Baguettes, rye bread, pastries, honey cake – three artisan bakers in Hong Kong whose loaves and Viennoiserie fly off the shelves
- From Latvian rye bread at vegan bakery Mayse to classic European pastries at Plumcot, these artisan bakers know their canelés from their croissants
- They only use the best ingredients, and customers queue up to grab their breads, cakes, and pastries fresh from the oven
Understandably, after a year of staying at home, baking has never been more popular. Instagram and other social media feeds are filled with pictures of sourdough starters, twisted babkas and iced cupcakes. But even with so many people baking at home, commercial bakeries are still busy.
Swiss baker Gregoire Michaud, who spent 15 years leading the pastry team at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central, Hong Kong, recently opened a second outlet of his hugely popular Bakehouse. The queues at the SoHo branch are as long as those at the original Wan Chai location, and are testament to his beautiful breads and pastries.
Michaud explains the draw of baking bread when times are hard. “Bakeries have always been the heart of villages, from ancient times. It brings people together, the comfort of feeling safe. We have seen it in so many conflicts around the world and now this pandemic – bread is a staple that feeds the body and the soul.”
While Bakehouse and places like New York import Dang Wen Li, by another superstar baker, Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel, go from strength to strength (Dang Wen Li opened a pop-up in the upscale IFC Mall in Central), Hong Kong has dozens of smaller and lesser-known artisan bakeries with their own signature creations.
One is Mayse Artisan Bakery in the small, picturesque village of Tai Mei Tuk beside Plover Cove reservoir in the northeastern New Territories beyond Tai Po. Adjacent to popular cycle tracks, it’s the definition of a friendly neighbourhood spot.