Bread Story, Broadway, Ultimo

EDIT 05/07/07: Bread Story on Broadway has now closed

First there was Beb Patisserie.

Then there was Bourke St Bakery.

And now the Broadway strip between City Road and Wattle Street has another baked goods supplier in its midst.

It's a Bread Story all right.



This is the first foray into the Australian market for Bread Story, a popular franchise bakery with origins in Malaysia. Conceived by Jun Low, a former stockbroker from Singapore, Bread Story likes to name its products "according to novels, heroes, movies and special characters", according to its website.

The set-up inside is reminiscent of a bakery in Japan: bright white lighting, plenty of perspex, and a glass-walled kitchen area for customers quality assurance and (more importantly) ogle-factor.

There are plenty of wacky product names: Tina Tuna, Choco Teddy, Flossy Hottie, Magic Cheese Wand and even Sirens of the Lambs (a mutton curry bun).

Most items are simply rebadged products commonly found at any Chinese bakery. The Mexican bun, with its distinct crusty outside and soft innards is renamed Hero, because aren't all heroes just vulnerable tough guys? The Durian Special though, with "fresh durian!" according to its perspex drawer label, immediately caught my eye.


Durian Special $2.40



It was pleasant enough. A soft pliable bun, as most Asian palates seem to prefer, and a pungent inner core of sweetened durian mulch.

Prices are significantly higher here: a hotdog-in-a-bun sells for $2.00 when it can be had for about $1.00 at any number of bakeries in Chinatown six blocks away. But Bread Story boasts that their products are baked every three hours without the use of any preservatives.

I've always thought that one can never have too many bakery options, but perhaps Bread Story staff should keep an eye on the Tina Tuna... lest she break out into a spirited version of "We Don't Need Another Hero..."

Bread Story (CLOSED)
165 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9280 4989