Café review – Bourke Street Bakery, Marrickville

By Corridor Kitchen On November 22, 2011 · 10 Comments · In Cafés

I’m not much for standing in queues. Then again, I’m assuming it’s something not many of us look forward to. Let me rephrase that – if I have to line up and wait for a table at a restaurant or café, I won’t. The line turns me off. The hype turns me off. The way I see it, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. And some of those fish might even be salt encrusted Portuguese sardines cooked on hot coals. But I digress.

So it will come as no surprise to anyone that I’m not the least bit interested in checking out the Bourke Street Bakery that is actually on Bourke Street- that line around the block is way too Porteño for me (Haha. Clever double entendre there). Until recently I had been to all their other branches, including their now defunct Broadway branch and their offshoot Central Baking Depot.

But I hadn’t been to their Marrickville store, and I vowed to before they open another branch. Oh wait, they just did. It’s in Potts Point and apparently even bigger. Anyway, I finally went to check out a couple of weeks ago, in what shall be known as ‘Lau and Senhor R’s weekend of bakery madness’, where we checked out Bourke Street Bakery Marrickville, Brasserie Bread in Banksmeadow and Sonoma Alexandria (twice). And when I say ‘checked out’ you of course understand that I mean ‘drank coffee and ate pastries at every single bakery.’

The reason Bourke Street Bakery Marrickville has been on my to-visit list forever is that I heard rumours there’s actually room to sit down. And guess what? The rumours are true. The interior, although hardly spacious, does have sufficient seating and there’s also a clump of tables outside. The large windows give lots of light, which bounces off the chrome industrial-looking stools. There’s a big rack of bread at one end of the shop, a mesmerising fridge of cakes and pastries in the middle and a large communal table at the end. I order two macchiatos and a chocolate croissant and we grab a seat.

Let me make this clear for those of you who don’t know: people RAVE about these guys. Their cookbook is a best seller. Their bread sells out every day. Customers wait with bated breath for the first batch of their legendary pork and fennel sausage rolls (a reliable source tells me this happens around 10:30am). Freaking hell, even David Lebovits loves the place, claiming their bread ‘rivalled anything (he) could get back home in Paris.’

So what did we think? Well, the pain au chocolat, although I’m no David Lebovits, was amazing – the pastry crisp and golden on the outside, puffed and layered in the middle and buttery all the way through. The coffee was lovely as well and I managed to (mostly) resist dunking the pastry in it. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear what I think of their sourdough, but I’ll give you a hint – we’ve bought three loaves in the last couple of weeks.

What about you? Do lines outside restaurants turn you on or turn you off?

Bourke Street Bakery, Marrickville
2 Mitchell Street
Marrickville NSW 2204
bourkestreetbakery.com.au

10 Responses to Café review – Bourke Street Bakery, Marrickville

john@heneedsfood says:

November 23, 2011 at 7:42 am

To hell with all the places with queues. Can’t stand it, literally, and I just don’t have the patience.
john@heneedsfood recently posted…The Wedge Espresso – Glebe
Gaby says:

November 23, 2011 at 9:14 am

I hate lines too. And to wait too long for service. I went to Bourke Street Bakery a while ago with my sis, the raspberry/chocolate tart was fantastic and it was great to be able to sit down straight away.
Gaby recently posted…Review: The Grace Brasserie (Flavours of Vietnam)
Apple @Polkadotsandchopsticks says:

November 23, 2011 at 10:40 am

I’ve heard of this place but I’m a bit the same. If there’s a line – I’m definitely not in it!
But I am rather fond of good coffee, and I believe its harder to find then most people realise.
Nico says:

November 23, 2011 at 3:28 pm

Never been to any of Bourke St Bakery’s stores but will be moving round the corner from the flagship in a few weeks so I imagine soon I’ll be all to familiar w the queues. This shop sounds cute too.
Nico recently posted…This week’s links
catty says:

November 23, 2011 at 4:59 pm

my goodness that croissant looks good! I didn’t even know Bourke St Bakery extended beyond Bourke St, how clueless am I? But SO glad I know because queueing does suck and I only queue for my most favourite things!
catty recently posted…life altering experiences: the volcano roll @ Kobe Jones, Sydney
Shane says:

November 24, 2011 at 9:40 pm

You know, my first experience of Bourke St Bakery was Marrickville. And since then, I’ve been to Gardener’s Rd Rosebery(?) and the Bourke St one. If it weren’t for the charm of the Marrickville outlet, I probably would never go back. It’s in such a great area (and by great I mean quiet and almost hidden), and the staff can be really nice. Like going in at about 3:30pm one day to get a lamb harrissa (sp?) sausage roll and some treats, they offer a free sour dough loaf as it’s almost end of day (30 minutes away). And you know you can book the place out for little dining experiences at night? How awesome is that? AND, literally around the corner towards Sydenham station another hidden gem on Buckley street – there’s a little shop in the street of warehouses called Faros Brothers. This place gets packed on the eve of major public holidays, but any other day, there’s usually just a good tolerable flow of people traffic. Flathead fillets often about $22/kg. (You probably don’t want to be wearing thin soled open shoes into this joint unless you don’t mind a bit of wetness).
Dolly says:

November 26, 2011 at 7:13 pm

ive never been to bourke. but my little bro bought me a custaard tart.. amazing!!!!!
Dolly recently posted…Creme caramel recipe
Detective Chow says:

December 12, 2011 at 5:16 pm

Lines I can just about handle — but like you I hate hype.

Still, I think I’ll check this place out.
Detective Chow recently posted…Ramen Bar, Newtown – or – The Magic Window
Miss Kimbers @ Fruit Salad and Mixed Veg says:

December 13, 2011 at 8:07 pm

I am not a fan of waiting in lines. Reminds me of being at a supermarket checkout, standing on a travelator behind people who refuse to move to the LEFT and waiting in line at the school canteen.
But, the Bourke Street Bakery is on my mental ‘to eat at’ list and so I will go there and wait in line, taste some pastry goodness and then decide if the line was worth it. I am hoping it is! Haha, my ‘recently posted’ thing!
Miss Kimbers @ Fruit Salad and Mixed Veg recently posted…Meet up & afternoon tea at the Bourke Street Bakery
joey@FoodiePop says:

December 19, 2011 at 11:29 am

I love this place. The pastries are gorgeous and it’s close to home.