The French are obsessive about the quality of their food. In fact, Paris hosts an annual competition to determine ‘Le Meilleur Baguette de Paris’ or the best baguette in the city. To relive my culinary memories, I’m always on the lookout for a French bakery. Fortunately, Pinwheel Cafe and Bakery opened up in Torrance.
Pinwheel Cafe and Bakery is located in the Rolling Hills Plaza. It took over the space of another French bakery, L’Amande. The inside is modern with a lot of indirect light. Their operation is totally transparent as they have large glass partitions and windows that allow you to watch them make their baked goods.
cappuccino, apricot & peach tart, ham & cheese croissant
I ordered a few things to eat there: ham & cheese croissant, apricot and peach tart and a small cappuccino. The person behind the counter gave me a number to place on the table and I took a seat.
The exterior of the ham and cheese croissant was flakey as expected. Biting into it, it was a bit hard but that may have been due to the melted cheese because there were only two thin slices of ham inside. The ham was high quality and extremely lean.
On the other hand, the apricot and peach fruit tart was outstanding. The crust was buttery in flavor and it crumbled as I took each bite. The peach and the apricot were the perfect pairing for this delicious fruit tart.
I was happy that they offered a small cappuccino as I wasn’t in the mood to drink a large one. It was smooth and mellow and I wouldn’t categorize this as being ‘bold’ in flavor.
As I frequently do, I purchased a number of things to share with my family.
My impressions:
- Blueberry scone: crunchy exterior, soft inside. The perfect consistency for a scone.
- Croissant: buttery flaky and falls apart at each bite. Very good, but not the best in LA.
- Pain au chocolat: same buttery consistency. Very good.
- Pear & Slivered Almond Tart: crust was excellent. I’m not sure I would combine pears and almonds.
Given the holiday, I had to get some of their Fourth of July macarons. They were soft and tasty on the outside and had a delicious vanilla creme inside.
The loot I brought home from Pinwheel Cafe and Bakery
Fourth of July Macarons
I like the fact that they have good signage. In fact, they place updates on their items of the day and indicate when they will be ready. For example, the quiche was due out of the oven at 8:30 a.m. and the bread du jour was due at 9:00 a.m.
I also purchased a single baguette not thinking about how we would eat that. I leave that up to my wife’s imagination. The next morning she sliced pieces along the long side of the baguette and used them to make French toast.
In addition to the baked goods available, they have a nice variety of breakfast items such as quiche, omelettes, sandwiches and the classic croque monsieur and croque madam.
Pinwheel Cafe and Bakery
Rolling Hills Plaza
2553 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505
https://www.pinwheelcafebakery.com/