As a kid, Mike Russell was known as “Blue”, thanks to his strawberry-blonde hair. He revived the name – in French – for his bakery. It’s come a long way since he opened his original, now-shuttered, Elsternwick spot in 2017. Baker Bleu’s second shopfront, in Prahran’s Hawksburn Village, offers much of the same as its Caulfield North counterpart.

While you wait to enter the Malvern Road bakery, peek inside through a tiny bagel-shaped window. But once you’re inside, the pastry production is on full display – plus there’s a digital menu that shows what’s available and what’s sold out.

Find its always-impressive range of breads, including sourdough loaves, dinner rolls, bagels, challah and more – which are baked at the original shop. The Hawksburn team does all the dough work for Baker Bleu’s signature croissants, pains au chocolat and escargot, as well as specials like apple turnovers and cinnamon twists. Classic flaky croissants are baked at each location though to ensure freshness.

The fit-out, designed by IF Architecture ( Attica , Cutler , Etta ), features futuristic steel shelves displaying dark, crusted bread loaves. Grab-and-go items like granola and cold drinks sit on a sleek marble countertop, and touches of cobalt and yellow brighten up the otherwise monochrome space.

Bread is undoubtedly the main event, but there’s also a well-rounded retail offering from chopping blocks and bread knives (from Deglon in France) to Sarafian hummus, olives and anchovies.