Samuel Bakehouse brings a dash of carb-fuelled hospitality to West End
Pastries, coffee and community are the order of the day at West End’s newest cafe. Samuel Bakehouse has opened on Boundary Street, luring in guests with a selection of drool-worthy viennoiserie, Asian-inspired focaccia sandwiches and specialty coffee from an awarded roaster. Take a peek inside …
Over the past few years, the bakehouse has become a concept that has caught on with Brisbane’s brunch crowd. Not quite a bakery, not exactly a cafe, these carb-centric outlets straddle the dividing line between quick-service and sit-down dining.
Samuel Bakehouse has brought this casual blend of hospitality to West End’s Boundary Street strip, transforming the old Lekki by Little Lagos space into a chic repository for baked goods, sandwiches and specialty coffee.
For Lee Kim, the decision to open a bakehouse wasn’t one made easily. The founder of Underwood’s Ant Coffee (now operated by new owners) saw a gap in West End’s food scene for a pastry-led concept and, spurred by a desire to build a community around baked goods and specialty coffee, decided to sell her beloved cafe and reinvest in the new concept.
“It’s a huge risk, but one worth taking,” says Lee, who cites places like Toowong’s Riser Bread and Baker D. Chirico in Newstead as bakehouse-style venues she admires.
“I love pastries and I love bread. Ant Coffee was a sit-down coffee shop, and it really brought a lot of people together. I thought maybe if I provide that for the locals around here, I’ll be able to create a community.”
Samuel Bakehouse sticks out from the street with its eye-catching crimson-hued colour scheme, which continues inside alongside walnut timber tones. A coffee and service bar runs along one side of the room, with the other occupied by a selection of purposefully mismatched furniture offering seating for around 75 guests.
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Elements of Scandinavian aesthetics are at play, matched with an eclectic decorative approach that creates a sense of warmth and accessibility.
“It’s definitely European inspired,” confirms Lee. “I loved the bakeries in Denmark and that kind of style – nice and bright, but with a homey and cosy kind of feel.”
Overseeing Samuel’s baking operation is pastry chef Bevis Law, who joins the team after a stint working at Reno Fine Patisserie.
“She had her own ideas, her own concept of pastries and everything,” says Lee. “I was like, ‘Your croissants are amazing. Can I please work with you?’”
Lee describes Bevis’ range as French-inspired, with the range made using imported French butter. The pastry offering includes classic viennoiserie like croissants, pain aux raisins and pain au chocolat, as well as ham-and-cheese bear claws, strawberry danishes and monkey bread.
“Her expectations and her standards are just so high,” says Lee. “She did at least ten test runs before we opened, just to get everything all right.
“All of the little details that she’s put in – the layers and her flavours – are amazing.”
Samuel Bakehouse is still refining its bread range, but soon guests will be able to stock up on sourdough, rye and seeded loaves as well as spongy focaccia slabs.
Speaking of focaccia, Samuel Bakehouse is also slinging sandwiches made using the spongy bread, with an assortment of classic and Asian-inspired fillings up for grabs.
“[The sandwiches] have a bit of a hint of Asian flavours – we’ve got bulgogi fillings and a lot of sauces – we make them all in-house from scratch,” explains Lee. Other options include pastrami, eggplant and mushroom, and zucchini.
Samuel Bakehouse’s coffee supplier of choice is Melbourne’s Axil Coffee Roasters, with the brand’s key blends on deck alongside single origins and Barista Champion Selections. Filter, batch and cold brew options are available, with the iced buttercream latte a particular standout.
The venue is also pouring chai, matcha and hojicha lattes, iced Earl Grey matcha, matcha coconut clouds, hot chocolate and teas.
Beyond the food and drink, though, Lee’s ambition for Samuel Bakehouse extends beyond simply filling West End’s pastry and coffee gap.
With Samuel’s spacious footprint, flexible seating arrangements and easygoing approach to its menu, Lee hopes the bakehouse can evolve into the sort of community-centric meeting spot she felt the suburb was missing.
“I want it to be part of West End, like fully integrated into West End,” says Lee. “A place where anyone can come and just meet up with friends and family.”
Samuel Bakehouse is now open to the public – head to The Directory for operating hours and other important information.
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