After a six-year wait, a superstar Melbourne baker lands in Brisbane
One of the striking openings of the year is serving its famous sourdough, custard cream-stuffed bombolini, zesty maritozzi, and much more. Take a look inside.
Lune’s Kate Reid. Supernormal’s Andrew McConnell. Shane Delia. Now, Daniel Chirico.
It used to be the Sydney restaurateurs, chefs and bakers coming to Brisbane. These days, it’s Melbourne’s.
And this isn’t a half-hearted play at the Queensland capital, as was the case in the 2000s and 2010s. Delia announced last week that not only was he opening his first restaurant in Brisbane, he was planning to move his family to the city. Chirico, it turns out, quietly migrated in 2021.
“I spend most of my time here and shoot down to Melbourne every couple of weeks for a few days,” Chirico says. “I check on the bakery down there, but it has a stable team that’s been there for a while. It’s more about the occasional problem solving.”
You can’t imagine there being many problems to solve at the Baker D. Chirico shops in Melbourne. Chirico was one of the first of Australia’s new wave of cult bakers, originally opening in Carlton in 2000; on weekends, both that outlet and its South Yarra sister venue absolutely heave with punters enamoured with its sourdough loaves, cannoli and bombolini.
Now, finally, Chirico has opened a new outlet on Longland Street in Newstead. Finally, because it’s been six years since he signed the lease on the 100-square-metre premises.
“We couldn’t do much about COVID,” Chirico says. “We just had to deal with that, but the later [delays] were just little things that got postponed. Little detail work was becoming challenging, and just getting the right trades to do the work. And then being part of a precinct, you have [elements] around you that haven’t been finished.
“But everything happens for a reason. The bakery now has different people working there, which brings a different energy. The offering is similar to what we planned. The volumes we’re shifting weren’t really what we anticipated, but it’s flattering to have people welcoming it and lining up for the product.”
He isn’t kidding. Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday that Baker D. Chirico Newstead has been open since its October debut, it’s had queues out the door. Locals flock for the sourdough [made using a 25-year-old starter he developed with a pair of fermented organic apples and Wholegrain Milling flour] and bombolini of course, as well as maritozzi stuffed full of fresh cream and a touch of lemon zest.
But there’s also a greater focus on savoury products, such as a roast chicken sandwich with apple celery, tarragon and a dilly mayonnaise; a caprese roll with grilled zucchini; and a rosemary croissant with manchego and prosciutto cotto.
There’s also a pork and fennel sausage roll Chirico is still tweaking, and he will soon introduce a beef ragu pie and then panforte for Christmas.
The shop itself is a striking evolution of the Carlton shop’s “breadbasket” design, with a curved timber ceiling and reams of white terrazzo on the floors and a counter stacked full of product.
For those who want to stick around, there’s a bunch of brass-rimmed tables inside and extra seating outside lined alongside a water feature.
“The reception from people has been fantastic,” Chirico says. “Everyone’s new here so we’re still learning the ropes, and people are obviously lining up, but they’re forgiving – they’re saying it’s delicious and worth it. That’s what I want to hear.”
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others.