On a day off, I love to sit amongst the bustle of Silo Bakery. Either inside watching the endless stream of loyal customers stare at the cabinet full of baked goodies and clutch at their white paper bags filled with their purchases (you can’t stop at one), or outside at one of the three tables people-watching those coming and going along the street.
On a Saturday morning, there a people milling around outside in a queue for a table (the bakery only seats about 40 people). There’s also another queue inside for those wanting to order and take away the baked goods.
Silo Bakery bake a variety of artisan breads – the ever popular baguettes, white sourdough and stirato, to the more unusual such as the cranberry and walnut loaf and schiacciata with grapes. There are almond croissants, pain au chocolat, and escargots studded with raisins. The glossy tarts that come in a variety of flavours – vanilla brulee, peach and raspberry, pear and caramel, chocolate crumble etc, take up the majority of cabinet space. These come in various sizes and are perfect for afternoon tea.
There are also pies, sausage rolls, quiches as well as various sandwiches and paninis. By 1pm on a weekday, most of this is sold out, so it’s no wonder people queue up early to get the best pick. To the back of the bakery, is a dedicated cheese room and you can enjoy some of these cheeses along with Silo’s bread by picking a cheese platter.
For breakfast one morning, I ordered a soy mocha (unsure of price) and although I found it lacking in chocolate, I didn’t mind.
I also ordered the French toast with roasted plums, raspberries and finger lime ($18).
I was pleasantly surprised to find the bread used turned out to be raisin toast providing some extra sweetness from the raisins. The two slices of toast had crispy, almost croissant-like flakey layers towards the edges. It made a beautiful sound. The rich plums and coulis contrasted well against the tart raspberries and finger lime. The dollop of double cream provided a mellow taste to round out the meal.
On a separate outing for lunch, I ordered the affogato (I believe it was $5.50). The coffee was strong (noting that I’m not a huge strong coffee drinker). I would have preferred a little more vanilla ice cream to satiate that sweet tooth of mine.
It was difficult to pick what I wanted from the lunch menu. Interesting items included the roasted figs wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with blue cheese, bresaola with enoki pate, and various pizzas. I decided on something light and ordered the tarte flamiche ($22) – a leek and cheese pastry with endive salad. The tart was medium in size, flakey and buttery. The cheese was sharp but not overpowering and in the form of a warm runny sauce. I liked that the cheese didn’t drown out the natural taste of the leeks. The crispy salad had a simple vinegar dressing on top which complemented the tart. I must admit I did look longingly at the pizza another person had ordered with soft pillowy dough (must order next time).
I couldn’t resist trying the ‘evie’ (which I later found out is named after the daughter of the owner) which is essentially a croissant filled with almond spread, apple and raisins, and folded into more of a horn shape.
There is table service but as it’s so busy, there might be a bit of a wait for menus, tap water and for your order to be taken. I also found that some of the staff weren’t that knowledgeable about the products, probably in training.
Bookings are not taken for breakfast or on weekends, hence the queue in the mornings. Get there early.
Silo Bakery
36 Giles Street, Kingston, Canberra
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 7am-4pm.
Foodgasm 8/10
Value for money 7/10
Service 7/10
FPJ score 22/30
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