Formerly known as Tenacious Croissant, the bakery rebranded as Tenacious Bakehouse in mid-2023 to reflect a broader range of offerings. Although we had previously only tried their pastries at cafes closer to the western end of the Sydney CBD, there was no doubt that their pastries were among the best in the city.
Mid 2024, they’d renovated the shop to include a generous seating area.
Sourdough Croissant Plain Croissant ($6.50). This featured a 1:1 ratio of sourdough and croissant dough.
The croissant had a crisp exterior surrounding a light and tender interior that was buttery, with a a reasonably amount of airy holes, and subtle yet balanced sweetness and sourness. This was a very well executed croissant worth repurchasing, though our favourite remains the one from Black Cockatoo Bakery in the Blue Mountains.
Chocolate Jinius ($11.00). Named after “Jin,” the ‘genius’ behind the bakery, this pastry featured laminated pastry surrounding layers of chocolate caramel, dark chocolate cream, peanut marzipan, and pecans.
The exterior was delectably crisp, contrasting with the comparatively heavier interior. Despite the richness of the chocolate, the overall combination was balanced and light, with a smooth creamy quality accented by the warm nuttiness of the peanut and the crunch of the pecans. This pastry is certainly worthy of being their signature item.
Kiwi Coconut Tart ($13.00). This was a laminated pastry filled with lime curd, topped with apple compote, coconut cream, fresh kiwifruit, desiccated coconut, and dill.
This tart was impeccably delicious, featuring crispy and flaky laminated layers. The lime curd had bright, tart notes that were beautifully offset by the sweetness of the apple compote, which included small chunks of apple for added texture. The unsweetened coconut cream provided subtle creaminess and balanced the sweetness and tartness of the apple and lime, while the desiccated coconut added an additional coconut dimension with a slight chew. The fresh slices of kiwifruit were sweet and soft. Each bite of this tart was perfect, making it one of the freshest and most delicious fruit tarts.
Citrusy Mandarin Tart ($13.00). This tart featured a laminated pastry filled with mandarin curd and jam, topped with fresh mandarin segments, white chocolate cream, and a touch of peppermint and lemon myrtle.
The pastry shell was perfectly flaky, while the peppermint and lemon myrtle added a subtle freshness both visually and in taste. The white chocolate cream was smooth, with hints of citrus and vanilla that complemented the sweet-tart mandarin curd. The tart clearly used fresh mandarins (likely Afourer mandarins), but peeling the mandarin segments would have elevated the tart to perfection. As it was, the skin of each segment disrupted the otherwise smooth curd and cream with a fibrous texture. However, this was preferable to using canned mandarins, as the fresh flavor was much brighter. Overall, it was a delectable tart, comparable to the kiwi coconut tart.
Kimchi Mandu ($11.00). This featured a “Korean kimchi dumpling” in the familiar shape of a sausage roll.
The pastry had an enticing, deeply savoury aroma. The pastry was crisp and flaky, while the filling was generous, with the sweet potato noodles providing a springy contrast to the denser pork mince filling. The bold presence of the garlicky kimchi was unmistakable, delivering a notable level of heat and spiciness, alongside a gentle sweetness from the cabbage. This was a very satisfying savoury pastry worth repurchasing.
Onigiri Croissant Tuna Mayo ($5.00). This featured laminated pastry with a spicy tuna mayonnaise filling in the shape of onigiri.
This was Tenacious Bakehouse’s take on the onigiri that is fast becoming a staple in Sydney, here replacing the rice exterior with laminated pastry. The pastry was crisp and buttery, and held up well to the tuna filling without becoming soggy. The filling was very substantial, delivering a subtle heat and a robust flavour. While we thoroughly enjoyed this pastry, we would’ve probably enjoyed the other flavours that weren’t available when we visited: taco wasabi and spicy chicken curry.
Every pastry—sweet or savoury—from Tenacious Bakehouse is a testament to its status as one of the best viennoiseries in Sydney.
Tenacious Bakehouse is located at 101 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.