There are a few things that truly dominate the senses when stepping into Bartisserie (short for Bar and Pastry) in ASHTA at District 8: first, the inviting scent of pastries fresh from the oven. Second, the good music so in tune with the shop’s warm and energetic ambience, and last, the sight of visitors genuinely vibing over good food that makes them happy.
Bedecked in a modern and minimalist home, Bartisserie is not a brunch stop for a hurried and hasty day. Rather, it is a place to reconnect with the pleasures of life through their repertoire of baked goods, wholesome meals to hobbies and passions of interest. Items of the latter, such as LP records, cookbooks and journals, are lined up neatly in a corner for those who wish to take them home.
These unique features of a bakeshop are brought together by founders who came from different backgrounds, yet bonded by their palpable passion for food and music. The arrival of Bartisserie links back to their memories of spending their days in the States “at a bakery and eating out left and right,” recalled Hanindito Sidharta, one of the founders and a long-running creative in the music scene, now working hand-in-hand with his friends Sisi Soetrisno, the establishment’s consultant chef; Dina Ponsen, an epicurean and film producer; and Emerson Manibo, a former baker at San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery and founder of Bali and Singapore-based Starter Lab.
At this pastry bar, everything you see behind the sleek glass counter has gone through a mindful and detailed crafting process and all are equally delightful to the palate. A string of their selections reigns favourite, like their whole wheat croissants and buckwheat pastries namely Pull-apart Cheese and Pepper, Apple Pie and Sunny Side. Overwhelmed with the options? Your best bet is to order a trayful and share it with your dear ones.
It’s a place for everybody after all, so their all-day mains leave no selective or conscious eaters behind: should you wish to opt for the healthier meals, call for their vegan dishes such as Beans Salad with Grilled Tofu or Fried Cauliflower Rice with Quinoa. If not, then devour in their popular Crab Cake Eggs Benedict that hints at a fresh and buttery note. Then, wash it off with your beverages of choice, as the lists range from caffeine like their unique Kellogg’s Latte and Vegan Latte to more guilty ones like the milk-based Fruit Loop Cereal.
Bartisserie’s playful design, which features shapes of sun and moon, bespoke unique elements weaved within the bakeshop. And like how the sun and moon never intertwine, Bartisserie tries to marry the traditional and homely nature of a bakery with an important aspect of a modern lifestyle: good music. It’s a fresh take that explains the flock of gleeful comers impatient to have their brunch, Bartisserie-style.
