Matcha lattes served at Third Culture Bakery in Walnut Creek
Are you ready for mochi doughnuts, matcha lattes and a rainbow “dream-state” interior?
Third Culture Bakery has finally unveiled its first cafe concept — and fourth location — in downtown Walnut Creek.
“After many pandemic-related delays, not being able to buy building materials, manufacturers not making equipment and countless staffing shortages preventing us getting our permits or work completed, our team has been through hoops of fire getting this newest shop PERFECT and ready for you,” the Berkeleybased owners — queer Asian immigrants and life partners Wenter Shyu and Sam Butarbutar — said in an email.
Third Culture Bakery’s famous mochi muffins and doughnuts are made with Californiagrown mochiko rice flour from Koda Farms, organic butter and a house-made blend of pandan and coconut milk. The cafe, the first of its kind for this small yet growing Bay Area brand, will feature seasonal matcha desserts and sparkling iced matcha drinks made with a special roasted ceremonial matcha.
As Shyu told the Bay Area News Group back in May, the 700-square-foot shop is meant to help you temporarily forget the troubles of 2020 and evoke a dream state, with floor-to-ceiling holographic prism windows that reflect different colors throughout the day and interior walls wrapped in shiny chrome vinyl to make guests feel as though they are immersed in pink light.
“2020 was such a (expletive) year that we want everyone to dream inside a Third Culture shop and forget about reality,” they said in an email. “Entering a parallel universe with blurry chrome reflections and be immersed in different rainbow lights all around you as you sip dreamy matcha drinks.”
DETAILS >> 1310 S. California Blvd., Walnut Creek; thirdculturebakery.com
San Jose welcomes Slater’s burgers, bacon and brews
Slater’s is bringing the bacon to the Bay Area.
A lot of it.
The Slater’s 50/50 restaurant group — named for its signature burger, a 50% ground bacon and 50% ground beef patty — will open its first Northern California restaurant at Oakridge Mall in San Jose.
Founded in 2009 in Anaheim Hills by Scott Slater, a San Diego State University graduate, the company currently has seven restaurants in SoCal (with Torrance and Covina coming soon), one in Denver and one in Las Vegas. BusinessInsider.com named it the best burger in California in 2015.
Over-the-top creations dominate the menu. There’s the Porka-Palooza, a feast with chicharron, bacon kettle corn, sweetand-sour pork “wings” and crispy pork belly with jalapeñobacon jam; the BBB Burger, with bacon American cheese, thickcut bacon, sunny side up egg and bacon island dressing on a brioche bun; and the Happy Happy Birthday Shake, a funfetti shake