Taiwanese Bakery Zeroll Rolls Back Into Sanlitun With New Items and Several Shades of Pink

Taiwanese bakery Zeroll first opened in the summer of 2016 (check our first impression here), then closed for a couple of months, before reopening last month in the same Sanlitun Soho space with a new (very pink) decor which certainly helps it stick out among the concrete and glass office buildings.

This upgraded Zeroll keeps the baking area in the back while adding a large non-bread related area for online influencers and teenage girls to take pictures. What does such a thing look like exactly? Well, a tiny tub apparently; a tub only large enough for a puppy to take a shower in and filled with white and pink balls, matching flamingo toys, and lots of Peppa Pig related products (including a Peppa-shaped bread) because Peppa's so in right now. They've also added a Qiaocha milk tea shop to provide a selection of cheese fruit teas.

Continuing on their mission to bake healthy bread with no added preservatives, there are a number of new items, such as dirty buns, cinnamon rings, and coconut bread with durian. The cinnamon ring (RMB 26) was solid, springy, and flavorful, thanks to a generous sprinkling of raisins, walnuts, and diced apple. With an added abundance of cinnamon and sugar, it was like eating a Christmas cake in summer – an experience we'd heartily recommend.

The cherry bread (RMB 18), however, although looking like a sweet version of a hotdog, or a breadier version of éclair, was neither gluey, stretchy, and a slog to get through. We assume that they didn’t have enough time for the proofing the dough, and to compound the problem, the whipped cream was sickly sweet and the cherries were of the not particularly enjoyable preserved kind. Based on the online reviews, netizens also complained that “the new bread is more like eye candy," adding "we prefer the original options.”

All in all, we are happy that Zeroll is back but we'd suggest avoiding the less than edible looking items, instead opting for the classic, more humble ones.

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang