Le Blanc Bakery: Pastry Heaven
Posted: Oct 07 2018
We are always on the lookout for little gems to publish on the TOT Recommends section, and this time we have hit the holy mother of pastry - Le Blanc Bakery. It is not easy to find this little corner of carb joy, but once you do, it will be hard to go back to 7-Eleven’s bakery section.
We talked to Le Blanc’s owners, Suzuyo and Shinichi Ikemoto, two Japanese partners that have been in the baking game for a long, long time. The two bakers started in Japan, working in a shop that sold croissants of national renown. Once they honed their skills on the Japanese market, they left on a journey to bring exceptional warm buns to less baking savvy countries like Thailand.
“We wanted to bring good bread and pastry to countries where there is no baking tradition. Ten years ago we came to Thailand, and we want to go to China next...”
Le Blanc’s good reputation has made it a local open secret and persistent rumors maintain that they bake for Harrod’s venerable tea room. We can’t comment either way, but both are delicious, and one offers significantly better value...
Le Blanc looks like a Parisian boulangerie, but when we asked Suzuyo where they learned to bake like the French, her reply caught us off guard, as she firmly insists it is Japanese baking.
We’re a little unsure of the distinction, but the Japanese devotion to quality certainly shows in the fluff and puff of their pastry, and in the careful selection of their ingredients. From the berries topping the delicious danish pastries, to the cold cuts going into their ham and cheese croissants, Le Blanc goes to great lengths to ensure high standards for their products.
“In Thailand it is difficult to find the right flour to bake, so we have to import everything from Australia...”
The whole business is centred around the art of baking, and the shop is laid out to let customers see what goes on at each stage of production. Every recipe is thoroughly researched, as was evident from Suzuyo’s new favourite product.
“Right now I am really happy with my scones, I just came back from a trip to England where I learned how to get them just right.”
When I sent an email to Suzuyo to have her revise the draft of this post and send us some pictures, this was her reply:
Hi,
Thank you so much for coming to my shop today.
We are just a small retail bakery and we love this style.
We don't want to just make money, we want to make everyone feel happy and smile, that's it. We will make bread until we die! LOL!
Best regards,
Suzuyo Ikemoto
If that isn’t devotion to baking goodness - and an irreproachable mission - we don’t know what is.
TOT Recommends: Le Blanc’s best sellers are the pain au chocolat and their danish pastries, but you’re pretty safe ordering anything on the mouth watering spread. Keep an eye open for their ham and cheese baguette - it’s not always available, but when it is, you’re in for one tasty lunch.
Le Blanc Bakery
52/17 Pan Rd, Silom, Bangrak
10500 Bangkok
Phone: +66 092 407 0474
Walking distance from BTS Surasak and Chong Nonsi
They also do delivery - contact via phone or Facebook