Brew & Bake Boulangerie in PJ
While the phrase “hidden gem” is thrown around too often, it perfectly describes Brew & Bake Boulangerie. The cafe has been operating in Kota Damansara since December 2023, serving delectable artisan pastries at wallet-friendly prices.
Yet, it’s their Croissant Penyet – croissants rolled out into thin flat pieces and baked to serve – that thrust the cafe into the spotlight.
We visited Brew & Bake Boulangerie to try their flat croissants and other pastries.
Ambience at Brew & Bake
We popped into Brew & Bake on a quiet Wednesday morning and unsurprisingly found ourselves the only customers. Right across the entrance, a small window gave us a sneak peek into the kitchen, where we caught the pastry chefs working their dough magic.
The interior is simple and unpretentious, and that’s perfectly fine. The focus is rightly on what matters most: the delectable pastries.
Food at Brew & Bake
Brew & Bake’s pastry offerings are a showcase of famous treats from around the globe. There are French butter croissants (RM6.80/each) and crookies (RM10.80/each), as well as Italian focaccias (RM8.80/each).
The iconic pastries are great, but you shouldn’t sleep on the cafe’s creations such as Jackfruit Kaya Cube (RM11.80), Sourdough Egg Tart (RM4.80), and last but not least, the Croissant Penyet (RM10.80).
It means “squeezed croissant”. Each piece is partially coated with a chocolate, raspberry, or matcha glaze, while the savoury option features a sprinkle of chicken floss and seaweed.
Raspberry Rose Croissant Penyet
The Raspberry Rose Croissant Penyet is adorned with bits of rose petals that cling to the raspberry glaze before it sets. Meanwhile, the unglazed half is lightly brushed with sugar syrup.
The croissant was crispy yet retained a slight flakiness. Its taste resembled an elevated strawberry Pocky – mostly sweet with a whisper of tartness. The rose petals, for us, were more for the visuals – their floral note was too faint to play a part in the flavour profile.
Pineapple Brûlée Tart
The caramelised top of the Pineapple Brûlée Tart (RM9.80) boasts a rich amber hue, with burnt spots that add a touch of bitterness to the custard. They mix real pineapple chunks into the custard filling – no pineapple jam here – so we were genuinely impressed.
Taste is crucial, but we also value texture when it comes to pastries, and this tart offered us just that. Each bite was smooth, delicate, and flaky, accompanied by bursts of juiciness from the pineapples.
Jackfruit Kaya Cube
When sampling the Jackfruit Kaya Cube, we expected the hard chocolate shell to immediately give way to the jackfruit kaya cream inside, akin to eating a piece of filled chocolate. Instead, we were greeted by an unexpected layer of bread, which we later came to appreciate.
The combination of chocolate, kaya, and jackfruit guarantees this pastry to be a sweet extravaganza. We needed the bread in between as a buffer to “tone down” the sweetness.
There was no space for air – the cube was filled with creamy coconut notes, followed by hints of jackfruit flavour.
Sourdough Egg Tart
The Sourdough Egg Tart is much like a Portuguese egg tart but with a sourdough twist on the tart shell. It didn’t taste significantly different from a regular egg tart for us, as the sourness was rather mild.
The texture was, however, on point. The crust shattered with each bite and the egg custard was so silky it deserved to be slurped straight from the crust. We shamelessly did that and highly recommend trying this way.
Italian Artichoke Focaccia
It had been a couple of years since we had focaccia. It was at a restaurant run by an Italian here in KL. The cafe’s Italian Artichoke Focaccia rekindled those memories.
The robust, intensely savoury flavours of olives, artichokes, and salty crust jolted us out of the sugar-induced haze. The rosemary’s fragrant aroma wafted up our nostrils like an uninvited but welcomed guest.
The texture of the focaccia hinged right at the comforting spot between airy lightness and satisfying chewiness.
Artisan pastries by Brew & Bake Boulangerie in PJ
Please come with friends to share these lovely pastries rather than tackling them solo, as it might be overwhelming. But if you happen to come alone, get the Pineapple Brûlée Tart and Artichoke Focaccia. Those two are our favourites.
Address: 25-1, Jalan PJU 5/15 Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening hours: 7.30am-8pm, Daily
Contact: 03-6158 6668 | Brew & Bake Boulangerie’s Instagram
Also watch our video feature here:
For more carb-y goodness in KL, you’ll want to check out Flaaah’s new cafe in KL and this cafe in PJ that serves charcoal flan tarts.
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia
Photography by xinyeegoh.