Shio

The team at Ponsonby bakery Manis have partnered with Jeff Kim (& Sushi, Pikuniku) to open this Henderson bakery.

Find it on a Buscomb Avenue corner site at the base of a residential apartment block, its minimal 30-seat space an industrial blend of grey concrete, white pillars and high ceilings. The entryway is lined with beautiful baked goods that you grab and take up to the counter.

Head baker and co-owner Safril Angga Saputra worked in the bakery at Amano for nearly eight years and oversees the selection at Shio – which changes daily, depending on what’s in season and what they feel like making.

The bakery touts itself as Indonesian and Korean-inspired, and is named for the popular Japanese shio pan (salt bread). Soft and fluffy inside, shio pan is shaped like a puffy croissant and has a crispy, buttery crust that’s then sprinkled with sea salt. Here, they’re served plain or stuffed with fillings such as egg salad, bulgogi or tuna.

There are round, fluffy pandoro buns – an Italian panettone-type cake (but smaller), topped at Shio with Oreos, mascarpone or tiramisu-flavoured cream. Several takes on the viral New York roll pastry (a circular croissant, served upright) come filled with dark chocolate, hazelnut custard or blueberry custard, and topped with milk chocolate ganache.

There are madeleines, savoury and sweet-filled croissants, cookies, pies with fillings like beef rendang, and more – along with coffee from Birkenhead-based roastery Be Speciality.