Foli Transforms a Campsie Warehouse Into a Go-To for Cinnamon Scrolls and Salt Bread

“I love bread. It’s my love language,” Eunseok Lee, Foli Bakery’s co-owner, tells Broadsheet. Lee and business partners, friends Taeho Kang and Junsoo Park, are also behind Darlinghurst’s Theeca, the cafe known as much for its breezy day-to-night vibe as its signature cream-topped pancake. The trio’s newest venture, opposite a row of locomotive and smash repair shops in Campsie’s industrial area, is already drawing queues – just four weeks after opening.

The idea was to establish a centralised kitchen – or production studio – where baked goods for future venues could be researched and developed. “We saw the shopfront, then we thought, ‘Why not renovate this place?’” says Lee. “The area needed good coffee, and obviously a good bakery as well. We’re gonna bake in this warehouse, so why don’t we create a bakery-cafe?”

So along came Foli, and baker Yewon “Yenny” Yung. The Korean kitchen talent was schooled at France’s Institut National de la Boulangerie Patisserie, then sharpened her skills in Seoul, at the artful Garuharu and Tartine. In Campsie, she’s leading with cinnamon scrolls, salt bread and simple favourites done fancily – all sitting beneath a glass pastry case on the counter.

Foli moves beyond Sydney’s croissant-heavy bakery culture – though you’ll still find them here. “Croissants [are] a symbol of maximalism in baking,” says Lee. “Whereas, in contrast, shio pan, or Japanese salt bread, is structurally simple and minimal.” Yung’s version is a deeply golden, crescent-shaped roll, about the size of your palm. Pre-bake, the dough is wrapped around a block of butter, which becomes molten in the oven.

“Within that simplicity lies the chance to highlight not just the butter but also flours.” The Foli team’s flour comes from Wholegrain Milling Co’s organic stone-ground range.

Other bites include flat, uniform slices of carrot cake topped with pretty whirls of whipped cardamom cream cheese and a shower of pistachios; bright and citrusy lemon madeleines; a rotating line-up of cookies and mushroom-studded focaccia. “One thing you’ll notice straightaway, as soon as you see our baked goods in our showcase, is that they're small, size-wise. But they have depth and richness.”

The pared-back fit-out respects the shell of the warehouse, keeping things minimal. Clean lines flow through a palette of pale timber with considered touches throughout. Handmade Japanese ceramics are on display, reinforcing the small-scale, crafted feel, and St Ali Orthodox blend is poured from a Slayer machine. Syrups for sodas are made in-house, and there’s seasonal juice and matcha for non-coffee drinkers.

Foli is just one piece of a larger project, with the young team already eyeing Oxford Street for another day-to-night hybrid: bakery, soba-focused bar and restaurant. For now, though, Foli and a love of bread is calling you to a little warehouse bakery in Campsie, opposite a smash repair shop.

Foli Bakery
32A Harp Street, Campsie

Hours:
Tue to Sun 8am–2pm

@folibakery