Chu Bakery — Restaurant in Highgate

Chu is an adorable looking bakery with some great things on offer. I got 4 items, one of which was one of the best little treats of my life, and the others which were ok to good.

I got a donut which I think had passionfruit curd as a filling, and that was delicious but much like other donuts of the same calibre. Nice, bready dough (as opposed to cakey or brioche etc) and punchy, flavourful, creamy filling. Good stuff.

I also got a flan, which I can't say I'm a huge fan of in general now that I have tried a few, so this wasn't necessarily Chu's fault. The pastry was flaky, the custard part was very eggy (I love eggs but wasn't in the mood for the quite resilient texture, compared with softer custard fillings, though I know this is how this is supposed to be), but there was an amazing blueberry compote / jam at the bottom which was a lovely contrast. Well executed, just not for me.

The almond and raspberry croissant was a beast - like holding a small baby! Great pastry but I didn't know that the inside was as liquid as it was. This was wonderful, the oozy frangipane melding into the raspberry flavour - which did not seem to be a compote but also a form of frangipane or cream.

Finally, my purchase on a whim but the star of the show: the Earl Grey and chocolate tart. This was witchcraft. I've never had pastry so crisp yet buttery at the same time, the chocolate filling wasn't overpoweringly chocolatey but was a heavenly smooth ganache and lighter whipped chocolate on top, and somewhere nestled at the bottom appeared to be an Earl Grey caramel which was bursting with floral and citrus notes. I would probably go back to Australia just for that to be...

Chu Bakery is a "banging" bakery across from Hyde Park in Perth's Northbridge suburb. They offer menu offerings rotating monthly with special items included!

We visited mid-day in early March, and the queue wasn't bad - it was about a dozen to a dozen-and-a-half people long outside (they only allow up to 6 guests inside due to spacial restrictions). Their featured special for the month, which I purchased, was a Lemon Macadamia Éclair which was absolutely fantastic! It was very bright and flavourful with stunning textures and presentation.

Our intent for the visit was for lunch, so I purchased their Mushroom Bechamel Toastie as well, which was an incredible and fulfilling lunch option.

I also purchased a loaf of their Olive Sourdough to bring home for breakfast, snacking, and at-home toasties. It had a beautiful crust, crumb, and taste with sliced and whole olives intermingled in the crumb. It was very delicious, and I would come back for that loaf again alone.

I washed it all down with a delightful flat white, which is my go-to caffeine fix option. It hit the spot!

I highly recommend this bakery for your sweet treat cravings, a hot coffee or drink, and any bread/sourdough needs. Just be aware that you will need to factor in the time of day you visit and the queue time wait as it most definitely will have one, for good reason... You will not be...

As a local to the area, and regular visitor, this morning I felt like I was not a valued customer. Coffee was quick, but had to ask twice for our toasties and after 15 minutes of multiple people receiving their order well after us ordering, we asked again to be told “you have been refunded” in a dismissive manner, even when we did not ask for a refund we just wanted our food. We left with no toasties and was moved on quickly 😔 Just to be clear, in case they respond to this with a lie, we were not rude customers, we were just asking why it was taking nearly 20 minutes for our toasties, valid question.

That action pretty much said to us “here’s your money back, go away”. I can’t get over the complete arrogance as they know they don’t need to give good customer service as they are always busy. You’re lucky you are the only cafe facing Hyde Park, but that won’t last forever.

Regardless, I couldn’t wait any longer as I would have been late for work and had to skip breakfast. I will not be returning and will no longer recommend this place to anyone.

There’s other lovely cafes with excellent customer service in the area like Cheols, Butter Crumbs, Sayers Sister, Miller + Baker, Mary Street Bakery, Bagel Os and an amazing Portuguese Tart place, Cafe Pastel, further down William St close to the horseshoe bridge.

BTW - I still don’t have the refund on my...