My Favourite Bakery

Living in an Asian country has its perks. But on the cons side, the likes of many western delights such as cured meat, cheese, olives, wine, and fruits such as blackberries or peaches are exorbitantly priced and reserved for special occasions. No matter where I look, I could never find any that are priced within my budget. Of course, if your parents didn't grow up around these kinds of food, then you're doubly out of luck.  

When I made the decision to study in Melbourne, it was a chance to indulge in these food. I mean, an all-you-can-eat-cherries/blackberries/blueberries/strawberries farms for $10 a pop? Or nectarines for 95c a kilo? Or dropping by a local winery and sampling their wine? What sorcery is this?? In Melbourne, when the best authentic Thai food I have ever had in my life is in the same price range as an unremarkable plate of nasi lemak, there's no excuse to continue living in an insulated Chinese bubble. One can't live by hor fun alone, no matter how flavourful it is. 

One of the best finds this year was a rather unassuming bakery in Springvale, a nearby Viet town. It's located in a corner of a dilapidated shopping mall, and I must have walked past it a hundred times without even registering it. 

Fortuitously, I recently bought a baguette ($1.30) from them on a whim. It was, to put it nicely, pretty f*cking good. In a good way. Not in a literal way. Minds out of the gutter folks.  

The French says it's okay to grab the ends of a baguette and stuff it into your mouth immediately after the purchase. They call it 'le quignon'. Who am I to argue with them?

One way to distinguish whether a baguette is hand-made, or mass-produced in a factory, is to look at its underbelly. A hand-made one would be slightly rough and irregular. A baguette that's mass-produced would have little tell-tale raised dots like a Braille pattern.  

I've heard that being a former French-colony, many Vietnamese has learnt the boulangerie trade well, and this is evident in the quality of this baguette. The first bite of the sesame-studded baguette was astonishing. The ends of the baguette I popped into my mouth shattered into little crackly pieces. I thought I had baguettes before (at those fancy-schmancy restaurants selling their 'baguettes' for $5 a stick), but this was another thing quite altogether. 

I toasted slices of the baguette and paired it up with a recent Dutch Goat cheese purchase, and the taste go well together.

Although I didn't get a chance to try with this baguette, I also love spreading Speculoos over slices of toasted baguette and sprinkling flakes of sea salt over it.

My favourite midday snack is to toast the baguette with kraft sliced cheese, before spreading a layer of avocado and smoked salmon. Although with this baguette, I've been caught munching on this at other times as well.

Another variation, which I'm fond of, involves peanut butter with drizzled condensed milk. Don't knock it until you try it. I got everyone else hooked onto it now. 

Pictures by R. 

The Verdict:
The baguette is seriously good, and the price is about as cheap as I have ever seen. I have only bought it once, so I can't vouch for their consistency, though I plan to rectify this as soon as possible when I get back...

Must-Try:
Baguette. Duhh. Get the sesame-studded ones.