After two years of selling her unique pastries at Palm Beach Markets, to the delight of customers, in July 2023, Maki Jinno opened her own shop at Crestwood Plaza, Molendinar.
Calling her store Bake House Gozen, translated as Morning Bakehouse, the bakery is tucked away in an unassuming row of shops, marked only by a single sign.
“We wanted the shop to be discreet, with people getting to know us by word of mouth,” Maki’s husband, Kiyomi chef Andrew Lam, tells us.
Fitted out by restaurant designer OJ Thompson, the bakery is light and airy, rich rust-coloured curtains the only dark feature in an otherwise Scandi coloured venue clad in blonde and recycled timber counter, tables and chairs, beneath off-white Italian plastered walls.
“We wanted to make a space that was quite different, serving pastries unique to us, and featuring seasonal ingredients such as Yuzu, Davidson Plum and Citrus,” Andrew says.
Although this is Maki’s first store, she is no stranger to the kitchen, having been a chef for 25 years working in major hotels and pastry bakeries in Melbourne, Japan and the Gold Coast.
Maki has mastered the art of making croissants from scratch, a rare skill as most of the croissants we buy are made from dough flown in from France. Using organic Australian flour and a special blend of French butter, Maki’s croissants are made in a three-day process of folding, laminating and baking to achieve flaky pastry perfection. Dare we say it? Every croissant is not equal!
What Maki brings to the Gold Coast food scene is the intriguing blend of Japanese culture merged with French pastries. From the savoury Chilli Cheese Kransky with BBQ sauce to the Kinako Mochi Croissant (Azuki), there’s a surprise in every bite. Matcha, red bean and yuzu add noticeable differences to each pastry, local stonefruit marking the summer months’ selection.
There are a small number of seats to dine in, Hrvst St pressed juices or Merlo coffee to accompany your pastry, however most people take their pastries away.
There’s only one catch. With an emphasis on quality rather than quantity, when a variety of pastry is sold out, they are gone. So, get in early to have the best choice.
Bake House Gozen, Crestwood Plaza, 7B/458 Olsen Avenue, Molendinar, Thurs – Sun 7am – 1pm