FRESH BAKED BLISS
After being hidden in the ‘burbs of Bundall for more than three years, The Pastry Emporium opens in Mermaid
AFTER trading as The Pastry Emporium at Bundall for around three and a half years, Adrian Grazioli has opened the doors to his second store at Mermaid Waters.
Yuen’s Market, on the corner of Markeri Street and Sunshine Boulevard, has become quite the foodie precinct of late, with everything available from woodfired pizza from Artie’s, to bao and Asian fusion from Lucky Bao, to raw meals and goodies from the Nude Sisters.
And now it has its very own French patisserie.
Adrian says it was always the plan to build and expand since he was a young apprentice.
“I trained in Melbourne at Brunetti’s on Lygon Street for three years and then came back up to the Gold Coast,” he says.
“I started baking just out of my apartment before I got the space in Bundall and since then I knew I wanted to open more – and I still do.
“There’ll be more popping up.
“I just want to bring a little bit of that Melbourne vibe to the Gold Coast.”
Tucked away in Bundall, the first location isn’t exactly flooded with foot traffic, so Adrian was pleased to nab a more populated spot.
He says despite there being so many eateries in the Yuen’s complex, they’re all doing something a little different.
“We’re doing pastries and coffee only, so no bacon and eggs or anything,” he says.
“Journal do breakfast and lunch, The Nude Sisters do raw food – the only thing we have in common really is coffee.
“We’ve got everything your traditional French patisserie would have – plain croissants, pies and sausage rolls, eight different types of petit gateau (small cakes), four types of large cakes for birthdays and special occasions, artisan bread. “All French style product.” Some of the petit gateau so far include a Milk and Strawberries cake with a coconut macaroon base, Valrhona milk chocolate mousse, strawberry insert, finished with a white and red glaze and desiccated coconut, and the Hazelnut Opera with hazelnut dacquoise sponge, Valrhona dark chocolate ganache, hazelnut butter cream, hazelnut glaze and decorated with a hazelnut and gold leaf.
Many of Adrian’s creations are gluten free and they are all works of art – the mark of a true perfectionist with an eye for detail.
Even if you haven’t visited the Bundall store, there’s a good chance you’ve consumed Adrian’s goods, with wholesale being a large aspect of the business.
“We do quite a lot of wholesale; No Name Lane, Daark, Three Beans, Zi Espresso – a new coffee shop in Southport – Elk Espresso, Apres Surf, Buoy oh Buoy,” he lists.
He might be the owner of two stores now but Adrian is still in the kitchen every morning, putting in the man hours and ensuring everything is up to his standards, but he’ll be spreading his time between both locations, getting to know his new clientele and the area in general.
The Pastry Emporium, Yuen’s Market, Markeri Street, Mermaid Waters