Barby's Puff, Donuts n Bakery, Chinatown

EDIT: Barby's has closed

So it looks like we were all wrong.

The old Maxim's bakery that became a Bread Story and then closed last week has started a new chapter of life as Barby's.

Barby is a cartoon chef who wears a bright yellow hat. I presume he's French. He has a Depardieu-style nose and a big chin to match.

The strange thing is that all the baked items look eerily similar to Bread Story. The purple yam and taro plait is a perfect twin, and the familiar perspex display drawers only add to the sense of deja vu.

The peek-a-boo kitchen has gone though, and behind the counter is a brand spanking shiny new espresso machine. In addition to the usual assortment of soft white buns, both savoury and sweet, are new players - iced mini donuts and small sized cookie puffs piped with various fillings.

There was no time to sample tonight but I already have my eye on the Double Whopper Choc, a chocolate-dipped hero choc that's drizzled with white chocolate.

Tried something from Barby's? Let me know.

Barby's Puff, Donuts n Bakery (CLOSED)
~~396 Sussex Street (corner of Goulburn Street)~~
Haymarket, Chinatown, Sydney

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Bread Story Closes
Bread Story, Broadway (closed)
Bread Story, Haymarket (closed)
Puffy at Market City
Puffy at World Square, City

13 Comments:

At 7/13/2007 5:40 am, Anonymous said…

Call me a stick in the mud, or whatever you like; but until Maxim's return in a blaze of glory, I am shifting my loyalty to St Honore's. Not a fan in the least of this 'new' generation of tarted up (pardon the pun!) bakeries.
At 7/13/2007 5:57 am, Anonymous said…

How were the costs of buns in Barby's? I found Bread Story's 'designer' buns slightly overpriced.

When Im in Sydney Im always at the bakery in the East Ocean Arcade in Chinatown. Well priced for its quantity and quality.

One thing Id like to see open up in Sydney is a Korean Bakery. I went to couple of them whilst i was in Atlanta and I must say that their bun fillings were to-die-for. Their bread quality was unbelievably fresh, soft and fluffy. You could really tell that they put alot of effort into their quality and presentation. Best of all, they were extremely well priced.
At 7/13/2007 10:33 am, Anonymous said…

I went thereto have a look too. Many of the buns look similar to Bread Story. Is the owner same as Bread Story? Perhaps they change name so they don't have to pay for Franchise fee?
At 7/13/2007 12:56 pm, Anonymous said…

i found your site through dietgirl and because I am on a diet I am not sure whether I should come back! Nah! I will coz a food appreciation rather than a food gutsation is just what I need!
At 7/14/2007 12:29 am, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi gobsmack'd - Oh yeah St Honore's has always been a family favourite. It's not quite the same with the new layout though. I miss the old days of the snacktime jostle!

Hi Hilda - I think the prices were about the same. The bakery in East Ocean Arcade is St Honore's, another favourite. I haven't tried a Korean bakery. Sounds interesting!

Hi Lin - An interesting theory :)

Hi Airlie - Wow, you've done a fantastic job so far. Congrats :) Glad you're enjoying the site, and coming back too!
At 7/14/2007 10:49 am, Anonymous said…

Bread Story occasionally had puffs and Krispy Kreme-style donuts for sale. The puffs were $1 each (vanilla, rum and tiramisu flavour) and were rather good, and the donuts weren't bad either. Reckon the franchise theory is spot on :)
At 7/14/2007 12:28 pm, Anonymous said…

Korean bakeries are found in the korean suburbs of Sydney, Campsie and Strathfield. Strathfield sell korean breads through grocery stores but there is a bakery in campsie on Wilfred Ave (turn left when you exit from the train station, and left again on the first street). the coffee and walnut bun is my recomendation.
At 7/15/2007 10:16 am, Anonymous said…

Lillaflicka, the puffs are still there. Some of my favourite Bread Story buns are exactly the same.
At 7/16/2007 5:56 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi lillaflicka - I didn't frequent Bread Story that often, but hmm... the plot thickens!

Hi jj - I must check out that Korean bakery in Campsie. Thanks for the info :)

Hi Lin - It all looks eerily familiar doesn't it? I'm glad I wasn't dreaming!
At 8/13/2007 10:13 pm, Anonymous said…

I went here tonight and can I just say that I was terribly disappointed. I bought a crispy BBQ pork bun which was very soggy and tasted more like curry pork than BBQ pork and I got three ginormous chunks of unchewable pork fat in it.

Hubby wanted to try a durian puff and they said they were all out. I asked what they recommended and they said tiramisu or rummy. I bought a tiramisu but don't like rum so I bought a green tea one. Hilariously, the green tea one was actually a durian one and the tiramisu one was actually a rummy one! Yuk on all counts from me but hubby was pleased he got to try a durian one (verdict: meh)

I also bought a huge chocolate bun but threw it out as the chocolate was really, really poor quality. Like the kind you get in novelty chocolate.

*le sigh* so disappointed, I saw the shop and couldn't wait to try them but its pretty sloppy service when you can't even get the flavour that you order and the three giant chunks of fat were really gross :(

Please bring back Maxims!! :P
At 8/14/2007 5:54 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Lorraine - Oo-er. Mixing up a durian puff could've been quite disastrous if one didn't like durian!

I've yet to try anything from Barby's yet, so thanks for letting me know about your first encounter.
At 10/23/2007 11:21 am, Anonymous said…

hi guys. all these bakeries of different names are just Indonesian copycats of the original cult buy BreadTalk that originated from Singapore(there are 100stores all over the world now). I've been living in chinatown for years and the best bread is still from Helen's bakery. A three day old bread from here taste the same to some supposedly fresh bread from any other bakeries. And to think i own a bakery, i still go there every other day.
At 10/27/2007 3:15 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

Hi Chinatownqueen - Breadtalk, Breadtop, Breadstory, argh! I've yet to try Breadtalk. I must schedule a visit to Singapore sometime soon!

I often walk into Helen's but I confess I rarely buy much. I did quite like the sago swiss rolls though and I often drool over the green tea mousse cake in the fridge.