Croff Bakehouse Barrack Street

When Giselle Sim left her accounting job in Sydney to move to Perth to be with her now-husband, Harold Bong, she found herself with time on her hands. A keen, self-taught baker, she decided to focus on her long-time love: croissants.

After months of home-based research and development, the couple opened slick new croissanterie Croff Bakery on Barrack Street in January 2020. A second location opened on Murray Street a bit over a year later.

While Croff’s minimalist industrial design and glass-walled kitchen will draw comparisons with Melbourne croissant-heavyweight Lune, the couple also drew inspiration from San Francisco hotspot Mr Holmes Bakehouse – right down to the neon signage – which they visited on their honeymoon.

Sim’s buttery, flaky pastry holds its own against the city’s best, but the sweet and savoury fillings are Croff’s point of difference. Alongside the classic almond and chocolate options are Asian flavours – such as pandan, beef rendang and the Saturday-only durian – and versions inspired by Aussie favourites such as smashed avo. There’s also coffee from local roaster Crema.

Singaporean-native Sim develops new flavours for monthly specials – one past take on Hainanese chicken-rice was a croissant stuffed with chicken, chilli sauce and a crisp arancini patty. It’s also worth checking out the “croissant loaf” – a ham-and-cheese croissant-sandwich hybrid.