First Look: The Chefs Behind a Standout Northern Beaches Bakery Open Pastry Club in Waterloo

“Hidden gem” gets bandied around a lot, especially when talking about places to eat. It’s applied to venues sitting behind unmarked doors, down nondescript alleyways or, often, just ones located in western Sydney. But Pastry Club, Waterloo’s new spot for cheffy baked goods and interesting caffeine fixes, is a hidden gem in the truest sense – it’s quite difficult to find, and it’s worth the hunt.

Venture off Danks Street into the Casba apartment complex, head past the street-front appliance showrooms, and you’ll find Pastry Club tucked away in the building’s palm-filled courtyard. If you see the ankle-deep pool, you’re heading the right way.

The new addition to the complex comes from Max and Vicki Bean, the husband-and-wife duo who made the switch from fine dining to baked goods. First came their now-closed Pyrmont cafe Calla, then Pastry Club’s older northern beaches sibling Frenchs Fair in 2024. They bring collective experience from the kitchens of Est, The Bridge Room and Bar Topa – applying the lessons they learnt to doughnuts, croissants and inventive iced lattes.

All the baking is done at Frenchs Fair each morning, then driven over to Pastry Club in time for opening. Despite running two shops, they take a small-batch approach.

“We’re not baking, like, crazy, ridiculous amounts,” Max says. “So if we sell out in the morning, it is what it is.”

A menu of bagels, toasties and specialty drinks is supported by a countertop stacked with pastries and loaves. Flavours are subject to change, whenever inspiration strikes.

A highlight when Broadsheet visits is a take on a lobster roll. Lobster meat is sauteed in butter and piled into a sesame bagel with shredded lettuce and house-pickled onion. And if you’re looking to indulge your sweet tooth, the deep-brown croissants filled with hazelnut praline and gooey chocolate brownie will sort you out – just like the hefty brûléed custard doughnuts. Cinnamon rolls and strawberry Biscoff danishes also line the counter, but shift your attention to the drinks menu and you’ll find just as many treats.

Take the honey butter croissant iced lattes, Pastry Club’s out-of-the-gate hit. Choose espresso or matcha to be paired with croissant-infused oat milk and then topped with a crunchy, mini honey butter croissant, ready to dip in the drink. Another standout is the einspanner. The traditional Viennese coffee – espresso topped with whipped cream – is turbocharged in Waterloo: banana caramel coats the glass, malty Milo cream floats on top.

Don’t let the descriptions fool you, though: Max and Vicki have managed to avoid making their treats sickly sweet – a pleasant surprise when indulging in a brownie-packed croissant or a banana caramel latte.

“[The honey butter croissant iced latte] is quite nicely balanced, and it’s because chefs have made the drink,” says Max. “A nice salty foam from the salted honey, and then the infused croissant milk’s got a little bit of richness.”

Pastry Club by Frenchs Fair
Shop 9/18 Danks Street, Waterloo

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7.30am–3pm
Sat & Sun 8am–3pm

@ffpastryclub