, tartines, and grilled sandwiches. Jamie W. and I just stopped by to get a $1.95 bowl of coffee (...so French -see photo) and sat ourselves at the long community table. I have to admit it's quite nice to be sitting under the ornate dome much like the old ladies did when the Emporium had their cafe and tea sandwiches without the crust. That must make me a new millenial old lady.

COFFEE - 4 stars...gee, it didn't taste like Starbucks
AMBIANCE - 5 stars...they did a superb job blending this cafe with the mall and the dome
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...still new, still attentive
TOTAL - 4 stars...definitely worth a stop though I worry how the Starbucks juggernaut will wield its ax

There is another level of fine restaurants on the fourth floor of the Westfield Shopping Center. I like the fourth floor much better than the main food court in the crowded and sometimes stirring basement.

Dining at the new La Boulange reminds me of eating at the Forum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. All the Westfield Center needs now is the movable statues and fiery moving parts of the Atlantis show. "Hey, that is not a bad idea!"

Many of you know that I am a big fan of the homemade granolas made fresh from the restaurant and bakery. And for a quick afternoon snack, I ordered the café's yogurt parfait. For $7.00, I get fresh seasonal fruits, sweet vanilla yogurt and the aforementioned homemade granolas in a pho bowl. The vanilla yogurt mixed with the glazed and crunchy granola excites my taste buds. My yogurt parfait: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/la-boulange-du-dome-san-francisco#_PccyQEQOM9ZzqNrp-rPnQ

I was here during happy hour which starts at 3pm-7pm. I was reading the specials posted near me as I was enjoying my treat. Sign: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/la-boulange-du-dome-san-francisco#GStr6eDjT1srZYt6YA0xQA

I was never a fan of the food court in lower level. But I am relieved that La Boulange has made its way to the downtown mall and away from the busy lower level.

Size and consistency of the macarons in the box of 7 that we got was pretty variable. If they were too light/airy, the guy behind the counter risked smooshing them before they even made it into the box. If they were too big to fit in the box width, the box wouldn't close. So either of those two cases meant try, try again -- only the perfect ones made it into the box. We went with two pistachio, two passion fruit mango, one coconut, one caramel, one coffee flavor. We skipped over the plain chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate hazelnut macarons this time around.

The pistachio, caramel, and coffee macarons were pretty dense, chewy, and a little tough to bite through. Perhaps because they were cold? Flavor-wise they didn't "wow" as much as expected, the coffee one being more bitter from the beans. This comes after the pandan pancakes letdown at Straits, again, why do the green food items (pistachio in this case) seem to disappoint? Expectations too high I suppose. Maybe green tea next time...

The stars of the show, however, were definitely the passion fruit mango beauties. Red on the outside, with passion fruit bits, and real mango filling...perfect consistency and the tropical flavors really yummily transported you to an island somewhere if you closed your eyes. Totally makes sense that the coconut was runner-up only because you have to follow up with a similar tropical theme, and you can't go wrong with toasted coconut. I finished off with the caramel one...Reminded me of a higher class Girl Scout Samoa/Caramel de Lite, if you will...

These were good to satisfy the craving, but in the future will stick to the Passion Fruit Mango macarons if I'm ever back! Nothing beats Ginger Elizabeth's in Sacramento though...mmm...

This bakery is just popping up everywhere!
They had a soft secret opening? Where everything was free *sssshhh*
IT WAS AWESOME! You were allowed a pastry/dessert and an entree of choice. but they were really lenient and we were able to try a bit more.

I tried their...fruit tart- yummy flaky, and fruits were sweet.
their boulange...their specialty sandwich, almost like a blt, with turkey and stuff, very simple, can easily make at home. got a side of chips, salty...not sure what flavor it was...seasalt?

and i came back again but purchased myself, a skinny sandwich $3, and the french onion soup cup $3.

The sandwich was meh, maybe I should have asked for it toasted. the soup was yum, perfect size for a quick lunch. haven't had many onion soups, but this one was decent. guessing all onion soups are a lil oily.

Service was wonderful both times, they're very friendly and quick to help. never making you feel unwelcomed. yes the full meals are a bit pricey but not anymore expensive than the food down in the food court!

If you're getting coffee or an espresso drink, get it 'for here'! I got a large latte and it came in a HUGE soup bowl! So worth it for only $3.50. And it was quite good too - not as good as a place like Sightglass, but definitely better than a lot of cafés! Plus, after walking around and shopping for so long, it's quite relaxing to just sit under the beautiful dome and sip your coffee.

I was tempted to get a macaron since they're only $1.50 each, but a lot of them had cracked and half-destroyed shells and didn't look very fresh. There are typical flavors like chocolate, vanilla, etc. The passion fruit mango one stood out to me the most. Maybe next time!

This place is a great place to hang out and talk but the food could be better. My friend ordered the Coffee Pot de Creme and a box of 7 French Macarons. Her Pot de Creme came in this cute little jar and it was good. The coffee flavor was perfect. I also purchased a box of Macarons so we tasted a couple of different favors. While these Macarons are cheaper that Miette's or other places, they're not as good. It was mostly chewy and soft. I think the texture of the crust is not quite there. It's not overly sweet though so that's a plus. I also ordered an Americano and it was bitter. Not as bitter as Starbucks' coffee, but off-putting nonetheless. Definitely not ordering coffee there next time. Maybe their tea is better. Or I'll just order wine!

They also have happy hour from 3 pm to 6 pm Monday to Friday. They have specials on wine during their HH, so I would definitely go for that when I'm in the area. It's a nice venue to have HH. It's in the middle of the 4th floor right outside of M.Y. China. There is a large chess board on the floor and we saw people playing cheese there. There was also live music. My friend and I really enjoyed sitting there and talking!

La Boulange is a solid chain (Starbucks, since you bought them out, please don't change a thing, thank you). We were a little perplexed at first that they set up this La Boulange in the middle of the floor under The Dome at the San Francisco Shopping Centre, but ok, once it opened and I tried it, I am a-ok with it.

Before going to the gym, I stopped by for a healthy, light smoked tuna salad (my favorite!!) and enjoyed the mall scene and people-watching. They also had an evening dome light show that entertained me twice during my pre-gym meal.

Service was nice. The only pet peeve I have about La Boulange is I have to go get my own utensils before grabbing a table. I always undoubtedly forget and when I'm dining myself this is quite an inconvenience as I need to scramble over there to get my utensils while watching my belongings like a hawk. I wish they would bring a small set of utensils wrapped in a napkin when my meal arrives (just a suggestion).

Inasmuch, I Heart La Boulange and love this location the best so far! Welcome!

My friend & I came here before going to see "For a Good Time, Call" at the movie theatre in the mall. Soo glad she suggested this place. I got the Chocolate Ganache & she got the Palmier. Then she ordered us both the hot chocolate as well. Soo yummy- everything. :)

The ambiance is very nice since it's right under the dome. Just lovely :)

This La Boulange is not like your usual location where it's inside a store, where you can only here background music and chit chat from tables around you. You're sitting under the Dome at Westfield SF Center where there would be half hourly shows projecting on the Dome at night. What's good about the set up of this location is that it's very unique with the shows and you don't feel too clustered. It's very relaxing to sit there and rest your feet from a long day of shopping. The bad thing about an open space is that you'll have a lot of strangers walking behind you and staring at the same show as you are. It kinda makes you wanna be like "hey, I wanna enjoy this space alone!"

Their food is pretty standard.Got your mini sandwiches, got your tarts, got your puffs, got your macarons. I'd say this location is best for an afternoon tea than a lunch. I've had a Goat Cheese and Fruit Tart with a cup (or rather a bowl) of latte. The tart was alright, kinda like a cheesecake with a cookie crust and some colored pears on top. I was expecting it to be more cheesy taste and has a more distinctive goat cheese taste to it. Their bowl of latte is super cute. Mine came with a picture of a dolphin, I believe it's a dolphin. My first thought was that it's finally something other than a damn leaf! It has a strong coffee taste, like a medium blend. Has a good amount of foam for a latte, not extremely milky where I can't taste the coffee. I was very much satisfied.

Staffs here keep the place cleaned, you don't see dishes stacking up too long. Seats are very comfortable with enough room for your shopping bags. Great resting spot!