Food We Love: Hood Famous Bakeshop
And a purple haze cheesecake that will blow your mind
By Chelsea Lin February 6, 2017
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
Meet the humble ube cheesecake, Hood Famous Bakeshop owner Chera Amlag’s nod to a Filipino flavor from childhood that she’s incorporated into her favorite dessert. Ube, for the uninitiated, is a purple yam native to Southeast Asia (you may have tried it locally in Full Tilt’s spectacular ube ice cream). At Hood Famous’ new kitchen (Ballard, 2325½ NW Market St.—entrance on Shilshole Avenue; hoodfamousbakeshop.com), with its tiny retail counter, enthusiastic Instagrammers can finally have easy access to the single-serving purple cakes ($4.99), which Amlag has been baking and selling wholesale to local markets for years. The flavor is subtler than you’d expect from such a vividly colored tuber, reminiscent of good vanilla but with a sweet potato-like earthiness, supported by a tender coconut cookie crust. Hood Famous has other Asian-influenced flavors, too—coconut pandan, white chocolate guava—but I can’t seem to resist that ube hue.
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: “Pho-potle” and Yemeni Cuisine
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
This is it. The week (or two) that you, as a food and drink aficionado, wait for every year. A double whammy of epic portions. Seattle Cocktail Week (April 19-26) and Seattle Restaurant Week (April 19-May 2) are finally here. Let’s start with a beverage Seattle Cocktail Week is your chance to get out and…
Seattle Restaurant Week Is Back
Go out with friends and support local restaurants while you’re at it.
The name still undersells it a little. It lasts two weeks, not one, but it’s a pretty great opportunity to try somewhere new or go back to an old favorite. This spring’s run, April 19-May 2, brings curated menus priced at $20, $35, $50, and $65 to restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, and pop-ups across…
Magical Mollusks
Oysters are one the Northwest’s favorite harvests. The hardworking farmers behind this bounty share a deep appreciation for its source and a personal connection to the processes that yield our food.
It’s hard to describe people who are undeniably connected to the land—often, it’s about a feeling they transmit. Grounded, knowledgeable about their work, and passionate in their care for nature’s resources. Oyster farmers along Hood Canal, like Matthew Macias, give off a certain vibe, as though they have some secret to life that I don’t…
Restaurant Roundup: National Attention and a Sweet Detour
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Just south of Bellingham, the northbound lanes of I-5 have been closed for weeks following a massive landslide, pushing travelers onto Chuckanut Drive (SR 11). If you’ve got the time, we’re here to encourage you to embrace the detour and take the sugary scenic route, so to speak. Along the way, you’ll find plenty of…