SamSoonYi Bakery - Tustin

I needed bread. Some simple, cheap, factory-baked wheat sandwich slices would do. I was inside Freshia, my local Korean grocer, one afternoon when I realized I did. But after weaving through aisle after aisle and coming up empty, I asked the stock guy, a Latino man who was unloading a box of ramyun, "Where do you keep your Wonder Bread?"

"Oh, we don't stock bread here. But you should try the bakery up front. They have excellent bread!"

So I did. And boy, was he right. SamSoonYi, which rents out the space in the market, bakes a moist, flavorful sandwich loaf that we loved so much, we've bought nothing else since. Sara Lee, Wonder, Roman Meal, you can all kiss off. This bread, this simple half loaf, costing $2.75, has become my pantry standard.

Like I said, it's ultra-moist. So moist, in fact, that if you stand it on its side, the slices fall under the dampness of its own weight. Touch the surface and you can feel the moisture. And the flavor? It's unlike factory brands in that it has it. The taste is bright, salty, evocative of something homemade.

It makes great breakfast toast. To tell you the truth, I haven't tried using it for a sandwich, since I like it plain with a pat of butter. I had it the other day with Spam and eggs.

I would imagine other local bakeries, 85 Degrees C, for instance, would have a similar product. If you're reading this and you're not within three miles of the Freshia in Tustin, I wouldn't go out of the way to get it. Find your own local Korean or Asian bakery.

Besides that, SamSoonYi seems to only bake a half dozen or so at a time. Last Sunday, I got the last of two loaves. So I'm saying this last part more as selfish plea than anything: if you do end up here and find they've only got two left, leave me the last one, will ya?

SamSoonYi Bakery (Inside Freshia Market)
(714)7340-8656
14551 Red Hill Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780

THIS WEEK ON OC WEEKLY:
Harry's Deli - Irvine