Love Bread?
 

I just discovered a terrific new artisan bread shop just opened in Pearl Hill / Tanjung Bungah, Penang.

THE BAKING GARAGE
No. 45, Lebuh Lembah Permai 4

Afternoons are better when more bread has been baked.
The range is quite small at the moment. But boy is it yummy!
It’s open till 9pm. Closed Fridays.

It’s a bit tricky to find. In my view it’s really on Lebuh Lembah Permai 1, in the shop lots that are on the right hand side as you go up towards Alila Homes, i.e. back to back with Lebuh Lembah Permai 4 (where the IWA has an office). Facing the hills it’s located on the top left corner of the shop lots. Note that there's no big shop signage yet – it’s only been open a couple of weeks.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Interesting. Thanks JC. Good to have a bread thread :p

Re: Love Bread?
 

Oh no, dead ahead a dreaded bread thread to be read.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Thanks, I like the bread Jason sells in Gusto at the foot of Pearl Hill. Unfortunately he only has fresh bread on Thursday and Saturday and it sells out fast so this is a good alternative.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Hi,

Please note The Baking Garage's opening hours are:
5pm - 9pm
Closed Fridays.
So, yes, it's only open in the evenings.
Hope that changes soon.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Re: Love Bread? The PERFECT Croissant
 

Here in Penang, I’m still searching for the perfect butter croissant for breakfast.

I want it lovingly constructed with layers of fine thin pastry.
I want that classic horn shape.
I want that telltale greasy film it leaves on your fingers.
I want a crusty exterior.
I want a soft and honeycombed interior with lots of space.
I want it to resist a little when I tear off the corner.
I want to hear the sweet, crisp crunchy sound when I’m biting into it.
I want to taste the flavour of the butter melting out on my tongue.
I want that subtle taste of salt.
I want the smell of creamy butter.
Oh, and I want crumbs.

It’s not too much to ask, is it?

I’ve tried Continental Bakery, Rainbow Bakery, Four Seasons Bakery, La Boheme, La Croisette, and many more…

It’s here somewhere. But where?

Please tell. I promise not to eat them all.

JC3

Re: Love Bread? The PERFECT Croissant
 

Sadly, probably. How about a vacation en France?

I suppose you've tried all these?
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/p...ssant/l-penang

Re: Love Bread? The PERFECT Croissant
 

Hi BB

Thanks for the link
I'm really looking to buy plain croissants to take home, not filled croissants to eat in a cafe though

France is a bit far to go for a croissant
But then I could stock up on cheese and...and...

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Maybe Alliance Francaise can help?

Re: Love Bread?
 

JC3
Hope to be in Penang by the end of the year. If you can manage your cravings till then, I can put some in my case for you. Fresh from our local boulangerie. Not sure If they travel well.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Thanks for your very kind offer Anbar, I'm salivating just thinking about it!
But butter croissants are best eaten on the day of baking. They don't tend to store or travel very well. Please enjoy one for me, instead.

So the search for a Penang bakery is on, i.e. so that I can buy fresh from the original source.

Think I might have spotted something on Anson Road...

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Just a thought.....have you tried Adventist bakery? Got a feeling I saw some in there the other day. Of course their bread and rolls are fab....and fresh.

Re: Love Bread?
 

That's a good idea. Thanks.
I'll have a look. I'd forgotten all about Adventist bakery - not been there for ages.
Whilst we're talking about Pulau Tikus - I discovered a good modern Italian restaurant there the other day. Next to the DHL office, it's called Markus.
Apparently it's been open about six months.

Food, presentation & service were great. AirCon was a bit chilly.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Adventist bakery is quite an Aladdin's Cave. If you venture beyond the bread section, there's all sorts of spices, oats, oils and jars of stuff. Can find all,sorts of things

Re: Love Bread?
 

JC3
Under the Geneva Convention This is classed as "Cruel and unusual punishment"
It Was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Re: Love Bread?
 

Ha, ha.
C'est vrai.
Merci bien monsieur !

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Have you thought about making your own? It takes a good 24 hours for the folding/turning and resting of the dough, but if you get it right homemake croissants are heavenly. I made 12 yesterday - 4 plain, 4 cheese and 4 chocolate. :)

Re: Love Bread?
 

Have you thought about making your own?

Hi Dorothy,

Make my own croissants?! If my children could only hear you now...tears of laughter - cooking is beyond me!
I couldn't even boil an egg properly. Until that is, I discovered the Malaysian foolproof soft boiled egg cooker.
See: Foolproof Soft Boiled Egg Cooker | A Table For Two

If you get it right homemake croissants are heavenly.

I'm falling for you....

I made 12 yesterday - 4 plain, 4 cheese and 4 chocolate.

Smitten!

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Off Topic,
For a more scientific approach on egg boiling, see:
Kunsten å koke et egg - Kjemisk institutt
and for explanation:
The Egg Cooking Calculator Uses Math to Help You Boil the Perfect Egg

There is even a timer included!

Re: Love Bread?
 

:ban:

Re: Love Bread?
 

I have to agree home baked are the best but when I realised how much butter I was spreading on at each fold decided it would be kinder on my arteries to avoid them.

Then again, latest research suggests that full fat milk and butter are back on the good food list. Maybe time to fire up the oven again.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Ah... I think it's the comparison with margarine. We were all led to believe that margarine is better for you than butter, but now we know that margarine is full of chemical crap, and butter is more "natural".

So much of this stuff though. Now it's Eggs. They used to say to limit how many eggs you eat per week. Now they're saying eat tons of 'em :(

Re: Love Bread?
 

A friend just told me about a new place. It's close to Infinity / Tanjung Beach Condo. Called Croisette Cafe. Oh yes and FRESH CROISSANTS JC3. Looks like a nice place for lunch actually. You can read a bit about it on this blog here:
 Croisette Cafe, Tanjung Tokong – Délicieux Homestyle French Dining — Penang Food, Penang Travel and Penang Lifestyle

I think a couple of my chums were thinking of having lunch there today, so I may be able to give you some input from the horse's mouth later, so to speak.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Just a PS on the above. My chums went there today and had the Set French Lunch. RM 30 I believe. Seen the photos. Looks like fabulous food there. Better keep this place in business.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Hi,

Yes I know Croisette Cafe.
I like their baguettes and their hot chocolate for breakfast. And their pate.
I believe the baguette dough comes from the Baking Garage.
The croissants at Croisette rate 7/10 IMHO, and are available to take away - but generally there's only a few, and sometimes none. They might bake their croissants themselves, I'm not sure.
I've not seen Pierre (the owner/chef) cooking there himself on my last two visits - I think he may have delegated the task. This has put me off a bit, as did the smallest glass of white wine I've ever been served in my life when I went there for dinner recently! A better bet might be to take your own bottle. I think corkage is RM35.

The set lunch menu is good value. I thought dinner was expensive for what we had, or rather that for the same expense I'd rather go somewhere else.


JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Oh OK....what a shame.

I saw pics of some fine looking pork pate and nice bread. Maybe the bread came from t'other place too. And a nice looking ham baguette. Proper ham.

Re: Love Bread? The PERFECT Croissant
 

Well, up until today I thought Four Seasons Bakery's butter croissants set the benchmark in Penang, even if they are a bit pricey.

But today I think I found them. Not quite the perfect butter croissant, but pretty close. A tad on the small side perhaps, but then only RM2.95 each.

Where?

Sorry, but it's a secret for now. That's because the baker only had four croissants left by midday and two of those were reserved for another customer, so only two for me.

I could hardly get them home quick enough. A little butter, some English ham....yummy. It's made my day.

I think I might go back early tomorrow.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Went back to the Baking Garage in Tanjung Bungah yesterday evening for some of their delicious sourdough bread. As I was paying, fresh out of the oven came a tray of focaccia bread, too hot to cut. It’s a cruel world. I left, got in the car, hummed and harred, got out the car, salivated some more and went back. Very glad I did. Tasty. (Address above)


Also worth a try for good bread if you’re passing, are:

The Bakery at Sarkies Corner at the E&O hotel in George Town which sells bread, cakes and pastries to take away. It’s open daily - 11am - 9pm. The last time I was there was a sign saying 50% off bakery items after 6pm. Parking expensive, unless one of you stays in the car out front whilst the other 'nips in'.


The Rasa Deli at the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang hotel in Batu Ferringhi. This is a small kiosk situated between the Garden Wing reception and the Spice Market restaurant (from reception go out towards the swimming pool and turn right). The Deli also sells tasty cakes and pastries. You can also place bread orders there in advance. Parking free.

Any cheese lovers here? I think we need a cheese thread.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Went to the Rasa today
Looks like the bread at the Deli is by pre-order only now

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

OHH Cheese yeah! Melaka is like a desert for cheese sadly, we are limited to mousetrap cheddar which I can get in 2.5 kilo blocks very cheaply and a couple of others like mozzarella, danish Blue and Parmesan .
I have seen a good selection in Cold Storage KL but would love to find a nice bit of Wallace and Grommit Wensleydale!!!
Don't get me started on Branston Pickle and Pickled onions as well!!!

all go very well with the Croissant and nice bread subject as above!

Re: Love Bread?
 

Wensleydale. Ummm. Yes please!

I've just started a Love Cheese? thread....

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

If you’re on Penang island and like scones, cake (or both!) there’s a new café opened at the Vantage building (near Tesco in Tanjung Tokong).

It’s called ReJoyce Café and is near to the Japanese Restaurant on the top (third) floor.

I can recommend the OS Scones (plain) and the homemade Hummingbird cake, yummy! The OS scones come with butter and jam but no cream. I’ll have to work on that one. I do like cream.

Nice clean place with friendly service from the owner, Joyce Ooi.
It’s open Tues-Sat 10.30am to 5.30pm

Thanks to the Baking Garage for tipping me off about this one. I like scones almost as much as croissants.

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

I spotted a new pastry shop this afternoon and thought of you JC3 :sneaky:

Doesn't seem to be open yet but the sign was up Olive Pastry House. I don't know if that means that Olive is making the pastries, or whether there are olive pastries. Who knows.

Anyway it's on Jalan Fettes on the Nasi Kandar side of the street. I'll keep an eye when it opens up, as I'm always around that way.

Re: Love Bread?
 

That's exciting. Thank you BB.
Hurry up Olive, and open up!

JC3

Re: Love Bread?
 

Bread lovers might enjoy reading this post Maliia Bakery from Timothy Tye

Re: Love Bread?
 

Interesting read. Timothy Tye writes some good stuff.

Re: Love Bread?
 

Ah, can you smell that dough, JC3?

Re: Love Bread?
 

Drove past Olive's today and it said "opening soon"

Re: Love Bread?
 

As a self confessed carb junkie I love bread...fresh crusty bread is to die for. :wub:

Must admit I wondered what on earth this 'Love Bread' thread was about. :blink::eek: Imagine my surprise when I found out it was about...yes..bread.