Lode Pies and Pastries

Lode Pies and Pastries is a high-end bakery by acclaimed Sydney chef Federico Zanellato Lumi Dining, Restaurant Leo) and Lumi chef Lorenzo Librino, where premium ingredients, creative twists and extreme attention to detail are enlisted to put a fine-dining spin on baked goods.

When it first opened on Crown Street in November 2021, word quickly spread about the bakery’s star item: a doughnut-shaped croissant filled with white chocolate crème, glazed with raspberry, and dusted with pistachio and rose petals. It’s so labour-intensive that only 15 are made each day.

Another highlight is the Lumi Pie, which previously featured on Lumi’s degustation menu. Despite the name, it’s not a pie, but a pithivier: an incredibly difficult-to-make French version of a pie made entirely from puff pastry. Here, it’s filled with Wagyu beef brisket and shiitake, and took Zanellato months to perfect.

Also on the tight menu is the Jin-us. It looks like a pain au chocolat, but is filled with roasted white chocolate, almond marzipan and rum-soaked raisins. It’s then topped with laminated pastry; painstakingly built by placing one fine layer of dough upon a fine layer of Belgian butter – over and over again.

The team works with a handful of boutique producers to source fresh fruit, organic flour, and whole cuts of free-range, pasture-fed, sustainably produced meat, which comes from Emilio’s in Rozelle. Everything is made from scratch onsite.

The drinks menu features handcrafted brews by Easy Tea, sodas by Strangelove, and barista-made coffee using Little Marionette beans.

Inspired by the sheen and polish of many high-end brands, an interior design by Larissa Orso features marble surfaces, polished concrete, and a clean palette of grey, white and pink. The hero is the glass counter, which displays one of each item on the menu. There’s seating inside and out for around 15 people. But if all are taken, you’ll find plenty of green spaces nearby for picnicking, including Shannon Reserve next to the Clock Hotel.