Food We Love: On a Roll

Impossibly pretty desserts making clever use of Asian ingredients—most famously a green tea tiramisu—are what Hiroki (Green Lake, 2224 N 56th St.; 206.547.4128; hiroki.us) owner and chef Hiroki Inoue has built his reputation on. But on weekends, Inoue leaves his offset spatula in the drawer, his piping bag on the shelf, and he bakes just what we’re craving on a drizzly, blustery Sunday morning: yeasty, unfussy, still-warm-from-the-oven orange rolls ($3). Slivers of almonds and orange-rind-flecked glaze are all that adorn the buns. In fact, next to the ornate, picture-perfect mille feuille (thousand-layer cake), they look almost naked. But once you sink your teeth into the sweet, fragrant roll, you’ll notice Inoue’s careful touch: Somehow he’s made every inch of the spiral (even the always-bready outer layer) as tender and moist as the coveted middle.