Find your joy at Ilo Bakehouse, Wynnum’s new waterfront spot for coffee and pastries
Ilo Bakehouse, the newest concept from the Sister, Butter and Alby’s team, has brought a chic Scandinavian sensibility to Brisbane’s bayside. Boasting a warm, design-led space, a tightly curated menu of sweet and savoury bakes, miso butterscotch iced lattes on tap and the waters of Moreton Bay just across the road, Ilo Bakehouse has all the makings of a new Wynnum favourite.
Between Hawthorne brunch favourite Sister and sandwich-and-coffee slingers Butter and Alby’s, Daniel Bowles has pretty much got Brisbane’s daytime appetite covered.
But what about pastries?
Brisbane’s appetite for baked goods shows little sign of slowing. A bakery had long been on Daniel’s radar, but the retired soccer pro-turned-cafe maestro was waiting for the right circumstances – and the right team – to make it happen.
“We’ve never done a bakery model before – it’s something we’ve always been interested in, but we wanted to not only find the right spot, but also assemble a team with the right people involved to be able to pull it off,” says Daniel.
Enter Tram Phan, Sister’s longtime manager who, after completing an extensive patisserie course, shared with Daniel her dream of opening a bakery.
“We kind of complement each other in our skill sets, so we came to the conclusion that we really should do something together,” says Daniel.
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Approximately 12 months later, Ilo Bakehouse was born. The chic bakery opened to the public last week on Wynnum Esplanade, across the road from the foreshore, within view of the glittering waters of Moreton Bay.
Taking over the space formerly home to Island View Cafe, Ilo is a modish Scandinavian-inspired repository of sweet and savoury items that Daniel and Tram describe as a place where bliss and warmth radiate.
“‘Ilo’ means joy in Finnish, so we definitely have a Scandinavian inspiration behind the venue,” says Daniel, who says the duo worked with architecture and interior design studio DAH.A to transform the site from its old-school fish-and-chipper guise into something that was eye-catching, but also approachable and functional.
“We tried to create a fit out that felt warm, with chocolatey and earthy tones,” Daniel tells us, pointing to the burgundy mosaic tiles, maroon awning and timber furnishings as examples of the team’s tonal approach.
Seats are spread across a short banquette inside, bench seats in a shaded alfresco area and a scattering of stools along the footpath, positioning Ilo as more of a pit stop than a dining destination.
“Ilo wasn’t envisioned as a place for long sit-downs,” says Daniel. “It’s more designed for people to grab something, bring a rug, sit across the road or stop in on their way to work.”
Ilo’s service counter is where you’ll spy the bakehouse’s coffee machine and pastry display, with an assortment of mouth-watering items beckoning. The venue’s Scandi inspirations are evident across Ilo’s offering, with the team electing to keep the selection concise to better focus on quality and execution.
“Tram was very set on what type of pastries we wanted to offer,” explains Daniel. “We’ve tried to take an elevated approach – we only have 12 items on offer at any point in time, so we also wanted to keep it as tight and refined as we can.”
Of the dozen items on display, Daniel says six of them are considered Ilo’s core staples, including a sourdough croissant, orange and cardamom bun, a miso butterscotch almond croissant, raisin scroll, chocolate brownie, and the everything ‘bagel’ sun bun.
The rest of the options will rotate, with seasonal additions and inspired inventions expected to fill out the range. Currently, you’ll spy the likes of chocolate hazelnut twirls, burnt butter sea salt cookies, croque monsieur croissants, a roasted potato, pickle and dill focaccia, and fennel and lemon curd kouign-amann.
Single O has been tabbed as Ilo’s coffee supplier, with espresso pours available alongside iced Keemun matcha and miso butterscotch iced lattes dispensed from a tap system. Cold-foam connoisseurs will be titillated by Ilo’s indulgent tonka bean cold foam.
“We made some little tweaks to suit the location, like the coffee on tap – little things that can boost speed, quality and point of difference, particularly because we’re so close to the esplanade where so many people exercise,” says Daniel.
While Daniel reckons Ilo Bakehouse will work best as that grab-and-go coffee and pastry spot for Wynnum locals enjoying a waterfront trot, he also feels like the venue has potential to be more.
“We really want to create a long-term venue that becomes a pillar in the community,” Daniel tells us. “It can be a place where people can come, gather and meet their friends.”
Ilo Bakehouse officially opens to the public on Friday August 21. Head to The Directory for operating hours and other details.
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