Kulture Kaiwa

I don’t get to Melbourne as often as I’d like but you can bet that when I do make it over there, it’s all about the food. My top priority: a delightful pastry to accompany a world famous cup of Melbourne barista brew, what more could you want?

Bakemono Bakers

I first came across this alleyway bakery on Google Maps where the name caught my eye. You see, bakemono refers to a type of shape-shifting yokai or monster in Japanese folklore, so I knew this place was either run by Japanese people or inspired in some way by Japan. Either way, my curiosity was peaked.

I joined the calm morning line of city-goers in the typical dreary Melbourne weather that had left the pavement shiny from early rain. As I inched closer to the Japanese style wooden framed doorway, the heavenly scent of freshly baked laminated pastry wafted out and into my nose leaving my knees weak. Stepping inside, I was immediately plagued with decision paralysis as my eyes flicked back and forth between each of the perfectly shaped and filled pastries lined up along the bench with a lovely young Japanese woman standing patiently behind it. After a slight brain aneurism, I finally settled on the blueberry custard danish. I walked out with a generously brick-sized pastry in hand and a satisfied grin on my face.

When I say this pastry was huge, I mean it was HUGE. Admiring the impressive layers of lamination around the edges, I eagerly battled to fit my mouth around it. The pastry had a lovely buttery taste and was the perfect level of flakiness for me – soft and fluffy in the centre and crisp on the outside. The custard was creamy and the bountiful pile of fresh blueberries were plump, juicy, and sweet. The best part, though, was the chunks of crumble that had been baked into the top of the danish edges. This pastry ticked every box of flavour, sweetness, and texture balance for me and I dreamed of it upon return to Perth.

Bakemono Bakers

273 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Open Mon – Fri 7:30am – 3pm

Open Sat & Sun 8:30am – 3pm

Small Batch Roasting Co

Just a short stroll from the famous Queen Victoria Market you’ll find an open garage door leading to some of the best pastries and sandos in Melbourne. This cool warehouse vibe cafe offers amazing cups of coffee alongside the likes of fruit danishes, choc-loaded cookies, stunning croissants, and stuffed sourdough sandwiches.

I was first attracted to this place because of how consistently beautiful their pastries looked in photographs. As a pastry chef I know how much work goes into getting that kind of consistency so I knew I’d be in for a real treat. And the sandwiches? My word, those are something else, but I’ll leave that for another blog post. We’re here to talk about pastries.

If I see the words elderflower or Earl Grey on a dessert, odds are I’m going to buy it. Small Batch Roasting Co. has a rotating seasonal fruit danish and when I went in last November, they had this gorgeous strawberry danish with elderflower cream and lemon verbena. The floral flavours paired perfectly with the tart strawberries and buttery pastry that held it all together. I halved this one with my friend but I could have happily and messily devoured the whole thing alone.

Small Batch Roasting Co

3-9 Little Howard St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

Open Mon – Fri 7:30am – 4pm

Open Sat 8am – 2pm, Closed Sun

Tarts Anon

I didn’t think I was a big tart person, until I visited Tarts Anon. I love everything about what Gareth Whitton and Catherine Way are doing here. Every tart that Whitton pumps out is so precise and elegant that you may be fooled into thinking it is a simple affair. But on the contrary, the amount of creativity and detail that goes into each of the tart flavours and development is beyond impressive. Every bite delivers on flavour and uniqueness and the pastry bases? PERFECTION.

For years I hated bakery tarts – the tart shells were always too soft and stodgy, often sitting sad in the fridges a day or two old, sometimes pulled out of a premade box and full of preservatives, usually full of packet mix custard that I do. not. like. But the pastry bases here are perfectly crisp and crumbly with a delicious buttery flavour that pleases my soul and the brulee’d custard was silky, smooth and creamy.

While the sweet versions were undeniably delicious, it was the smoked potato and chorizo tart that took out gold here for me. The flavour combo and the look of it’s layers were so unique that I had to try it and holy cow, that tart deserves a shop of it’s own. Inspired by the Spanish dish patatas bravas, the bottom layer is a quiche-like savoury cake topped with a tomato jam and finished with a smoooooth, creamy potato custard and crispy bread and potato flakes – a true savoury heaven.

Sadly, the production site in Cremorne is closing due to demolition and changes in the area but Whitton has assured their cult followers that it is not the end. You can still head to their stores or make preorders until the end of April and word is a new location is already in the works, so keep your eyes peeled!

Tarts Anon Cremorne

29a Gwynne Street Cremorne, VIC 3121

Open Mon – Fri 8am – 2:30pm

Open Sat & Sun 9am – 3:30pm

Tarts Anon Collingwood

44 Sackville Street Collingwood, VIC 3066

Open Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun 9am – 3:30pm

Open Wed & Fri 8am – 2:30pm

Agathé Patisserie

A long standing patisserie in the city, Agathé Patisserie has been serving traditional French pastries from a French IT consultant turned pastry chef since 2016. On my second trip to Melbourne, I knew this place was a sure fire option for a satisfying croissant.

I eyed off the curious, bright green pandan croissants for a good few minutes before settling on a classic pain au chocolat, cursing my limited stomach space for the day and swearing I’d try the pandan on another visit. I didn’t regret my choice in the slightest. The chocolate croissant from Agathé is everything you want it to be – buttery, soft, flakey, crispy with beautifully melty chocolate innards, perfect for dipping into a cup of coffee. If you’re after a classic French pastry, done well and free from unnecessary flare, then this a must visit for your trip to Melbourne.

Agathé Patisserie Royal Arcade

Shop 49A Royal Arcade, 3000 CBD Melbourne VIC

Open Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun 8am – 4pm

Agathé Patisserie South Melbourne Market

322 Coventry St, South Melbourne VIC 3205

Open Tue – Fri 8:30am – 3pm

Open Sat & Sun 9:30am – 4pm

Raya

This unique bakery on Little Collins Street has a wide range of baked goodies paying homage to the flavours and desserts of Southeast Asia. I’m such a fan of the popular East vs West twist that occurs in Melbourne because I think the countries of the West have wonderfully refined techniques and the world of Asia is pumped with flavours fuller than a modern age upperclass woman’s lips. It’s the perfect marriage for food in my opinion and Raya is a testament to that.

Run by Instagram sensation Raymond Tan, you can find cakes, tarts, and pastries in flavours like ube, pandan, matcha, and more. They also sell more traditional desserts like kueh and, during Autumn, exotic flavoured mooncakes. My pick for here, though, is a savoury option – their Malaysian chicken curry puff. I grew up on Filipino-style curry puffs as a kid and – warning: unpopular opinion coming – I preferred them over lumpia (spring rolls). Maybe it’s because their appearance was more rare at parties than lumpia, but I was obsessed with that thick, buttery pastry filled with curry spiced meat and veggies. Now I’m about to make a second controversial statement… I mighhtttt like the Malaysian version better.

Now hear me out, I would still happily down 10 Filipino curry puffs, no doubt about it, but there’s just something about that flaky Malay pastry that tickles my arm hairs. The Malaysian version has a laminated pastry of water and oil doughs that gives it that spiralled, flaky texture that our Filipino version just doesn’t have. There’s a time and a place for both. The time for the Malaysian puff is now, and the place, Raya.

Raya

Shop 2/61 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Open Mon – Fri 8am – 3pm

Open Sat & Sun 9:30am – 3pm