TiNi Artisan Bakehouse is — true to its name — tiny with a limited selection of baked goods, teas and coffees run by Reynold Poernomo (of Masterchef and KOI Dessert fame). It occupies the same space that used to house Kakawa Chocolate. (And yes, that is Reynold coming out of the bakery).
As you’d expect from any place run by Reynold, the presentation of the pastries is impeccable.
This is the Matcha Croissant ($12.00, now $11.00) with a matcha creme patissiere and lychee filling topped with matcha crumb and rose petals.
This croissant is light, flaky and buttery with a fragrant rose and lychee aroma that came through beautifully on tasting by providing the perfect balance to the lightly sweetened, vegetal notes of the matcha. While pricey, there is nothing wanting in either the flavour and appearance of this croissant, which is becoming increasingly rare nowadays.
This is the Almond Croissant ($8.00) with almond butter sandwiched inside and toasted flaked almonds on top.
Using the same buttery and flaky croissant base, the almond butter here lends a moreish sweet nuttiness, while the almond flakes bring crunch. The almond butter is lighter than a chocolate hazelnut spread, making it less heavy on the palate.
A week later, the bakery has come into it’s own with new flavours appearing regularly and other seasonal ones coming in and out (such as a mandarin and passionfruit brioche and a durian musang king croissant). The staff are also better prepared for protecting the goodies of takeaway customers.
This is the Raspberry Lychee ($11.00) with raspberry creme patissiere and lychees sandwiched inside and topped with more raspberry creme patissiere and freeze dried raspberries and lychees.
By now we’d established that their croissants have great flavour and texture, but in terms of flavouring here, the sweet acidity of the raspberry overpowers the more subtle floral notes of the lychee. We still enjoy the punchy raspberry, but the balance of flavours lacked the elegance in the matcha croissant.
This is the Boba Tiramisu ($11.00) with a coffee creme patissiere and tapioca pearls and topped with dollops of more coffee creme patissiere and a dusting of cocoa.
The coffee notes are prominent with a gentle sweetness and pleasant roastiness that pairs well with the buttery and flaky croissant. The tapioca pearls add textural interest but they’re firm and without the soft chewiness that makes them so addictive in a drink.
This is the Apple Crumble ($11.00) with a cooked apple and spiced (cinnamon, nutmeg and walnut) filling topped with another layer of the spiced filling, crumble and dried apple.
This one tastes true to an apple crumble with an enjoyable balance between the spices and the sweetness. Larger slices of softer, sweet apple paired with cubes of crunchy, tart apple giving a contrast in texture as well as a gentle acidity that also came through in the slices of dried apple on top.
While the prices at TiNi Artisan Bakehouse are steep, the pastries here were by far the most satisfying of all the food we tried from the numerous shops that opened in August 2019, including the flurry around Darling Square. For that alone, it was worth every bite and penny.
TiNi Artisan Bakehouse is located at 22 Kensington St, Chippendale NSW 2008.