New foodie collab has everything your carb-loving heart could desire

Set your alarms Hobartians – the baked items at this new Sandy Bay pop-up are selling out quick – so grab yourself a sandwich or pastry before you miss out, writes Alix Davis.

ALIX DAVIS

3 min read

August 23, 2024 - 5:19PM

Freshly baked croissants and a pistachio and pear tart in the busy pop-up Six Russell Bakes at Area 2BE, in Sandy Bay. Picture: Linda Higginson

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I’d just driven away from my husband when my phone rang. “Where is this sandwich from?” he asked thickly, through what I assume was his first mouthful of said sandwich. I had just handed him half a ploughman’s from the new collaboration between cafe Area 2BE and bakery Six Russell. He chewed, swallowed and asked for another one.

He wasn’t the only fan. “It was absolutely insane,” says Area 2BE owner Bryan Teo, of the response. The collab is currently operating on Fridays and Saturdays and, “we sold out both days. I think about half of Friday’s customers came back on Saturday for another go. There was lots of social media around it and it was exciting for everyone.”

I had figured this would be a popular venture and so met a friend at Sandy Bay’s Area 2BE at 9am on Friday – I did not want to miss out!

Bryan Teo carries a tray of Six Russell Bakes pastries into the busy pop-up at Area 2BE in Sandy Bay. Picture: Linda Higginson

As we made our selection there were trays of freshly baked treats being delivered hot from the ovens of Six Russell Bakes, which is literally 10m down the road.

Be still, my carb-loving heart.

We started with an escargot ($7) a sticky, glossy spiral of buttery pastry studded with plump raisins. If I was by myself I would have unwound the coil – inch by delicious inch – but seeing I was with company, I cut it into quarters like an adult. It still tasted just as good.

We had arrived just before the crowd and by the time our coffees arrived, there was definitely a gentle jostle happening at the counter. Coffee is serious business here and ours were excellent.

One of Six Russell Bakes’ highly sought-after tasty ploughman's sandwiches available at the pop-up at Area 2BE in Sandy Bay. Picture: Supplied by Six Russell Bakes.

Six Russell Bakes sausage and egg muffin, which includes a freshly-based muffin, slab of baked omelette and a housemade sausage patty. Picture: Supplied by Six Russell Bakes

Next up was a sausage and egg muffin ($14). Now, I know there’s another company that makes sausage and egg muffins, and I know they are wildly popular. Personally, I’ve never tried them. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this version is going to give the incumbent a solid run for their money.

The freshly-baked muffin is slightly chewy and dusted with cornmeal, there’s a bright yellow slab of baked omelette and the sausage patty – housemade by the Six Russell team – is tender and flavoursome. The burger sauce that drips on to my plate as I take a bite, is the icing on the cake. Or the sauce on the muffin. You know what I mean!

Six Russell Bakes pistachio and pear tart available at the pop-up at Area 2BE in Sandy Bay. Picture: Supplied

Teo and Kobi Ruzicka of Six Russell have known each other for a while and figured that working together while the bakery expands from a wholesale venture to a neighbourhood bistro would be a win-win for everyone.

“We want to make Russell St a busy street again,” says Teo, who opened his cafe two years ago. “We’re working towards making this a four-day-a-week event and this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have planned.” Ruzicka says, “The collab came about as a way to start trialling various items and fill the gap between now and opening the bakery space. We’ll also be joining forces with Bryan as he’ll be running our coffee program.

“The sandwiches themselves are being made by our future chefs for the bistro attached to the bakery, Jye Fergusonn and Julie Kettyle.”

There are regular menu items each week, but it’s also a chance to try new things and keen eaters would do well to keep an eye on the socials to see what’s coming out of the oven each week.

One of Six Russell Bakes' delicious crullers available at the pop-up at Area 2BE in Sandy Bay. Picture: Supplied

One of Six Russell Bakes freshly baked chocolate croissants available at the pop-up at Area 2BE in Sandy Bay. Picture: Supplied

My second sandwich – and the one that had my husband swooning was the ploughman’s ($17) – included two fat slices of seeded Viking bread stuffed with LP’s pig’s head sausage, Pyengana cheddar, Branston pickle butter, chopped lettuce and a couple of thin slices of apple. On the menu, it also includes chopped egg, but the team kindly left that out as eggs and I are not friends. What a great sandwich – each bite was a wonderful combination of textures, which is one of my must-haves when eating. I want crunch, smoothness, a bit of density – and then all the layers of flavour on top of that as well. It delivered.

A classic ham and gruyere baguette with cultured butter ($16) is calling my name next weekend, as is the vibrant pistachio and pear tart ($8).

Set your alarm, items sell out quick, and grab yourself a sandwich or pastry you won’t regret.