The Commercial Bakery
| Where | 360 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000—View map |
Contact | 03 9670 7214 |
Website | — |
Open | Breakfast Monday to Friday 7.00 am to 12.00 pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Cash |
Diet | Soy |
Seating | Inside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Unwelcome |
The city's little tart
Ellie Parker 1 May 2008
Ever eaten a miniature chardonnay grape tart for breakfast? How about a tiny caramelised fig tart with fig jam and custard? No? Well I have, in that order. I then followed through with a teeny little caramelised pear and almond cream number.
The problem with the Commercial is that these tiny baby tarts catch your eye as you enter Gills Laneway. Your eye then wanders to the delicate pile of pain au chocolate and then to the still-warm brioche. A mental note is also made of the fresh croissants stuffed with provolone, tomato and rocket. And the nectarine Danish.
When you sit down to view the breakfast menu don't be surprised if your mind is still loitering outside in the laneway, with its nose pressed up against the pastry window. In those brief seconds, I, for one, had somehow made a pact with myself that I wasn't allowed to eat breakfast until I had had my sweets.
The Commercial excels in the baby tart market (and yes, I believe there is one). The little chocolate tarts are pure perfection. The baby lime custard tart is the prettiest little tart on the block with her little green chardonnay grape jewels. The pastries (escargot, croissant, Danish, sticky bun) are light as air. All baked on the premises. All perfection.
The coffee (Romcaffe) is a stand-alone asset. Two shiny coffee machines hold court inside the entrance to the bakery and operate like little steam engines, pumping out sublime takeaways and have heres throughout the morning. The crema on each shot is noteworthy. There is consistency and dedication in these coffees.
The Commercial offers other pared-back breakfast options such as fruit compote with vanilla yoghurt, ciabatta with eggs and bacon, and a semolina porridge. If the truth be told though, the pastries and tartlets dominate proceedings. For many customers the Commercial warrants a minor morning indulgence.
As a CBD establishment that offers topnotch coffee, simple food and heavenly home-baked pastries, it is no surprise that the corporate suits play merry-go-round with the limited tables available.
The industrial polished concrete floor and the ceiling fans sit nicely with the soft pastel tiles on the side wall. With hints of an underground train station, the minimal décor benefits from the warmth of the functioning bakery out the back.
The Commercial Bakery makes you feel a bit greedy. The pastries are so good they are hard to pass. The coffee is so good it is hard to stop at one. And the specials board for Gill's Diner (the restaurant out the back) makes you want to come back for lunch.