Pastries straight from the ‘Hive’

A FRIENDLY new bakery just round the corner of Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital, Beehive Buns revives weary souls with a range of home-made French-style pastries and refreshing healthy drinks.
Thanyaphan Israsena Na Ayudhaya, who learned the art of baking at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School, opened her eatery six months ago after a successful stint of selling home-made breads and pastries from home.
Located in the heart of the Racquet Club on twisty Sukhumvit Soi 49/11, it offers both sweet and savoury pastries, cakes, macarons and cookies free from preservatives as well as take-away Thai and Korean lunch boxes.
“I suffered from quite severe morning sickness when I was pregnant and the only thing I could eat was bread. My husband was born and raised overseas so he grew up eating baked items and when we travelled to Europe, he always took me to sample the fresh baguettes at famous patisseries. That influenced me to take a pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School and open my own place. I want to offer Thais about the taste of really good bread,” Thanyaphan says.
The 20-seat patisserie is spread over two floors and boasts with a simple and clean Japanese-style ambience. A display counter showcases more than 30 kinds of scrumptious buns, tarts, muffins, brioches, bread, croissants, puffs, cakes, brownies and scones baked fresh every day.
Premium ingredients such as flour, butter, Cornish clotted cream, cherries and oranges are imported from France, the UK and the US. 
“My pastries may not look different from others on the market but you will taste the difference on the first bite. The texture is crispy but soft on the inside and they are not crumbly. And despite using only premium ingredients, I keep the prices affordable. Our bread starts at Bt25,” Thanyaphan says.
The savoury pastries include an Egg & Bacon Danish (Bt60), delicious vol-au-vent puffs filled with traditional German sausage or a mix of chicken and mushroom (Bt45 and Bt60) and Quiche Lorraine made with bacon, milk cream, egg and pepper (Bt125). 

                               Sausage Puff, Egg & Bacon Danish and Hot Viennese Coffee           

For those with a sweeter tooth, there’s Banana-Choc Yoghurt Muffin, Orange Cranberry Muffin, Cinnamon Pull-apart, Almond Tart and Sweet Bean Milk Bread stuffed with smooth mung beans. Prices range from Bt25 to Bt45 a piece. 
Adorned with bee-inspired chocolate balls, Beehive Caramel (Bt135) is a lovely chocolate tart that has a soft, cake-like sponge texture. Also worth sinking your teeth into are the Tiramisu Brioche (Bt40), a bread and cake hybrid made with butter, egg, chocolate and mascarpone, and Apple Crumble Brioche, which combines the best of French and English desserts.
Pop in at tea time and tuck into scones flavoured with butter, rosemary or cherry paired with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam for Bt120. Equally tasty is the Cheesecake Brownie served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream for Bt120.  

       Beehive Caramel                                                             Buttered Cherry Scones are served with Cornish Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam.

“I use yoghurt rather than butter milk to make my muffins lighter, while brioche is made with cake flour that is fermented with egg and butter overnight to create a smooth texture. Sweet Bean Milk Bread is less sweet, healthy and popular with Japanese customers.
“I’m working on expanding the menu and next month, I will launch a high-tea set that features sandwiches, savoury bread and desserts,” Thanyaphan says. 
Beverages include fruity iced teas with peach, raspberry or strawberry, hot Viennese Coffee, vanilla milk, cocoa, green tea and Twinings and Mariage Freres teas by the pot. Prices range from Bt60 to Bt150. 

BUSY AS A BEE
Beehive Buns Bakery is at Racquet Club, Room 115A, Soi Sukhumvit 49/11. It’s open daily from 8am to 6pm. 
Call (082) 449 9339 or visit the “Beehive Buns Bakery” page on Facebook.