Too good to be Chu

When it comes to new openings in Perth, I think just about everyone I know was talking about Chu Bakery. It's a small little venue with no real seating except a waiting bench but there's a counter laden with pastries and shelves full of bread; coffee continually pumped out to waiting customers. Yes, this place smells as good as you probably imagine.

I first visited Chu Bakery on it's opening day to grab some baked goods for takeaway. Looking over the menu I couldn't help but also order a serving of the sourdough toast with prosciutto, pear and brie ($7.00) - can you really blame me? 

I was really impressed by this. The house baked bread is delicious and clearly fresh, with a nice flavour. The toppings worked well together between the sweetness of the fruit, the melt-in-your-mouth salt kick from the pork and the oh so creamy cheese. What really impressed me though was the generous hand in seasoning - it was absolutely spot on. 

It was just the thing to enjoy while looking out at the serene view of Hyde Park which the bakery faces. Definitely a fantastic location which makes up for the lack of seating. 

Knowing my love for choux pastry treats I was really keen to try their offering. Luckily for me, while they'd sold out of most things, I was able to get a couple of their profiteroles and one of their eclairs to enjoy with Jeremy later that night. It's always nice knowing you have something sweet to look forward to on a night in on the couch!

We started things off with the praline eclair ($5.50). It's a small size but I prefer this over the gargantuan ones you can find at other venues. The choux was light, but a little soggy sadly - it needed just ab it more time in the oven to dry out and get that lovely hollow shell that makes it so delicious. The filling though was creamy and not overly sweet, a good contrast to the rich chocolate on top.

The matcha choux puff ($5.20) looked amazing, especially with that perfectly piped icing. Once again I thought the pastry was a little soggy but the filling and surprise jelly centre were sweet and light - a really nice spin on a standard cream filled version. 

For me, the chocolate choux puff with rose jelly was the winner of the three sweets. The flavour combination of chocolate and jelly and contrast of textures made this a favourite for us. I love a delicate hand with rose, it can be such a lovely treat!

On my next trip back to Chu Bakery one morning I decided to try another of their toast options. While the hummus with cucumber was calling my name, I opted for the avocado, whipped feta, chill and seeds ($6.50) on toasted sourdough. 

OH. MY. GOD. This is easily one of the best breakfast dishes I've had full stop! The flavour was so full bodied and addictive with that creamy cheese and avocado combination, the punchy sriracha sauce and the plethora of pepita, pumpkin and sesame seeds. So, so, sooooo good! I'm not sure I'd be able to get past ordering this again next time I pay them a visit. 

Because I'm greedy, I knew that I couldn't just order savoury while there - sweet always calls my name too. The strawberry and cream tart ($5.50) looked beautiful and simple, so I thought it was just the thing.

For me, the pastry was cooked absolutely spot on. Short, crumbly but still maintaining it's structure as I munched away it was the ideal platform. The anglaise inside was sadly too sweet for me, which made the tart a bit cloying - though for people who love their sugar hit they'd probably find this just the thing to make their day.

My final visit to Chu Bakery was to grab some croissants early one morning for my boy and I. I used to love almond croissants back in the day but I have to admit they don't feature as prominently anymore on my dining list. Seeing that they have a raspberry version and a kaya version ($5.20) I was sold straight away. 

I love kaya - that coconut flavour hooks me in every time and it went well with the beautifully flaky and buttery croissant. For me, these croissants demonstrated the most skilled baking we'd tried so far there - I was so impressed! The raspberry version was vivid and enticing, with sweet jam filling in the centre. Again, this was a really solid offering and I was happy to munch away until every flaky piece was devoured.

It's so great to have another local business open up in Perth with offerings like this. While some of their items didn't quite blow me away, all up I thought that there are some real standouts like the toast options and the croissants. I'm definitely looking forward to eating my way through the rest of their menu! It's a hard life, but someone has to do it huh! :)