Sweet spot with ‘eclairs like no other’ opens in Northbridge

The creators of what Perth foodies have dubbed the “prettiest eclairs they’ve ever seen” have simply opened a comfy little storefront within the coronary heart of Northbridge.

Lightning Puff — eclairs by Wu, which had humble beginnings in a quaint Tuart Hill house’s kitchen, has upgraded after the extremely gram-worthy desserts grew to become an enormous hit, following their sell-out launch on Mother’s Day final 12 months.

The storefront’s opening on Aberdeen Street was met with an analogous response Wednesday, February 15, with dessert lovers queuing to strive Perth pastry chef Robert Wu’s distinctive freshly baked handmade eclairs.

“It has been exciting and exhausting since we officially opened two days ago,” Scott Cain, Wu’s business accomplice instructed PerthNow.

“Robert has been getting to the kitchen at 5am and making as many eclairs as he can before opening at 11am. Both days we’ve had quite a queue, and both days we’ve sold out within a few hours.”

After a lot trial and error early final 12 months, Wu managed to present the standard eclair new life with a “modern and vibrant” makeover, from its flavour to its exterior.

His small business is really a labour of affection, with the 36-year-old spending hours within the kitchen making “everything from scratch” — from the choux batter (water, butter, flour, and eggs) to the contemporary pastry cream fillings and zesty jams.

He goals to launch a brand new eclair flavour every month, impressed by seasonal substances and fruits, Asian cultures, together with South Korea and Japan, and traditional Aussie favourites like lemon meringue and cheesecake.

The newest flavour added to the menu is strawberry and basil, which Cain stated was “super popular”, and “perfect for summer”.

Other flavours accessible embody, black sesame, mojito, lemon meringue, and espresso and candied walnut.

Each flavour packs a powerful punch however will not be overly candy, combining totally different textures in every layer to create a pleasant sensation with each chew — let’s simply say it’s a straightforward feat to devour a whole eclair very quickly.

This brings us to the couple’s intelligent selection of business title, Lightning Puff.

Choux pastry is claimed thus far again to the 1540s, however it wasn’t till the nineteenth century that the éclair grew to become well-known, by the hands of Antonin Carême, nicknamed the pastry chef of kings.

Wu defined that in French, eclair interprets to flash of lightning, and the story goes that Careme’s desserts had been eaten so shortly, they had been gone in a flash. Along with this, Wu stated the title for eclairs in Taiwan interprets in English to lightning puff.

Put all of it collectively and Lightning Puff was born, expressing “traditional French technique with a modern twist”.

For Wu, launching his dessert store is a “dream come true”

Wu’s earliest reminiscences of baking are from his house nation of Taiwan, the place he’d typically assist his mom within the kitchen rising up, however he would first take a special path, spending a decade within the Taiwanese army working within the discipline of chemistry.

His ardour for pastry was reignited when he moved to WA in 2014 on a two-year working vacation. He loved the Aussie way of life a lot that he determined to check English and plant some roots, later embarking on a patisserie course at South Metropolitan TAFE in Bentley.

After spending a while working in several cafes, bakeries, and business kitchens he determined he wished to department out on his personal and “do something different, something special”.

And, in accordance with Perth foodies, he’s achieved simply that.

After attempting Wu’s strawberry and basil eclairs, Perth Foodie Mama, who goes by Rin, inspired her followers to cease by the brand new dessert pit-stop for “some of THE yummiest and Instagrammable choux pastry eclairs in Perth”.

First discovering the eclairs in August final 12 months, she instructed her Instagram following the “perfectly handmade choux pastry delights from @lightning.puff are single-handedly the prettiest eclairs I’ve ever seen! And boy, do they taste just as good too!”

Food devourer @alexperthfoodie agreed, labelling the candy treats, “Éclairs like no other”.

While small batch produce gross sales agent, @vinandvittles stated Wu supplied the “most beautiful flavour combinations” and any eclair connoisseurs has to “put this on your must-visit list”.

When @curiouserandcuriouser.co tried the sweets on the Perth Food Market she stated they had been so good she “hoovered” them down.

For the time being, eclairs can be found till bought out and pre-orders are usually not being taken. Hurry, they’ll be gone in a flash.