Hot croissants: in Hong Kong, French bakery veterans open neighbourhood bakeries with a nod to local tastes

It is close to 11am on a weekday and already many of the items at the newly opened Bakehouse have sold out. Lines have started to form again at the rustic brick facade – the first round starts at 8am – but “not to worry”, says founder Grégoire Michaud, “I’ve saved you two croissants.”

The Wan Chai bakery has only been open for three weeks. It did not take long for people to notice; at weekends, they sell 700 croissants a day. Usually there is nothing left at the end of the day.

Five traditional Singapore bakeries, and a coffee shop, to satisfy your craving for the treats locals grew up with

A baker for more than 25 years, Michaud spent eight years as the executive pastry chef at The Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, where he oversaw bread and pastry production. In 2013, he opened Bread Elements, a wholesale bakery that supplies croissants and pastries to hotels and restaurants.

Having a wholesale business made many things possible, he explains, such as establishing a base of loyal customers, and being able to import good quality ingredients in bulk while keeping prices low.

“We had a plan to start the wholesale business first, because if I started by opening a bakery, the flour [we import from France] will cost a lot, our bread will cost a lot – which is the case for other bakeries,” Michaud explains. “Many people tell us we are too cheap, but we just want to be a normal bakery. Good quality, fairly priced, very simple.”

Bakehouse offers everything from baguettes (HK$28), seeded sourdough (HK$32), pain de campagne (HK$30) and brioche (HK$42) to cruffins (HK$38), fruit and cheese Danishes (HK$22) and matcha cream Hokkaido milk buns (HK$28). For lunch, soups, salads and sandwiches are available.