You might know Tenacious Croissant by its previous name, Tenacious Bakehouse. What hasn't changed is co-owner Yeongjin Park's unwavering creativity.

His inspired way of overriding default settings produces truly inventive pastries – these flaky desserts and crusty snacks leave incriminating crumb trails and good memories that aren't so easy to shake off.

Portuguese tarts usually beam like miniature suns in bakery windows. At this patisserie, which opened five months ago, Park shapeshifts them into larger frilly bricks, sweet and blistered, with miso caramel lavished on top.

"Everyone loves to eat Portuguese tarts, but I have always found them to be too small," he says.

Park has zapped them into a bigger size, with a blockbuster richness to match. A single bite is like consuming an entire plate of dessert. And people love it: it's Tenacious Croissant's bestselling item.

Park's originality is characterised by his mandu pastry, where he reconstructs the eponymous Korean dumpling as a fancy, seed-encrusted sausage roll. This clever remix symbolises his life story.

Park grew up in Namwon, a rural part of South Korea three hours south of Seoul. He worked in the capital as a baker and furthered his culinary training in Australia. Locally, he's crafted pastries for award-winning chef Federico Zanellato at Picco Leo and Lode Pies.

"I came across sausage rolls for the first time in this country and I always thought about changing the filling of a sausage roll into something dumpling-like whilst eating them," he says.

The Aussie staple may be found across the country, but Tenacious Croissant might be the only place where it's stuffed with pork, cabbage, ginger and green onion and reimagined as something Korean families traditionally enjoy during their new year (mandu represents fortune and prosperity during this festive period).

"I wanted to add a lot of Korean influence into my products," says Park. These welcome riffs include the brilliant corn tart flavoured with charred kernels, melted cheese, the sweet tang of mayonnaise and a sculptural roof of corn flakes. This is inspired by a bar snack from his birthplace.

Black garlic has added a punchy, caramel flavour to Asian diets for centuries and it bolsters the crown pastry at this bakery. Park wanted "to combine Korean garlic bread, which has a sweet and salty taste, into a croissant shape," he says.

It's a savoury wonder – if you love ultra-roasted bulbs left in an oven tray until they resemble sticky confectionery, this is for you.

Injeolmi, a traditional rice cake, crosses borders like a European exchange student. Sure, it's dusted with soybean powder and oozes red bean paste when bitten, but its flaky form arrives via Italy and France – a Christmas pandoro reshaped as a croissant.

The almond croissants – a twice-baked classic that can end up husk-dry – are cleverly refreshed with a citrus-bright pocket of marmalade.

Parks uses fruit to great effect at his patisserie: fanning mango slices across a tart glazed with passionfruit and dusted with lemon myrtle or serving icy raspberry sencha, a popular drink sipped during the warm Korean months. Both taste like the promise of endless summer days.

While the buzz of the Chicorita – a cold brew infused with Zest's Corcorado espresso blend, mild chicory and icy milk – is a good thirst-crusher, too.

Tenacious Croissant is physically compact – getting a view of the pastry counter might involve some strategic shimmying – but Park's outsized imagination and international showcase of flavours is transporting.

The way he uniquely draws on his upbringing, migration paths and multicultural influences is a reminder of why Sydney's dining scene is so remarkable – and leaves us with much more than mere crumbs.

The low-down

Tenacious Croissant

Vibe Ultra-creative pastries with a Korean twist or smart remix: Park's Jinius (reimagined pain au chocolat) has travelled from Picco Leo and Lode Pies, where he previously worked.

Go-to dish The mango passion pastry, which is sweetened with mango jam, coconut yoghurt, passionfruit glaze and a sprinkling of lemon myrtle powder.

Cost About $40 for two, plus drinks