Big, bold and beautiful

THE APPETITE-GIVING fragrance of freshly baked bread wafts through the door the moment you step into new bistro and bakery Vanilla Bakeshop on Ekamai Soi 12. A member of the Vanilla restaurant family, it boasts the same elegant industrial-chic styling as its siblings with solid wooden beams and unadorned ceilings setting off the polished bare cement.

Located in the same compound as the Vanilla Garden project, which is also home to Japanese-Italian fusion eatery Vanilla Cafe, the bakery has replaced the group’s Chinese outlet Royal Vanilla. The interior seats 40 and allows diners a bird’s eye view of what’s going on in the open kitchen and other 20 outdoors in the landscaped garden.

Making a choice is difficult as the glass shelves are filled with such mouth-watering delights as lavender maple scones, berry jelly meringue cake, corn flake pudding, salty caramel cream pie and strawberry sour cream muffin.

Portions are generous and made for sharing between two and even three people. Depending on what time of day you come, you can get your sugar kick from baked pastries and desserts and baked fruits with ice cream or opt for a savoury baked appetiser, salad, pasta and all-day breakfast. It’s self-service, so customers place their orders at the counter and the staff brings it to the table when it’s ready. The menu is extensive though choosing is made easier by visualising the goodies on the tablet computer at the counter. 

A good choice is the Baked Cheese Dip with Cranberry Baguette (Bt360), which features crispy and thin slices of cranberry baguette smothered with cheddar and mozzarella cheese dip. The all-day Big Breakfast Set (Bt550) will leave you feeling full until mid-afternoon with its eggs – sunny side up, scrambled or omelette – served with smoked ham, bacon, Italian sausage, garlic mushrooms and spinach, cheese toast and sauteed potato together with fresh salad with berries. For something lighter, opt for the maple puff pancake, yoghurt topped with fresh fruit, orange juice and a choice of coffee or tea.

For lunch, there’s Baked Pasta Garlic Butter Clams (Bt340), a baking dish full of penne with garlic, butter and Italian cheese that topped with breadcrumbs and sweet basil. The chef’s special is Gravlax Salmon Salad – a Nordic-style dish with thin slices of raw salmon cured in salt, dill and beetroot and served on a bed of fresh salad leaves, blackberries and gooseberries. Caviar and salmon roe is piled on top and there are clear and mayo dressings on the side. Order a la carte for Bt450 or pair with rose wine sangria for Bt680. 

Anyone with a sweet tooth will be tempted by Vanilla’s signature baked dessert known as the Ring (Bt280). It’s a croissant doughnut topped with vanilla ice cream and drenched in hot caramel with diners choosing from original (vanilla caramel), salty caramel or bacon maple sauces. The croissant doughnut – sometimes called a Cronut – hit the headlines last year after French chef Dominique Ansel introduced it at his bakery in New York. I tried the Ring with salty caramel sauce topped with powered cocoa and marshmallows and found the balance of salt and sweet just right.

Another tempting dish that’s perfect for sharing is the Baked Danish Toast (Bt360). The buttery Danish slices are baked with home-made cheese custard and your choice of topping from a list that includes smoked ham and apple sauce, smoked ham with mozzarella and mixed berries, sausage and banana maple syrup, and custard creme brulee.

Equally pleasing is the Baked Puff Pancake (Bt340), a hot pancake with fresh fruits, vanilla ice cream, and your choice of signature sauce. You can choose between blueberry banana butter rum, wild berry lemon cream, red fruits and chocolate, and pear, peach and orange caramel. 

You can pair your meal with punch, fruit soda, frosty, sundae cream float, beer punch or shandy as well as hot tea and hot Italian coffee. A must-try is the Lemon Caramel Frosty (Bt175), a blend of caramel ice cream with ice and salty caramel sauce topped with meringue cream and a slice of lemon. 

The chef’s table service and cooking workshop are coming soon. 

 

SWEET TREATS

>>Vanilla Bakeshop is on Ekamai Soi 12 and open daily from 10 to 10. Call (02) 381 6120-22 extension 13.