There is something about a good bakery which creates the equivalent of Beatlemania among Sydneysiders. We’ve enjoyed barmy Bourke Street (and Brasserie Bread), sensational Sonoma, then came Iggy’s bread with queues bigger than a supersized wrap. The latest bread on the block has been created by co-owner and master baker Gili Gold whose expansion across Sydney is a rise to stardom faster than you can say puff pastry.
Bake Bar has expanded from its Randwick roots, opening across town with Alexandria and now its largest venture, Double Bay. It’s no surprise that Gili’s popularity is soaring given her delight for developing beautiful produce for her customers and a relentless focus on all things organic, sustainable and local. Her love of baking came from time in the kitchen with her grandma. Today she not only has baking qualifications under her belt but an empire where the number of recipes are into triple digits – all the result of painstaking research and testing; often with over 100 trials till the moment of perfection arrives (that’s a lot almond croissants eaten…)
Perhaps it’s no surprise that on a sunny Saturday morning, the place is packed. Be warned – weekends go crazy thanks to a cult-like following for “morning brioche” and a Sundays’ only rule for carrot and pepita bread. Glass cabinets are brimming with drool-worthy sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Grab a table and a Gusto coffee then tuck into a breakie combo of crunchy granola, mixed berry compote and yoghurt or opt for healthy scrambled egg whites with sautéed mushrooms & spinach.
If lunch is your thing chose the tuna nicoise – fresh grilled tuna, topped with an almost oozy poached egg, potato and kale licked with a harrisa dressing or indulge in a knockout chicken schnitzel burger (free range of course), freshly crumbed and stacked with roasted peppers, avocado and served on a soft bun with the right amount of give and take.
Bring a bag to take home a multigrain sourdough, whole-wheat bagels and perhaps a flourless pear and almond cupcake. Gluten free friends rejoice as the range is growing fast!
It’s hard to know when passion for perfection borders on the obsessive, but Bake Bar is a great example of a business which cares about the environment, the food we put in our bodies and so it’s a healthy obsession worth indulging in.
BakeBar
Shop 15, 451 New South Head Road
Double Bay
02 9328 3213
Monday- Sunday: 6am- 6pm
