Baker D Chirico, Carlton by Benny

A few years ago, fate dealt me a very kind and tasty hand – once a week I had to be within walking distance of the newly opened Baker D Chirico’s Carlton store. It was early morning, and I’d generally indulge in a freshly baked croissant or similar breakfast pastry before happily heading off to work, sometimes clasping a sourdough loaf studded with olives to enjoy later at home. Those days are long gone and apart from annual Easter pilgrimages seeking some of the best hot cross buns in Melbourne, visits to Baker D Chirico have been quite rare.

On this particular Saturday, Bilby Blue and I had spent the morning at the Royal Exhibition Building, admiring the creative skills on display at the Finders Keepers Market, before wandering over to Baker D Chirico for an al fresco lunch.

Baker D Chirico presents a small, quite discrete shopfront and signage, easily missed if you are walking too fast. Once inside, however, the shop fitout is striking, inspired by a bread basket, with multi-tiered plywood shelves rising to the ceiling, infinitely adaptable to whatever size and shape loaves (and other goodies) Daniel Chirico chooses to bake, and specially designed to assist the cooling of the loaves after they leave the ovens at the back of the shop.

A large, tempting array of treats greeted us as we entered. Almond croissants, Danishes and pain au chocolat (to name but three), fondly remembered from my breakfasting days, had been joined by more lunch-appropriate fare: house made beef ragout pies stood beside a selection of paninis, sandwiches, cheese and spinach parcels of golden flaky pastry, quiches, vegetable calzones, and savoury pissaladiéres (like mini pizzas).

The shop was buzzing, and it was only the friendly and efficient staff that avoided a queue forming. I decided on the house made beef ragout pie (served with kasundi, a tomato relish redolent with Indian spices). We had to wait for the pie to be heated in the oven – no pie warmers or microwave shortcuts here – and it was well worth the wait. Lovely short pastry, filled with a tasty ragout, full of chunks of tender beef, the gravy just the right consistency to impart flavour and texture without oozing out of control.

Bilby chose one of the paninis – a sizable golden roll filled with brie, semi-dried tomato, cornichons, lettuce and kasundi. The bread was superb – crusty and flavourful. The filling was fresh and tasty, but she felt that the generous dollop of kasundi overpowered the delicate brie – she would have preferred a more subtle hit of spiciness.

Baker D Chirico, Carlton, blueberry frangipane tart

And for a sweet treat? How do you choose between bombalone (Italian doughnuts filled with custard crème), spiced buns (memories of those great hot cross buns), concorde (chocolate and meringue), friandes, Portuguese tarts, lemon ricotta pillows, eclairs, canoli, muffins (including flourless varieties), and lemon brûlée tarts? We eventually decide on a blueberry frangipane tart to share. It was delicious.