“I was so thin I could slice bread with my shoulderblades, only I seldom had bread”
Charles Bukowski
I am not a restaurant or food critic. I don’t think this space will ever have more than a passing interest in food.
I will make an exception today.
The Boogie Lab deserves its own entry. The rest of the day would be lost in the comments and pictures if it was not on its own.
Shell found The Boogie Lab last night searching for a place to have breakfast.
Some spaces have immediate impact. The perfect balance of originality and cool. Super Normal in Melbourne had it until everywhere else imitated its feel.
I am not saying the 1970s has never been done before, but there is something about The Boogie Lab that makes browns, oranges and tans original.
Beyond that, a bakery by day that is a bar by night is a nice niche. Until 15:00 there is house baked treats, more on those later, at 16:00 the breads disappear and the space is set for the evening DJ. Little wonder the sound is brilliant through the day. A music studio ceiling for night time DJ sets is a good base for sound quality.
Decor means little without staff, and the team at The Boogie Lab are laid back without being arrogant. Attententive but not annoying. They know their baking as well.
Everywhere does sourdough these days, it is almost boring. But not every bakery is headed by Karlo Vulin. To be honest, I don’t move in bread cricles, so I had no idea who Karlo Vulin is.
Our waiter filled me in.
Karlo is a master baker who started out at one of the most famous bakeries in Europe, Krostûla in Zadar. Again, I have not heard of this place either. Apparently it became somewhat of a hotspot in Europe and made Karlo famous. These days, Karlo is invited all over the world to share his baking expertise.
So you would expect the food, particularly the bread, to be something special.
It is.
We grabbed a mortadella and pistachio paste focaccia with a slice of ham and artichoke pizza. Both made with Karlo’s sourdough.
The fillings were great, but this is next level bread. Spongy and crusty, soft and chewy. Tasty and salty.
Our man pushed us to try the almond croissant, so we did. Buttery without being soggy, with super flaky crust. The almond paste is worked through the centre and the toasted almonds on top… the best croissant I have had.
The coffee is house roasted and not bad.
This review is over.
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