OB真人视讯

The one stop shop for anyone with an obsession with all things flaky, golden, buttery and baked is none other than Blockhouse Bay’s Levain Bakery. 

The Vo foodie family who runs the show—baking everything on site, fresh daily, might we add—can best be described as jacks of all pastry trades, and masters of many. 

Take one look at their fully stacked shelves, and it’s clear their artisan and inventive pies, cakes and slices, morning pastries, house loaves and filled sandwiches are something special.

Pies in all their glorious forms are a Levain staple. What’s inside these flaky pockets, however, is the adventure. They regularly whip up new and inventive flavours, with the likes of meatballs, oysters, a vegan Thai green curry with organic jackfruit, seafood chowder, banana blossom with mushroom and jungle curry having been known to make guest appearances in pie form. Staples get the Levain luxury spin too: with slowed cooked beef cheeks, jalapeños & cheddar (hello chunky, savoury deliciousness), Smoked Waygu Brisket in BBQ meat sauce and potato-topped smoked kahawai on the cards. Call them the Willy Wonka of savoury creations. 

Get your dessert forks (or greedy fingers, we won’t blame you) at the ready, because Levain’s sweet creations keep their theme of being out-of-this world inventive, artisanal, and drawing on the best parts of French baking. Case in point, their pillowy, cream-filled and daintily dusted cream donuts. Their creme brulee doughnut—which yes, comes bruléed to perfection—is the poster child for this, with its oozy, light vanilla custard.

Bit of a tart lover? The humble pecan, a bright green lime tart, fresh strawbs, banoffee and a Whittakers’ mocha creation find a gloriously gooey home between Levain’s buttery bases. As does the lemon meringue tart with a zesty lemon curd, that’s later towered with a tasty meringue that strikes the perfect balance of unctuous and airy. 

Over to more flaky frontiers, the croissant cabinet, it’s clear that their craft would give France’s finest baker a run for their money—or rather pastry, should we say. Almond croissants bursting with frangipane paste rub shoulders with custard-filled counterparts, a cheese and bacon Croque Monsieur iteration, generously fruit topped pastries and even a Swedish-style cardamom bun and Portuguese custard tarts. Hand-made from scratch with 40% New Zealand butter? Oh these guys don’t joke around.  

Trust us, you’ll taste the top quality produce that goes into these: Westmere Butcher's meats, NZ Farmer Mills Flour and West Gold unsalted butter and Whittaker’s chocolate and plenty of love. All the good stuff. 

But don’t take out word for it: follow the scent of freshly baked dough, be prepared to fill up your fair share of brown paper bags, and let the good times (i.e., your belly and general sense of being) roll.

Image credit: Levain Artisan Bakery.