Layers Bakery — Restaurant in Subiaco

First impression: Layers Bakery

I was quite surprised to find this bakery, especially after seeing the pictures of their baked goods - I couldn’t believe I had not been here yet.

Anyway, we travelled a good 1.5 hours to get, here, and this is how it went.

As we reached this bakery, placed unassumingly into a shopping square, we were met with a queue of people waiting to get their hands on the baked goods- always a good sign. Just like everyone else there, we waited - patiently. (We were overjoyed that most of the baked goods were still available)

There was a good energy to the place, there were enough people to give the place a vibe. 4/5

We ended up ordering a few things:

Iced latte: Good. Balanced and delicious. 4/5

Mortadella pinsa (a kind of airy flatbread with toppings): the base was light and airy but since it was sitting out, it didn’t retain its freshness or texture. 3/5

Bacon and parmesan scroll: Generously stuffed with bacon- buttery and with a hint of crispy. But failed to impress. 3.5/5

Mont blanc finger: Looked fabulous. The layers on the finger looked pristine. So beautifully made. But the flavours didn’t blow us away. In fact, the chestnut flavour was so mild, it felt like an overpriced cream roll (unfortunately) 2/5

Choquette: Light and airy. 4/5

Overall the food looked way better than it tasted. And the prices were higher than usual. 3/5

The service was decent enough. The coffees arrived quick. Polite and prompt. 4/5

Overall 3.5/5 edging into a 3 because...

Absolutely a must visit bakery in Perth. It is located in Subiaco. Tried various of their pastry products and overall they have an exceptional quality.

The chocolate eclair was the best one. It's not too sweet and it has an intense chocolate flavour. The choux pastry is also very soft and light, pairing nicely with the luscious pastry cream.

The hazelnut paris-brest was also great. They have a nice praline flavour and the pastry cream is very smooth and creamy, paired with the light choux pastry. However, the icing sugar on top made the overall dish slightly too sweet. But overall, it was great.

The banoffee tartlet also taste good. The cream on top elevated the whole dish. Adding more creamy elements would make the tart better as the tart shell was quite thick, making the whole tart taste slightly dry. But overall, it has nice flavours.

Also ordered the coffee, it taste ok. The staff here are also friendly. They also have seatings if you want to dine in the place. The display could be set up better. As you need to line up to buy the products, some of the products displayed (in front, such as the tarts, eclairs, choux pastry, etc) are not in the line. But that's a minor issue and overall this is a great...

We had the choc and coffee croissant which was superb. However the paris Brest was a huge letdown. The hazelnut creme and the pecan topping was already rancid, not sure if the pastry was there too long or the nut supply was not fresh.I had to throw the whole Paris Brest away after a bite cause it’s no longer edible. I hope the owner could check on the freshness level on the pastry really doesn’t reflect well on the bakery.

Update after owner review : It’s definitely not the bitterness from the pecan but it’s the oxidised flavour from the nuts fats. I am personally a food scientist who definitely could differentiate the difference between the bitterness from pecan or the rancidity of nuts which gone bad. Before I left this 2 star review, I actually pm your ig to inform you so that you don’t serve that batch of Paris Brest out. But I did not receive the response from layers. I just want to let the owner know , even good pastry is served, but serving food that is longer fresh doesn’t...