REVIEW: Tree Story Bakery & Cafe (Duluth, GA)

Hey readers,

Just like the recent influx of Korean BBQ restaurants popping up in Gwinnett, the same goes for Korean-owned bakeries. While strong contenders such as White Windmill and Mozart have made a name for themselves in this area, new contenders such as Hansel & Gretel, Tree Story and Tous Les Jous (H-Mart Suwanee) are all battling it out to be the newest & best Korean bakery in the area. Some may think that competition is a bad thing, but personally, I see it as a good thing. It brings out the competitiveness in these bakeries to not only make the best baked goods compared to their competition, but to also offer it at affordable prices. 

Tree Story is located in the H-Mart shopping center on Pleasant Hill Road. Don't be confused like me though, there's actually TWO Tree Story bakeries in the same shopping center. Weird? I definitely think so. To this day, I'm still not quite sure as to why you would have the same bakery twice in one area, but hey, if it works out for them, that's all that matters. Anyways, Tree Story 1 (?) is located where the White Windmill Bakery used to be, in that exact same section of the plaza (next to Book Chang Tofu House), while Tree Story 2 is located to the right of H-Mart, next to Lotus Vietnamese cuisine. I'm assuming the owner of the White Windmill wanted to lose the franchise name and open a bakery with a name he/she enjoys, hence Tree Story. Regardless, this place is a new winner in my book.

Let's get started:

☂Tree Story's storefront-there's actually TWO (2) Tree Story bakeries in the H-Mart (Pleasant Hill) shopping center. One is next to the H-Mart, the other is where the old White Windmill bakery used to be

☂Beautiful cakes

☂Spacious interior part I

☂Interior part II

☂Main bread area-Large glass display featuring "warm" breads not pictured

☂Adorable graphics-I am in LOVE!

☂Rainbow Roll ($1.59): yes, I had to get it because of how pretty it looked!

☂Chocolate chip cookies ($1.99)

☂HUGE Chocolate croissant ($2.09)

☂FOOD (3.5/5): Please don't get me wrong, the rating ONLY pertains to the three items I purchased above. Once I go back and get a taste of their other pastries and breads, then I'll adjust it accordingly. Where to begin? At first, I only purchased the rainbow roll because of the color, but having tasted it, it was definitely the BEST choice as it was my favorite item! (As part of their grand opening special, it's being offered for $9.99/roll-BARGAIN!) The bread was delicately moist and had different flavors (brown-mocha, green-green tea, pink-strawberry, and yellow-vanilla) combined into one, with that fluffy light whipped cream layer in between it all, it was great all the way around. I'm like a little kid at heart, so I had a blast eating the roll by it's color and pulling away! The chocolate chip cookies were a huge disappointment, in my opinion. While they were quite large and had an abundance of chocolate chips baked into it, it was too hard and too crunchy. How do you mess up chocolate chip cookies is the question? I have no idea, but these received a rating of 1/5-it had absolutely no chew to it and felt like I was biting into a rock. Unfortunately, these met my trash can faster than you could say "hi." Lastly, was the chocolate croissant. Don't let this picture fool you, these were enormous and greatly priced. It's the inside that made me go "really, now?" To my dismay, there was little to no chocolate chips inside. You would think it's full of chocolate inside especially being so puffed up, but it's more of an illusion than it is reality. It was empty inside, I could actually count the amount of chocolate chips that were inside (23 to be exact). For a croissant of its size, that is nowhere near enough chips to even be considered "enough." If it had been a normal, buttery croissant, it was delicious. Buttery & flaky, but I could definitely not have passed this off as a chocolate croissant by any means. 

☂SERVICE (2/5): Of all the male employees I encountered there on my visit, they weren't particularly friendly. Since my sister's birthday is coming up around the corner, I wanted to ask how many days in advance we needed to put in an order. He said "two" and just quickly walked away, as if I had been bothering him. The checkout line wasn't efficient either, there were two registers, and I was the third person in line. It took at least ten minutes for me to reach the front of the line and to pay-I wasn't really sure what the hold up was, considering the customers in front of me didn't order any drinks or shaved ice desserts. It could have simply been the fact that they were in their late teens, fashionably dressed, and trying to have an all out conversation, denoting the fact that people are waiting to pay-but who knows? The reason why I didn't rate this experience a 0/5 is because an older lady, whom I'm assuming is the owner came out and personally handed me a basket for my breads, in addition to asking if I needed any help or recommendations. She was nice :).

☂DECOR (5/5): The store itself is gorgeously decorated. The space is enormous, clean and bright. As soon as you walk in, the smell of freshly baked bread tingles your nose. Then, your eyes start to wonder. There's a large bar-like area with an assortment of breads in the center, two refrigerated glass displays of beautifully designed cakes, swiss rolls and french macaron sets. The main attraction here I would say is the extended open display of baked breads (not on the center counter), usually warm items. For example, breads with hot dogs, cheeses and other meats are featured here, and are under what seems to be heat lamps. The addition of that light made it seem as if the heavens were opening up and calling my name. The decor and atmosphere of this bakery though, is unlike any I've seen in Duluth or BuHi in a very long long time. It's lively (with music playing), loud, bustling, bright and very inviting. In addition, it's very whimsical and charming-light fixtures are hanging from the ceiling, adorable sketched cartoons everywhere, and a 20 ft. wide painted canvas of a tree with colorful animals, it's easy to get lost in translation here. And last but not least, you can't help but notice the tedious & elegant handwritten menus of various drinks, desserts, and sandwiches they offer here. There's always specials, so check it out! :)

Overall, of all the Korean bakeries I've ever been too, I'd have to say my new favorite is Tree Story. The environment, decor, and extensive selection of freshly baked breads is more than I've ever seen at any bakery in BuHi or Duluth. While I may have to skip on the desserts/cookies here having found my new love of Art's Bakery, I can't say no to some scratch-made cream filled bbahng (bread in Korean) every now and then. Since I wasn't too big of a fan of the items I purchased this visit, I'll have to revisit this post once I go and try out more goods from their vast selection. With so many breads to choose from, you're bound to find something you'll love!

Thanks for stopping by,

-Sandy

 

FTC: I was not paid or compensated for this review. All reviews and opinions expressed are my own.