Upon entering the intimate space that evokes an old-school boulangerie spirit, greeting guests by the door are gleaming rolls of giant-size brioche rolls, with their soft surfaces sheen of dark copper hues.
Nestled inside a red brick structure with plenty of arches and bright golden lights, the cafe is relatively small but romantic thanks to its space that's dominated by the warmth of the bronze palette. Inside, the stand-out feature is the open kitchen, where you can watch a group of busy bakers pulling out tray after tray of brioche from two built-in ovens.
Having opened in early August, Brioche From Heaven has already gained a cult-following of pastry-devotees and cafe-hoppers. Although, it didn't come as much of a surprise with Thailand's Iron Chef 2014 Thanunya "Kai" Kaikaew running the kitchen.
But why an entire café dedicated to brioche? Chef Kai said, "At my first restaurant, Soufflé And Me, we would bake a big tray of cinnamon rolls every Sunday morning as a special treat for our guests. The restaurant would always have a buttery pastry scent and the buns were so well received that many people became our regulars on Sundays. I thought why not open a cafe focusing on brioche only, but with many fillings on offer."
And it shows how dedicated to brioche they are with the generous amount of ingredients that goes making the treat. Despite the cafe's friendly price point, all bakery items are enriched with butter from Normandy, while the flour also being from France.
The tender, yet slightly stretchy texture of a brioche makes for a great vehicle to hold substantial fillings. An early morning might call for the Sticky caramel (B130) that gets crunchy from a heap of pecans tossed inside and over the top. A good homespun treat is the Coconut-palm sugar filling, glazed with Maribu rum fondant (B120). The afternoon may be perfect for a Cheesy ham and mushroom (B120), which is satisfying and conveniently spares you enough room for desserts-- in this case, I highly recommend a cup of bitter-sweet Affogato with macadamia ice-cream and a strong shot of expresso (B130).
Other than brioche rolls, there are also treats such as Yuzu meringue tart (B140), Carrot cake (B120) and extra puffy French-style scones served with raspberry jam and mascarpone cheese (B80). Though, having said that, I suggest you stick with the brioche because: they taste good and there are various flavours to try -- like Cheesy spinach (B130), Apple-cinnamon (B120), Peanut butter (B120) and Classic Nutella (B120).
Brioche From Heaven, 156 Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road / Open Monday to Friday 10am-8pm, Weekends 10am-7pm / Visit bit.ly/2pMOUoD.
